Game Notes
Highland Heights, KY - Manhattan will open play at the KEMI Northern Kentucky Basketball Classic against Coastal Carolina at the BB&T Arena on Friday, November 16 at 4:30 pm.
Tournament Schedule:
Friday, November 16 - Coastal Carolina - 4:30 pm | Watch Link
Saturday, November 17 - Northern Kentucky - 7:00 pm | Watch Link
Sunday, November 18 - UNC Asheville - 3:30 pm | Watch Link
Watch Online
All three Jasper games will be streamed live through WatchESPN and can be accessed by the above links.
Tournament Quick Hits
* Manhattan will be taking part in its third MTE event in as many years (2016 Preseason NIT, 2017 Gulf Coast Showcase).
* The Jaspers will be playing all three opponents for the first time in program history.
* Since 2011-2012, the Jaspers are 15-16 in neutral-site games, highlighted by going 9-4 in their MAAC Championship seasons of 2013-14 and 2014-15.
E Making Moves
* The last time out at UMBC, freshman
Elijah Buchanan led the way with a career-high 10 points while adding four rebounds and three assists.
Cap Being Cap
* Senior
Thomas Capuano added nine points, on the strength of three triples, and is averaging a team-leading 9.5 ppg and 5.0 rpg while shooting 50.0 percent (5-of-10) from deep.
* Last year, Capuano made good on a MAAC-best 50.8 percent (31-of-61) from long range.
Ahh Memories
* Manhattan and Coastal Carolina were both No. 16 seeds in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
The Sun Belt
* The Jaspers hold a 2-1 record, all-time, against Sun Belt opposition, having previously defeated FAU (2010-2011) & Denver (2001-2002).
Mas At Manhattan
* With a victory, Masiello will collect his 200th career win as a member of the coaching staff at Manhattan, having accrued 83 as an assistant from 2001-2005.
* As a head coach, Masiello is currently fifth in program history with 116 wins.
The Roster
* Manhattan returns eight letterwinners from last year's team and welcomes 10 new players.
Newcomer/Bench Notes
* The Jasper newcomers have accounted for 50.0 percent of the team's scoring (54/108), 39.7 percent of the rebounding (25/63), 55.0 percent of the assists (11/20), 62.5 percent (10/16) of the steals and 53.0 percent (212/400) of the minutes.
* The Manhattan reserves have outscored the starters this season (63-45), having posted advantages in each game.
Along Came Pauly
* Leading the returners is reigning MAAC Defensive Player of the Year and Preseason All-MAAC Second Team selection junior
Pauly Paulicap.
* He ranked 16th in the NCAA last year with 2.5 blocks per game and rejected at least three on 14 different occasions.
* Paulicap's 78 total blocks were the fourth-most in school history and were more than 52 schools had all of last season. He also averaged 10.0 ppg and 6.9 rpg (4th MAAC), including a MAAC-leading 3.0 on the offensive glass, while ranking third in the MAAC in field goal percentage (.558) with four double-doubles.
* The Jaspers have won four of the last eight MAAC Defensive Player of the Year awards under Masiello as Paulicap joined three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rhamel Brown as the league's top defensive force.
Getting Defensive
* Thanks in large part to Paulicap, Manhattan ranked among the top-three in the MAAC in six defensive categories: turnovers forced (14.8-3rd; 48th NCAA), rebounding defense (33.7-1st), scoring defense (70.2 ppg-2nd), blocks (3.9 bpg-2nd), field goal percentage defense (.437-3rd) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.345-3rd).
Usilo On The Court ... And Off
* Senior
Samson Usilo had seven points and seven rebounds against UMBC after notching eight points against Elon.
* Usilo was recently inducted into the prestigious Chi Epsilon National Engineering Honor Society, which is dedicated to the purpose of maintaining and promoting the status of civil engineering.
Elon Recap
* Capuano led the way at Elon with 10 points, a career-high eight rebounds and four assists, against no turnovers, while sophomore
Nehemiah Mack scored all 10 of his points after halftime in notching double-figures for the first time in his career.
* Led by
Samir Stewart's seven points, the Jasper freshmen combined for 22 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and four steals against Elon.
* Manhattan also posted a decisive 14-7 edge on the offensive glass against Elon, which led to a 20-12 advantage in second-chance points.
* Trailing by 11 with less than eight minutes to play, the Jaspers were able to make it a one-possession game on three occasions thanks to scoring 13 points over six possessions that were the direct result of an offensive rebound.
Pressure
* Manhattan is averaging 17.5 forced turnovers per game after ranking 48th nationally a year ago with 14.7 each time out.
* The Jaspers have paced the MAAC in turnovers forced in three of the last five years (2015-2016, 2014-2015, 2013-2014) and are 24-13 under Masiello when turning the opposition over at least 20 times.
More Mas
* Masiello's teams have also recorded at least 10 steals in a game 50 times with Manhattan going 40-10 (.800)
* Additionally, the Jaspers are 43-5 under Masiello when holding teams to less than 60 points.
The Captains
* Capuano, Paulicap and Mack will serve as team captains for the upcoming year.
Pauly-Cap
* Paulicap (1st) and Capuano (2nd) were each selected to preseason All-MAAC teams by Mid-Major Madness.
For Starters
* Graduate student
Ibrahima Diallo, junior
Tyler Reynolds, sophomore
Ebube Ebube and Buchanan, freshman
Tykei Greene have all garnered their first career starting assignments over the first two games.
MAAC Preseason Poll
* Manhattan was tabbed eighth in the MAAC Preseason Poll. The Jaspers were slated eighth prior to the 2011-2012 season and finished with 21 victories.
Non-Conference Noise
* Manhattan will play 12 non-conference games, highlighted by three games against teams that qualified for the NCAA or the NIT a year ago. Additionally, the 12 opponents combined for a stellar .518 winning percentage.
Last Year
* The Jaspers were the first-ever NCAA Division I team to win a game in Europe besting Holy Cross 70-54 on December 1, 2017 as part of the inaugural Belfast Classic in Northern Ireland before dropping a 56-55 thriller to Towson in the Championship.
* 58.1 percent of Manhattan's games (18-of-31) were been decided by 10 points or less.
* In the last five minutes/OT of 10-point games, the Jaspers shot 78.6 percent (92-of-117) from the line, and 43.4 percent (59-of-136) from the floor, including 42.0 percent (21-of-50) from deep.
Coach Mas
* Masiello has led Manhattan to a 116-112 (.509) record, including going 72-62 (.537) during MAAC play, and 57-30 (.655) at Draddy Gym over his eight seasons, including 44-22 vs. league opposition. He has won two MAAC Titles, advanced to title game three times, claimed two Metropolitan Coach of the Year awards with a pair of 20-win campaigns. Masiello has also participated in the NCAA Tournament in 13 times as a player or coach, including being a part of eight conference champions and one National Title.
* Now in his 22nd season as either a player or a coach, Masiello has a career collegiate record of 477-258, including 356-230 on the sidelines, with one National Title, two National Championship Game appearances, two Final Fours, six Elite Eight berths, eight conference championships, 13 NCAA Tournament appearances and 15 20-win seasons.
Smooth
* Former standout and current color analyst Chris Williams joined the Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 10. Williams clinched Manhattan's first-ever MAAC Championship in 1992-93 at the line and led the Jaspers to 72 career wins while handing out 271 assists and scoring 792 points.
About Coastal Carolina
* Coastal Carolina enters this weekend with a 2-1 record and is paced by senior Zac Cuthbertson, who is averaging a team-leading 24.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, as the Chanticleers have bested Ferrum and Campbell before dropping a five-point decision to Tulane on Tuesday night.
WHAT'S A JASPER?
* The unique nickname of Manhattan College's athletic teams, the Jaspers, comes from one of the College's most memorable figures, Brother Jasper of Mary, F.S.C., who served as the College's athletic director in the late 19th century. One of the greatest achievements of Brother Jasper was that he brought the then little-known sport of baseball to Manhattan College and became the team's first coach. Since Brother Jasper was also the Prefect of Discipline, he supervised the student fans at Manhattan baseball games while also directing the team itself. During one particularly warm and humid day when the college was playing a semi-pro baseball team called the Metropolitans, Brother Jasper noticed the Manhattan students were becoming restless and edgy with the team coming to bat in the seventh inning of a close game. To relieve the tension, Brother Jasper called timeout and told the students to stand up and stretch for a few minutes until the game resumed. Since the College annually played the New York Giants in the late 1880's and into the 1890's at the old Polo Grounds, the Manhattan College practice of the "seventh inning stretch" spread into the major leagues, where it has now become a time-honored custom practiced by millions of fans annually.
THIS IS MANHATTAN COLLEGE
• Why is Manhattan College in the Bronx? Our campus was originally located in Manhattan at the intersection of 131st Street and Broadway. In 1923, Manhattan College moved to its present Riverdale location in order to accommodate a growing student body. But with more than 60 years of history established as Manhattan College, the institution decided to retain the name despite the geographic misnomer.
• 17 alumni are members of the prestigious National Academy of Engineering — an impressive number for an institution the size of Manhattan College.
• Manhattan is one of only 182 remaining colleges founded in the United States before the Civil War.
MEET THE STAFF
Masiello is joined on the bench by
Matt Grady,
Doug Thibault,
RaShawn Stores,
Brandon Kuhn and
Tyler Wilson. Grady is in his eighth year as an associate head coach with Thibault beginning year one. Stores is back for his third seasons while Kuhn is in his second year as the Strength & Conditioning Assistant/Director of Operations and Wilson his second as a Special Assistants to Masiello.
113TH SEASON OF JASPER BASKETBALL
In its 113th season, the Manhattan men's basketball program boasts a 1364-1229 overall record (294-316 MAAC). The Jaspers' storied men's basketball team was established in 1904-05 and took a two-year hiatus during the 1943-44 and 1944-45 season due to World War II.
UP NEXT
Manhattan will play Northern Kentucky on Saturday, November 17 at 7:00 pm as the Jaspers continue play in the KEMI Northern Kentucky Basketball Classic.
