Manhattan Basketball

Ugly does not even begin to describe what occurred in Draddy Gymnasium on Friday night.

In what was the lowest-scoring MAAC game of all time and the second-lowest result in all of college basketball since the introduction of the three-point line in 1986, Manhattan defeated Fairfield, 34-31. The Jaspers finished the game on a 5-0 run. (And yes, five points does count as a “run” in a game like this.)

“I’m as happy as can be about it,” said Manhattan head coach Steve Masiello. “Our kids fought hard. There was no quit in them.”

He went on to say, “Tonight, I’m more proud of this win because our offense was not good. We didn’t shoot the ball well, but you couldn’t tell that on the defensive end…There was no letdown from an effort standpoint because of the lack of offense.”

In the first meeting between these two teams, Fairfield had another brutal game offensively as the Jaspers triumphed, 62-40. They were doomed by a terrible start from the field, but initially things seemed quite different on Friday.

Fairfield (17-13, 9-8 MAAC) opened up on a 12-2 run in the first five minutes thanks to hot shooting from beyond the arc. Freshman Josip Mikulic opened the night with a three-pointer out of the right corner.

Then fellow frosh Marcus Gilbert knocked down a pair of long balls. Senior point guard Derek Needham finished the run with one more from deep.

Unfortunately, the Stags would go on to score only 19 points over the final 35 minutes while making eight field goals and only two more treys.

Manhattan (12-16, 9-8 MAAC) climbed back into the game with strong play from freshman Shane Richards and junior Rhamel Brown. The Jaspers went on a 13-0 run, which included a pair of three-pointers from Richards, two layups from Brown and a trey from senior forward Roberto Colonette, to take a 15-12 lead.

The rest of the first half went back and forth, and Fairfield wound up taking a 19-18 lead into halftime thanks to another three-pointer from Gilbert.

Fairfield and Manhattan exchanged a few buckets to begin the second half, and the Stags took a 31-29 lead on a back-door layup by Keith Matthews. The Stags were still clinging to that lead inside of two minutes to play, and, with the way the offense had been going, a two-point lead seemed like a 10-point lead.

The Jaspers had a chance to tie it with RaShawn Stores heading to the line for a one-and-one, but Stores missed the front end. One possession later, though, he shook off the miss at the charity stripe and drilled a go-ahead triple from the left corner that would prove to be the game-winning shot.

“I’m so proud of RaShawn,” Brown said. “He missed a free throw, and he came back and focused on defense. Then on the next possession on offense, he hit a three.”

After a Needham turnover, Manhattan sophomore Donovan Kates gave the ball back to Fairfield after he lost control on a drive to the basket. Just like Stores, Kates would get his shot at redemption.

The Stags failed to score on offense and Kates rebounded Amadou Sidibe’s miss. Fairfield was forced to foul to extend the game. Junior Maurice Barrow fouled Kates, an 83.5 percent free-throw shooter who has not missed from the stripe since Feb. 3.

After rattling the first one in, Kates swished the second, and Manhattan took a comforting three-point lead into its final defensive possession.

“He turned it over (on the previous possession),” Masiello said. “He didn’t hang his head…He got the rebound and made the two winning free throws.”

Fairfield collapsed Manhattan’s defense as the Stags looked for a three-pointer to force overtime. Barrow was left wide open on the perimeter, but his shot missed as the buzzer sounded. As it turned out, Barrow had a foot on the three-point line, so even if he made it, Fairfield would have lost, 34-33.

Here is Masiello’s take on that final play: “We made a big mistake. We were supposed to switch all pick and rolls. I said, ‘If it was a three-point game, whatever you do, run them off the line. Give them the two and don’t foul…Emmy (Andujar) left (Barrow open in the corner). I have no idea why. I think he just wanted to see me have a heart attack.”

Fairfield head coach Sydney Johnson saw the game as within their reach, but the shots simply weren’t falling. “I definitely liked our offensive execution,” he said. “The offensive conversion just wasn’t there.”

For Manhattan, Brown did not have a fantastic offensive game with six points on 3-of-10 shooting. But as always, he was a major factor on the defensive end. The reigning MAAC Player of the Year blocked five shots, setting a new Manhattan single-season record with 87 swats, and he also altered numerous others.

“I try to know my opponent’s tendencies,” Brown said. “Despite the fact that sometimes I can’t get the block, I just try to do my best to make them change their shot...There are so many shots that I didn’t block, but they threw up floaters and shots they’re not accustomed to taking, and it led to a lot of misses.”

Masiello said, “You see [the opponents] get into the lane, and it’s almost like they downshift, slow down, and they’re looking for Rhamel.” He continued, “I really think teams go to sleep at night like, ‘Where’s Rhamel Brown?’ because he is such a bother, even when he’s not blocking shots...You know he’s going to come get you.”

Manhattan was picked to finish second in the MAAC back in November. But with an injury to reigning MAAC scoring champion George Beamon, which wound up being season-ending, the Jaspers struggled in non-conference play and early on in league play. But since Jan. 27, they are 6-2 in the MAAC, and they also have a non-conference win at Buffalo.

“I did a bad job because I didn’t change (when Beamon got injured),” Masiello said. “I just kept everything the same, thinking George was coming back. I was putting Shane and Donovan and Emmy in bad positions with the basketball. Then we had two first-year point guards who weren’t really used to it. So I did a bad job coaching this team early on.

"I personally think in early January, we got our feet and realized George wasn’t coming back…The identity of our team had to change. We’re not Iona and Niagara. We can’t go score 95. What we can do is guard you pretty good and make it tough for you.”

The Jaspers control their own destiny for a top-six finish in the MAAC, which means they would avoid the play-in game and only need to win three games in Springfield to make the NCAA tournament.

With a win over Loyola (Md.) on Sunday, Manhattan would guarantee itself at least the No. 6 seed. If the Jaspers beat Loyola, Fairfield beats Marist and Iona loses to Siena, then Manhattan would be the No. 5 seed.

However, if Manhattan loses to Loyola and Fairfield beats Marist, the Jaspers would drop back to seventh place and be forced to face the last-place team in the play-in round.

Others notes from Friday night:

—The lowest-scoring game in college basketball since the introduction of the three-point line was on Dec. 14, 2005, between Princeton and Monmouth. Princeton won that game, 41-21.

—Manhattan honored seniors Roberto Colonette and Mohamed Koita prior to Friday night’s game. “I’m just really, really proud of our guys gutting it out and send Roberto and Mo out of here the way they should be,” Masiello said.

—Here is Masiello’s slightly humorous take on the MAAC tournament. Masiello was asked Manhattan now controlling its own destiny to avoid the play-in round and go straight to the quarterfinals. “We don’t care if we’re the 10 seed. Whatever seed we are, we’ve just got to go play. You guys worry about [the seeding]. We don’t care where the game is, what time we play, who we play. We know what we believe in. We know what we’re about. We know we can beat anyone. We know we can get beaten on any night. Seeding is irrelevant. I mean, it’s not the NCAA tournament where it’s a 1 and a 16. It’s the MAAC. We’ll play whatever seed you want. Make us an 11 seed. There’s 10 teams. We’ll be the 11. It doesn’t matter to us.”

—One more fun scoring stat for Friday night: Iona’s Momo Jones scored 35 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field. As a team, Manhattan scored 34 points on 12-of-47 shooting, and Fairfield scored 31 points on 12-of-45 shooting.

Jesse Kramer is the founder of The Catch and Shoot, a blog dedicated to college basketball news, observations and insights on nationwide topics. You can follow Jesse on Twitter at Jesse_Kramer, and you can follow The Catch and Shoot at Catch_N_Shoot.

All quotes were obtained in person.

When: Friday, January 25, 7 p.m. EST

Where: Draddy Gymnasium, Bronx, New York

Watch: ESPNU

Life has not been easy for the Manhattan Jaspers through eight conference games. The Jaspers hold a subpar, 3-5 record after being picked to finish No. 2 in the league, but they did show signs of life by taking Canisius and Niagara down to the wire in their recent western New York road trip.

On Friday night, Manhattan will have a chance to get their season on the right track against Loyola (Md.), picked No. 1 in the MAAC preseason.

The Greyhounds are winners of five of their last six, and their 6-2 MAAC record puts them in second place at this point in the season.

Erik Etherly, the preseason MAAC Player of the Year, has been playing well ever since returning from an injury that sidelined him for five games.

Manhattan needs to protect its home floor if it wants any chance at a late run toward the conference title, and Loyola cannot afford to lose to a sixth-place team with tough games against Iona, Canisius and Niagara coming up.

Here is what each team will have to do to get the win on Friday night:

Keys for Loyola

Stick to Shane Richards

Richards has emerged as one of the top freshmen in the conference because of his three-point shooting.

Now averaging 7.1 points per game, he appears to be a top candidate for MAAC Freshman of the Year, along with Niagara's T.J. Cline. In his last four games, Richards is posting 14.3 points per game on 47.2 percent three-point shooting.

Statistically, Loyola is the No. 7 three-point defense in the country, holding opponents to just 27.8 percent shooting from deep.

Still, Richards has shown the ability to consistently find openings and knock down jump shots, so the Greyhound defenders must limit his shot opportunities. 

Attack Manhattan

Scoring two-point field goals on Manhattan is tough because the reigning MAAC Defensive Player of the Year roams the paint.

But even if you penetrate and miss a layup, there is a good chance Manhattan will foul you.

In their last four games, the Jaspers are averaging 27.3 fouls per game, and opponents are shooting 35.3 free throws.

The free-throw disparity was the main reason why Niagara avoided an upset against the Jaspers, and considering the Greyhounds shoot better than 70 percent from the charity stripe, it could be the difference for them as well.

Keys for Manhattan

Feed Rhamel Brown

Everyone knew about Brown's defensive prowess during his freshman and sophomore seasons, but this year he has emerged as one of the top offensive big men in the MAAC as well. He is averaging 11.7 points and 6.9 rebounds while shooting 56 percent from the field.

In the 10 games prior to the Niagara loss, he was posting 14.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.5 blocks.

The Jaspers play their best offensively when they feed Brown the ball in the post. 

Crash the defensive glass

Loyola is No. 14 in the nation with a 38.8 offensive rebounding percentage. The Jaspers have struggled on the defensive glass at various points this season, and it has cost them a few games. 

Loyola is already a much better offensive team, and giving the Greyhounds extra possessions could turn this game into a potential blowout.

My pick: Loyola 60, Manhattan 55

Manhattan is coming off a pair of close losses on the road, and this one will likely sting as well. The Jaspers are playing well enough to compete with any team in the conference; time and time again they have been unable to get over the hump and record a key victory.

Meanwhile, Loyola is putting the pieces together and has been playing great. The Greyhounds' only MAAC loss of the month is at Rider in a close game.

Jesse Kramer is a college basketball featured columnist on Bleacher Report and the founder of The Catch and Shoot Basketball Blog.

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The 2012-13 season has been nothing short of a struggle for the Manhattan Jaspers, who were picked to finish second in the MAAC but are currently only 5-11 and 3-3 in conference play. One of the big reasons why the Jaspers have disappointed is because senior wing George Beamon, who led the MAAC in scoring last season with 19 points per game, has missed all but four games with an ankle injury, and even in those four contests he was playing hurt.

As anticipated by many college basketball fans, Beamon was officially announced as out for the season, and Manhattan will now seek a medical hardship waiver so that he can receive a fifth year of eligibility and play next season, according to a tweet by Vin Parise.

This is bittersweet news for Manhattan fans.

The chances of the championship season that 2012-13 had the potential to be is now a stretch, although even without their star the Jaspers are only two games out of first place with a third of the MAAC season in the books.

But, if Beamon does get the medical redshirt and is back for the 2013-14 season, Manhattan will be a clear favorite in the MAAC.

In addition to Beamon, Manhattan would add Maryland transfer Ashton Pankey, who averaged 4.7 points and 4.9 rebounds as a freshman; junior college transfer Chris Thomas, who was ranked a top-five recruit by Rivals coming out of high school; and two freshmen, Carlton Allen and Tyler Wilson.

Meanwhile, the Jaspers will also bring back all-MAAC guard Mike Alvarado and reigning MAAC Defensive Player of the Year Rhamel Brown. Also returning will be Emmy Andujar, who made the all-MAAC freshmen team in 2011-12, and Shane Richards, a freshman who is averaging 13 points in his last four games and recently won a MAAC Rookie of the Week award.

Although this news hurts the hopes for Manhattan to revive the current season, the return of a healthy Beamon in 2013-14 would help the Jaspers to their most memorable season in a long time.

The first two months of the 2012-13 season have not been pretty for the Manhattan Jaspers, who were picked to finish No. 2 in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.

With star wing George Beamon missing all but four games, the Jaspers stand at 3-9, 1-1 in the MAAC. Just after they appeared to be turning the season around with a strong, 75-55 victory over Siena, they then dropped four games in a row.

But with nonconference play in the past, Manhattan can now look ahead to MAAC competition, where it is currently one of eight schools tied for second place.

St. Peter's (6-6, 1-1 MAAC) has solid wins over Rutgers and Iona already, but it has also been plagued with awful losses to teams like Binghamton and Fairleigh Dickinson.

Here is what each team needs to do on Friday in order to improve to 2-1 in the MAAC:

Keys for Manhattan

Don't give away possessions

Scoring in general has been difficult for Manhattan this season. The Jaspers effective field-goal percentage ranks No. 284 in the nation, and they are averaging fewer than 57 points per game.

However, the problem that looms larger on offense is the Jaspers' turnover rate.

Manhattan turns the ball over in 27 percent of its possessions, and you simply cannot win games when you give away possessions so often, especially when scoring is difficult to begin with.

Contain Desi Washington

Delaware State transfer Desi Washington was a key addition for St. Peter's this year. With his team-best 16.2 points per game, he has been an important reason why the Peacocks are a surprising .500 team entering the new year.

In home games, he is posting 19.4 points.

Although seniors Blaise Ffrench and Yvon Raymond both have the ability to be double-digit scorers, Washington is by far the main scoring threat. If Manhattan lets him go off for a huge performance, St. Peter's will run away with this game on their home floor.

The biggest key to stopping Washington is getting in his face every time he touches the ball on the perimeter. Although his 36.5 percent conversion rate from beyond the arc is not outstanding, more than 48 percent of Washington's points have come from there this season.

In the Peacocks' most recent game against Central Connecticut State, Washington was quiet for most of the game until he scored eight points down the stretch on a pair of three-pointers and a long jumper, finishing with 15 points.

He has only scored in double figures twice when being held to fewer than three three-pointers.

Keys for St. Peter's

Take care of the basketball

As poor as Manhattan has been at taking care of the rock, it has also used pressure defense to cause plenty of problems for opponents.

The Jaspers rank No. 21 in the nation turnover percentage defense, with opponents giving the ball away in nearly a quarter of their possessions. Although they give away many possessions each game, they have been able to stick with a lot of teams by forcing other teams to cough up the ball as well.

As evidenced by the first two months of the season, the Jaspers' turnover woes will almost surely continue to strike on Friday. 

Contain Rhamel Brown

In his first two seasons, forward Rhamel Brown cemented his reputation as a defensive force. This year, especially in the last two games, his offense has taken off.

Through 12 games, he is averaging 11.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. In the last five games, he is posting 15.2 points, 2.8 blocks and 1.8 steals per contest.

There is no doubt that Brown is turning into the type of player that could make the All-MAAC First Team, and St. Peter's is thin in the frontcourt.

The Peacocks' best forward is senior Darius Conley. Conley, who struggled last year against Manhattan with averages of only 6.5 points and three rebounds in two meetings, has a large body at 6'7" and 235 pounds. If he stays out of foul trouble, he can compete with Brown in the post.

My pick: St. Peter's 56, Manhattan 51

The first team to score 50 points will be the winner in this game. Both schools have struggled to score this year; Manhattan ranks No. 336 in the nation with 56.8 points per game, and St. Peter's is No. 282 with 62.4.

With Manhattan still lacking a go-to scorer, Washington's scoring ability will give St. Peter's a huge offensive advantage.

For the Jaspers to come away with a win, they will need to get hot from three-point range as well as receive a big game from Brown.

In an intra-New York City matchup, the Columbia Lions will host the Manhattan Jaspers on Saturday afternoon.

The Lions and the Jaspers have both been in funks recently, each losing four of its last five games.

However, this game could still be interesting, as both teams were expected to contend for their respective conference titles in the preseason.

Manhattan (3-7, 1-1 MAAC) was picked No. 2 in the MAAC back in November and even garnered two first-place votes. But the Jaspers have regressed with George Beamon, who led the MAAC in scoring last year, missing all but four games this season due to an ankle injury.

Columbia (5-5) was voted the third-best team in the Ivy League this season, behind Princeton and Harvard. The Lions flashed their potential in an 18-point win at Villanova, but losses at home to Marist and Elon show that there is still work to do.

With conference play nearing for both teams, this game serves as an opportunity for each to turn its season around before heading into the most crucial games of the season.

Keys for Manhattan

Limiting Turnovers on Offense

Manhattan's biggest problem this season has been giving away possessions by turning the ball over. The Jaspers turn the ball over in 27.2 percent of their possessions, which is 341st in the nation.

Fortunately for the Jaspers, Columbia opponents have turned the ball over in only 19.4 percent of their possessions this year. 

Manhattan cannot afford to give the Lions extra possessions by giving away the ball.

Creating Turnovers on Defense

Manhattan has thrived by forcing turnovers and getting out in transition. Currently, the Jaspers are No. 18 in the country in turnover-percentage defense, with opponents giving the ball away in more than a quarter of their possessions.

However, Columbia controls the ball extremely well, turning it over only 16.3 percent of the time.

Manhattan will not stand much of a chance in this game unless it forces Columbia out of its comfort zone with its full-court pressure.

Half-Court Scoring

With Beamon injured, Manhattan has struggled to score in its half-court offense.

Mike Alvarado is the only Jasper scoring in double figures this season, but he cannot be relied on for consistent scoring. Last week against South Carolina, he was held scoreless, and even in his good performances, his scoring has come in bunches rather than throughout entire games.

Against the Gamecocks, freshman Shane Richards kept the Jaspers in the game with 18 points on six three-pointers, but the rookie should not be relied on as Manhattan's main scoring option.

Keys for Columbia

Alex Rosenberg

Rosenberg has been a crucial piece in all of Columbia's games this year. The sophomore is averaging 10.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, but he is posting 12.4 points and five rebounds in wins and only 8.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in losses.

When Columbia beat Manhattan last season, Rosenberg was a key part, with 11 points, five rebounds and three steals.

A strong performance from him tends to create positive results for the Lions.

Home-Court Advantage

Columbia is only 1-3 at home this season, and its only win was against Division III Haverford. However, the Lions have lost close games with Bucknell, a top-two team in the Patriot League, and Elon, a contender for the SoCon North title.

Columbia needs to be able to take advantage of playing games on its home court.

Matchup to Watch

Both teams have found promise in freshman guards this season.

Richards has emerged for Manhattan as a scoring threat from beyond the arc. In his last four games, he is averaging 8.8 points per contest while making nearly 40 percent of his three-point attempts.

For Columbia, Grant Mullins immediately burst onto the scene as a scoring threat. Right now, he is playing like a possible Ivy League freshman of the year.

Mullins is averaging 11.9 points per game and posted 20 points against American a couple of weeks ago. He has also been extremely efficient, making 52.8 percent of his field-goal attempts and 51.4 percent of his treys.

My Pick: Columbia 65, Manhattan 61

Although neither team has been playing particularly great basketball recently, Columbia has shown more promise during the early parts of the season. 

Last season, the Lions played a Beamon-less Manhattan team at Draddy Gymnasium and dominated the Jaspers. Rosenberg and point guard Brian Barbour created a guard-forward duo that Manhattan had trouble stopping.

Manhattan now has more experience playing without Beamon, so it should fare better than last year's 16-point loss.

If this game were at home, the Jaspers would be my pick. But their struggles in road games this season make Columbia the favorite.

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Manhattan was upset by Marist on Friday night to begin MAAC play, but the Jaspers came back much stronger on Sunday afternoon to defeat Siena in their first home game of the conference play.

Manhattan (3-5, 1-1 MAAC) came out strong in the first half and built a 22-9 lead behind junior Rhamel Brown's eight, early points.

Siena (2-9, 0-2 MAAC) fought back over the final few minutes of the half, and Rakeem Brookins' back-to-back jumpers in the final minute trimmed the Manhattan lead to 38-31 at intermission.

The Jaspers were sluggish to begin the second half, missing all seven of their shots and turning the ball over twice during the first five minutes of the period. During that time, Siena cut the lead to two at 38-36.

Michael Alvarado's steal and transition layup ignited an 18-5 run that put Manhattan ahead by 15 points. During the run, freshman Shane Richards drilled three three-pointers, giving him a new career high of nine points.

The Saints crawled back within 12 points with about seven minutes remaining, but Manhattan warded off the comeback with a 13-5 run to end the game.

After seeing Siena play, it is no surprise that the Saints have lost seven games in a row and have not scored more than 66 points in a single game.

Although O.D. Anosike is a double-double machine and the nation's No. 2 rebounder with 13 boards per game, he is a liability on the defensive end. Brown controlled the paint the entire game, as Anosike seemed too afraid to play tough defense at the risk of fouling. Although he may have the statistics of a MAAC Player of the Year candidate, there are definitely more talented players in the conference.

Also, the Saints backcourt is a mess.

Sophomore Evan Hymes, who was one of the top freshmen in the MAAC last season, has watched all his numbers drop, except for his turnovers, which have ballooned to 4.8 per game. He has shot better than 40 percent from the field in only three games and has had fewer than three turnovers only once.

Brookins, who has missed a few games due to an injury, is also very inefficient. He is shooting only 32.9 percent from the field and 7-of-33 from beyond the arc. Although he had a solid game on Sunday with 19 points on 7-of-17 shooting, he had seven turnovers against the Manhattan pressure.

On the other side, Manhattan showed that it still has the potential to challenge for a MAAC title, even without injured star George Beamon.

The Jaspers have struggled to score without Beamon in the lineup, but multiple players stepped up on that front.

Brown led all scorers with a career-high 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting while adding three blocks.

Sophomore Emmy Andujar had 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals, and Alvarado added 10 points.

Stores, who has struggled to find a groove in his first season of Division I basketball, is finally looking comfortable on the court. On Sunday, he had a great all-around game with 12 points on four three-pointers, five rebounds, six assists and two steals.

Over his last three games, Stores is averaging 10.7 points and 4.3 rebounds. More importantly, he has 12 assists and only one turnover during that stretch.

The most important stat of the day for Manhattan: 10 turnovers. All season the Jaspers have struggled taking care of the basketball, averaging 21 giveaways through their first seven games.

Manhattan will return to action on Sunday, December 16, when it takes on defending NEC champion LIU-Brooklyn on the road.

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Steve Masiello continued to move the Manhattan rebuilding process forward last week with the signings of three recruits.

During the early signing period, Chris Thomas (Denver, Colo./Chipola College), Carlton Allen (Ewing, N.J./Life Center Academy) and Tyler Wilson (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Hayes) signed National Letters of Intent for Manhattan College.

Thomas is the star of this class. A former five-star recruit, Thomas initially committed to Xavier but then decommitted from the Musketeers in September. In high school, he was ranked the No. 1 shooting guard in his class by Rivals.com and was an ESPN Super 60 recruit.

According to Rivals, Thomas also had scholarship offers from Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Memphis and Tennessee.

However, there are some questions surrounding Thomas and if he will ever play in a Jasper uniform. He played at four different high schools when he was younger, and his recent decommittment from Xavier shows that there is no guarantee that he will stick around.

But if he does play for Manhattan next year, he could help replace senior George Beamon, who led the MAAC in scoring last year. Beamon has proven to be an indispensable part of the Jaspers' rotation. In the last two seasons, the Jaspers are 0-3 with an average margin of defeat of 26.7 points. To think about how Manhattan will fare without Beamon next year is a little scary.

Thomas is a pure scorer who could replace Beamon on the wing and fill the hole that the MAAC's best scorer will leave.

Allen will add depth to the frontcourt next season, while Wilson will likely spend a lot of time on the bench during his first season

A 6'9" center, Allen is a two-star recruit on ESPN.com and was receiving interest from high-caliber schools, such as Virginia Commonwealth, Auburn and Penn State. Scout.com ranked him the No. 29 center in the Class of 2013.

Next year, the Jaspers will have one of the best frontcourts in the MAAC with Rhamel Brown, Emmy Andujar and Maryland transfer Ashton Pankey. The addition of Allen will add depth and a much-needed big body to Manhattan's rotation.

Wilson could play a larger role as Manhattan's point guard in the future, but next year he would be playing behind returnees Mike Alvarado, Rashawn Stores and CJ Jones. Last season, Wilson averaged 12 points and seven assists per game as Cardinal Hayes advanced to the Catholic High School Athletic Association Class AA semifinals.

In other recruiting news, Pope John XXIII High School senior Jermaine Lawrence attended Manhattan's game against Hofstra on November 21. Lawrence is ranked the No. 19 recruit in the country and had tweeted a few weeks ago that he narrowed his list down to UNLV, St. John's, Syracuse and Cincinnati. 

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