Manhattan Basketball

William & Mary 75, Manhattan 70

Game Analysis

The motion set that head coach Barry Rohrssen prefers rarely leads to anything better than a forced jumper as the shot clock winds down.

In the motion offense, the Jaspers lack fluidity. It's always pass...dribble...dribble...pass...dribble...dribble (times seven)...shot. The lethargy expressed by Manhattan in this offense completely defeats the purpose of implementing it; it's called MOTION for a reason!

However, when the Jaspers improvise—think Antoine Pearson or Darryl Crawford driving and either finishing or dishing to an open big or shooter—they put points on the board.

The two best plays Manhattan ran today involved a Pearson crossover, which fooled the defender, forced the defense to shift, and enabled a wide-open Jasper to receive Pearson's pass under the basket for a layup.

If Rohrssen continues to insist on using his motion offense, the Jaspers need to move quicker in order for it to be effective.

It's clear that Manhattan does not have confidence in its big men, who combined for 13 of the team's 57 field-goal attempts. Today, the Jaspers flourished from the perimeter (11-of-25), but their hands won't always be this hot.

Manhattan's perimeter defense was beyond abysmal this afternoon. When the Jaspers allowed 32 three-point attempts against N.J.I.T., they did not suffer. Unfortunately for Manhattan, William & Mary was a much better shooting team than N.J.I.T. and connected on 12-of-26 treys.

In order to prevent so many open threes, Manhattan needs to become more organized defensively. There were too many unnecessary double teams and switches, leading to a countless number of uncontested treys.

The full-court press was worse than ineffective. The Tribe had no difficulty breaking the press, which led to plenty of fast-break points. When Manhattan didn't let William & Mary pervade the press, the Jaspers committed foolish fouls. The Jaspers need to work on the press because an effective—at least not ineffective—one could have reversed today's outcome.

Individual Player Analysis

The suspended Rico Pickett is deeply missed. Yes, he did not play well in his first two regular season games, but his passing and shooting ability are desperately needed in order for the Jaspers to be successful. Dressed in a black warmup suit, Pickett was enthusiastic while sitting out. Hopefully his suspension will be lifted soon.

Knocking down 5-of-8 threes and scoring 24 points, Antoine Pearson was the star for Manhattan. There aren't many—if any—MAAC guards quicker than the 6'2" Pearson.

Nick Walsh provided a hot hand off the bench. In 29 minutes, the Riverdale native established career highs in three-pointers made (four) and points (16). His defense cost the Jaspers some points, but he's a much needed instant scorer with Pickett out.

Entering the contest averaging 15.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, Darryl Crawford struggled immensely today. He shot 2-of-11 from the floor before receiving a double technical foul, which ejected him from the game. Hopefully, the senior won't be suspended—he is an essential part to the Jaspers' offense.

Patrick Bouli, who scored nine points on 3-of-7 shooting, is slowly becoming more aggressive on the offensive end. The Cameroon native has a pretty soft stroke from beyond the arc, and Manhattan will need him for consistent offense while Pickett endures his suspension.

Defensively, there is no Jasper better than Bouli. He was the lone tenacious defender on the perimeter today.

After corralling six of his 10 rebounds off the offensive glass, Laurence Jolicoeur is still the King of the O-Board. The 6'9" center's foul trouble limited his playing time, but he managed to contribute eight points and recorded a key block down the stretch.

Andrew Gabriel needs to become more active on offense by asserting himself as a low-post presence. His defense was hampered by a combination of laziness and foul trouble—he eventually fouled out—and cost Manhattan some points.

Djibril Coulibaly was a non-factor on offense and his defense was relatively mediocre today. Like the rest of his team, he was occasionally responsible for leaving a member of the Tribe wide open.

Other

Crawford's ejection ignited the Jasper Jungle, which was inappropriate and hilarious as usual.

Bizarrely, the cheerleaders did not realize that Manhattan wore its home white uniform and William & Mary wore green, so they still chanted, "Let's go Green." I'm not saying that was the reason for the loss, but come on.

Photo from GoJaspers.com

Six days.

Junior college transfer Rico Pickett couldn't even make it through a week of the regular season at Manhattan without "violating a team rule."

Pathetic.

Jasper coach Barry Rohrssen knew he wasn't signing a saint when he beat out Jim Calhoun and Billy Donovan for Pickett, who endured two suspensions as a freshman at Alabama, but, although Rohrssen never verbalized the following statement, the coach embraced the point guard as his last life-line.

Rohrssen knew his back was against the wall.

After three full seasons at the helm, his team still fit the mold of a rebuilding squad, which was an acceptable label in 2006-07 and 2007-08, but definitely not in 2008-09 or the present.

He struggled to live up to recruiting expectations, and, when he did sign highly-rated high school seniors, they transferred after a year or two.

Pickett was Rohrssen's last chance to prove that he was the recruiter Manhattan thought he would be. From April until November, the "Fire Barry" sentiments evaporated into the Riverdale air because Jasper fans hoped Pickett, who was ranked No. 46 in ESPN's 2007 recruiting class, could revive the program.

Now, the hope is gone.

Pickett's violation had not been disclosed to the public as of Friday night. As a result, Manhattan fans are speculating the worst—the vagueness of his suspension implies an offense much worse than a late arrival to practice.

Given Pickett's history, it is fair to assume he brought the suspension on himself. However, Rohrssen knew he would need to monitor Pickett's lack of discipline, yet he failed to do so. Therefore, this violation is, ultimately, the coach's fault.

The suspension joins Rohrssen's poor recruiting, limited player development, and ineffective coaching on the growing list of reasons for Manhattan to fire its coach.

There is no doubt that Rohrssen is a nice, moral person. Unfortunately, though, he was never cut out to be a mid-major head coach.

This is his fourth year at the helm. He was given a chance to rebuild, but his players, under his reign, have not carried Manhattan back to the top of the MAAC.

If firing a coach in-season was acceptable in college basketball, you know what I'd say. But, it isn't.

Regardless, Rohrssen should not be walking the sidelines at Draddy Gymnasium come November 2010.

On Wednesday night at 7 PM, the Manhattan Jaspers (1-0) will take on the Princeton Tigers (1-0) in L. Stockwell Jadwin Gymnasium in Princeton, New Jersey.

Both teams picked up victories on Saturday. The Jaspers defeated the New Jersey Institute of Technology Highlanders 70-58, while the Tigers beat the Central Michigan Chippewas 71-68. 

When these two teams clash on Wednesday, the deciding factors will be Princeton's outside shooting paired up with Manhattan's ability to defend the three, and whether Coach Barry Rohrssen will let the Jaspers run the floor or not.

It is hard to tell if Rohrssen is blind or if he just prefers to watch his team lose because he forces them to run a so called "offense," which is actually no offense at all. If he has not noticed yet, the Jaspers do a much better job running the floor and driving to the hoop, rather than waiting 30 seconds and having someone throw up a contested three pointer. 

In Rohrssen's first three years as the head coach of the Jaspers, the team's offense played much better when they ran the floor—and on Saturday, that didn't change.

Although Manhattan was in control of for just about all of the game against NJIT, even late in the second half, their lead was not large enough considering that they were playing a team that has won about 7% of their games since joining Division I Basketball.

Once the Jaspers started to run, the game broke open a little more as their lead jumped to double digits. It is simple—if Manhattan runs, they can score in a hurry.

Their combination of Darryl Crawford, Antoine Pearson, and Rico Pickett driving, plus having shooters like Nick Walsh, George Beamon, Pearson, and Pickett, creates multiple opportunities for all their guards. In addition, if the Jaspers drive, Andrew Gabriel and Laurence Jolicoeur will get many more open looks in the post.

In Princeton's first game of the year, they shot 24-51 from the field (58.5%) and 8-14 from beyond the arc. In past years, Princeton has been able to score off Manhattan mainly with their shooting, and when their shooters get cold, they are usually able to get some points off the backdoor.

All game, Manhattan gave open looks to the Highlander shooters. Luckily, after the first couple of minutes, the NJIT shooters went ice cold. If Manhattan gives Princeton the open looks that they gave NJIT, Princeton will make them pay and surely hit many of their shots from beyond the arc.

Wednesday night's game should be close, but Princeton has the edge. They played much better than the Jaspers in their season opener. Manhattan's poor perimeter defense will come back to haunt them, as they will most likely drop to 1-1.

N.J.I.T. 58 Manhattan 70 Game Analysis

Dating back to Barry Rohrssen's first year at Manhattan, the Jaspers play an ineffective motion offense in the opening stanza.

Among other factors, the utilization of Andrew Gabriel in this offense is partially culpable for the unproductivity. Too often, Gabriel receives the ball on the perimeter, where he has absolutely no skill—he can't shoot, he can't dribble, he can't pass. In order to have any chance of being effective, Gabriel needs to be in the post, where he can turn and lay the ball in off the glass—something he did very efficiently today.

Laurence Jolicoeur looked decent in the post today, but, let's face it, he was guarded by a Highlander. Against teams with better big men—think Siena and Rider—Joli will be a non-factor with his back to the basket. Instead, if Rohrssen insists on running this motion offense, he should have Joli and Gabriel switch. Joli is a shooter and a better passer than Gabriel.

In reality, though, swapping Joli and Gabriel won't improve the motion offense. This style does not allow Manhattan to play to its strength, which is to have Darryl Crawford or Antoine Pearson—possibly Rico Pickett, but he didn't show us what he can do today—drive to the hoop.

In order for Manhattan to maximize the amount of points it puts on the board, the offense needs to revolve around Crawford and Pearson. Crawford's athleticism enables him to pervade traffic, while Pearson's quick crossover can make a great defender hit the deck.

Either one can take the ball into the lane and score off the drive or find an open teammate when the defense shifts. More than likely, Manhattan's bigs would flourish in this system because they would receive open layups. Also, the Jaspers have plenty of shooters who can knock down open threes, which would be abundant in this offense.

Manhattan ran its best offensive sets with four guards and either Gabriel or Joli in the game. While it will be risky to implement a four guard system against bigger teams, there will be certain matchups—Niagara, Saint Peter's, and Iona, among others—where it must be used. A four guard lineup enabled the Jaspers to run this afternoon and led to a much more productive second half. 

Two more gripes about today's offensive performance: 1) Manhattan's inefficiency from the charity stripe, where the Jaspers shot 7-of-18, is simply inexcusable; 2) The Jaspers were careless with the ball today, turning it over 14 times against a weak N.J.I.T. defense.

Defensively, the numbers look pretty nice, but do not let them deceive you. N.J.I.T shot 31.7 percent from the floor and 18.8 percent from deep, but the dreadful percentages are more a result of the Highlanders' lack of skill than of the Jaspers' defensive prowess.

Rohrssen started the game with a man-to-man set, but the Jaspers surrendered a handful of layups and a few treys. Naturally, Rohrssen chose to shake up the defense.

Against N.J.I.T., it's fine to switch to a 2-3 zone in that situation. Let their ineffective shooters launch 23 footers instead of letting their center draw fouls in the post. However, Rohrssen will not be able to implement this defense against shooting teams, which make up the bulk of Manhattan's schedule. Of the 32 threes, at least 20 of them were uncontested. You think Siena, Niagara, or Rider will miss open threes?

The Jaspers only pressed a few times against a slower, less athletic Highlander team. Rohrssen's reasoning? Who knows.

Player Notes

It's always hard to evaluate players for the first time of a season against N.J.I.T., but Crawford looked really good. He has continued to improve his ability to score off the drive, which he did efficiently today. Nine rebounds, four assists, and 17 points on 8-17 shooting is a pretty solid statline for game one.

Gabriel still had his head in the clouds, but his defense was strong against N.J.I.T.'s 260 pound Ryan Regis. An 0-2 performance at the line implied that his foul shooting has not made any progress.

Pearson is so quick and has continued to build upper body muscle. The Jaspers really need him to bounce back from a disappointing 2008-09.

Turning the ball over four times and fouling out, Pickett had a rough debut. He's a legitimate player, though, and will be crucial to the Jaspers' success this season. Pickett displayed his athleticism and passing skills today, but the rim was small for the Alabama native.

Nick Walsh is a marksman from deep, but his defense is a liability against any opponent other than N.J.I.T.

Djibril Coulibaly logged more minutes this afternoon than he did all of last season. The 6'9" center seemed a bit uncoordinated as he chased down a deflected pass for a layup, but at least he can rebound.

Joli is the king of the offensive glass. All three of his rebounds came on the offensive end, and he contributed an emphatic tip-slam in the second half.

Once again, Patrick Bouli played solid defense but was primarily absent on offense.

Freshman George Beamon looked extremely nervous and it was difficult to grasp his style.

The one-armed Kevin Laue played three minutes near the end of the first half. He drew a foul but missed both free throws. Despite being at a disadvantage against his two-armed opponents, Laue looked comfortable and confident on the floor.

Other

Today marked the inception of the "Jasper Jungle," the new student section at Draddy Gymnasium. Rowdy and loud, the students in attendance caused N.J.I.T. to miss seven foul shots—play along with it.

Photo from PrestoSports

It is 10 o’clock on a brisk morning in Figueira da Foz, Portugal, and Devon Austin’s alarm clock wakes him from a tranquil night’s sleep. After getting out of bed, he heads to the kitchen of his two-bedroom apartment to prepare a sandwich of bacon and eggs for breakfast.

A member of Portugal’s Casino Figueira Ginasio basketball team, Austin needs to arrive at the Pavilhão Galamba Marques, Portuguese for the Galamba Marques Pavilion, by noon for practice.

For now, though, he relaxes and enjoys the pleasant view of the Atlantic Ocean from his eighth story window.

Eventually, Austin, who spent the last four years of his life as a Manhattan College Jasper, departs on his five-minute walk to the arena. Throughout the next two hours, the hard-working small forward lifts weights and works with coaches on individual skills—ranging from shooting to rebounding to ball-handling.

Famished after practice, Austin and some teammates enjoy lunch at Figueira da Foz Restaurant, which is located inside the arena. There, the former Jasper encounters the most prevalent difficulty among Americans who play basketball overseas: the language barrier.

“There’s not much of a variety [of food]. I mostly eat pork, fish, and chicken here,” Austin commented via email. Regardless, ordering food is still complicated. He also has had trouble shopping and needed his native teammates to help him create a bank account.

Although it’s difficult to relate to non-English-speaking teammates off the court, the New Yorker really likes his teammates and says, “They are all really nice people.”

After lunch, Austin still has a few free hours before his next practice, so he goes home to rest. He usually takes an hour-long nap, but sometimes he watches television and hangs out with Brandon Dagans, his roommate and the only other American on Ginasio.

Also adjusting to his first year of professional basketball overseas, Dagans, a graduate of Division II Lewis University in Illinois, is a perfect companion for Austin.

Of course, they have basketball in common, but more importantly, they share the same language and the same apartment and have become extremely close as a result. They do almost everything together, whether it’s hanging out, dining, watching television, or playing ball.

Rest is brief, and the duo heads back to the arena for a five o’clock practice in which Ginasio reviews plays and works on defense while scrimmaging. It might be professional basketball, but Austin says the practices are less intense than they were in college because the coaching staff doesn’t want to fatigue the team for its weekly game—teams of the Portuguese Basketball Premier League only play on Saturdays or Sundays.

Practice concludes after 90 minutes, and the native New Yorker returns with a few teammates to the same restaurant for dinner.

Afterwards, he and Dagans return to their apartment. With an opportunity to catch up on life in America, Austin equips himself with his laptop. It is only the middle of the afternoon back home, but the former Jasper uses Skype and AOL Instant Messenger to converse with family and friends, whom he acknowledges he deeply misses.

A good son, Austin makes sure to speak with his parents every day. “My parents are proud of me, but they miss me being home. I talk to them every day and let them know I’m okay,” emailed Austin.

Understandably, it has been a difficult transition for Austin’s parents, who used to attend most Jasper home games while their son donned Manhattan’s green and white uniform. Now, they can only hear Austin’s personal recaps and analyze Ginasio’s box score, which is not immediately updated online. It’s very different than seeing the games in person.

While Austin types away, he also has the television on because he loves his TV shows. “I've been watching Flash Forward, Modern Family, and Cougar Town. But I really like to watch reality shows like the new season of For the Love of Ray J and that kind of stuff that comes on MTV, VH1, or E!,” Austin said.

As the night wears on, Austin and Dagans generally leave their apartment for the casino, which the small forward characterizes as “not anything special.” For Austin, it’s really just a chance to get out and to meet new people—people other than his teammates.

When they return, the duo will occasionally find an NBA game on television. Austin is a fan of the New York Knicks, but he also enjoys watching the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics because they represent the best of professional basketball. A rare simultaneous Kobe and LeBron admirer, Austin admits, “Sometimes I find myself up at three in the morning watching NBA games.”

He might be 3,000 miles away, but Austin still follows the situation at his alma mater. “I saw that Manhattan was picked eighth in the preseason [MAAC coaches poll], but,” continued Austin, “I think that they will surprise people. I definitely think that they have one of the most talented [MAAC] teams, and they also have experience.

“I believe that they will be one of the top teams in the MAAC this season and have a good shot at winning [the conference championship] in March if they play together.”

Basketball is Austin’s greatest passion. Every hoop lover’s dream is to reach the NBA, but for now, European basketball is adequate for Austin, who can see himself playing overseas in various countries over the next few years. “I've always wanted to travel the world,” said Austin, “and basketball is a good way for me to do that.”

For the next few months, though, he'll be in Figueira da Foz, playing ball, adjusting to Europe, and enjoying the overall experience.

For more mid-major and Manhattan basketball, follow Ari Kramer on Twitter by clicking here.

"I think I'd better run, run, run, run" -- Phoenix

Manhattan basketball fans have waited three years for head coach Barry "Slice" Rohrssen to think like Phoenix.

Year in and year out the Jaspers have a team built to run, yet Rohrssen consistently seems blind to the fact.

A psychologist would probably say Coach Slice has a short memory. Last year, he defeated superior teams like Binghamton and Rider by pushing the ball up the floor, but then had his Jaspers play a half-court offense against far inferior teams. As a result, the Jaspers either lost embarrassingly or narrowly won games that should have been blowouts.

Maybe Rohrssen didn't want to fatigue his center, Herve Banogle. Banogle, a bungling 6'8" rebounder, was the only starter last year who wouldn't have survived an uptempo offense.

Now, Banogle is gone. Laurence "Joli" Jolicoeur will likely fill the void. Whether or not Joli has built up his thin 6'9" frame, he will never be a force down low. He is a shooter and can run.

Joli will most likely be joined in the front court by Andrew Gabriel, a 6'6" power forward. As long as Gabriel does not put the ball on the floor, he will be a viable running big man for the Jaspers. All too often, his head drifts into the clouds and, as a result, he reacts too late to passes from his guards. Non-stop running might be able to hold his attention.

Darryl Crawford, who emerged as a scorer capable of carrying the Jaspers on his back last season, will start at either the two or three. Long, athletic, and quick, Crawford is at his best when he drives. But, he can also pull up from mid-range or deep. He is perfect for a running offense.

After choosing Manhattan over UConn and Florida, junior college transfer Rico Pickett will be the Jaspers' floor general. He flies down the court and, like Crawford, can score both in the lane and from deep. Pickett, who originally signed with Alabama as a freshman, was ranked No. 46 in the Recruiting Class of 2007.

The final starting spot will not be revealed until Nov. 14, when the Jaspers open their season against N.J.I.T. The candidates are seniors Antoine Pearson and Patrick Bouli and freshman George Beamon.

Rohrssen will likely choose against initially starting a freshman when seniors are available, so Beamon will probably start his college career on the bench.

Bouli would be incapable of running an uptempo offense, but he could contribute threes as a shooting guard.

Pearson is the best option of the three. He is lightning quick, has a crossover that makes defenders trip over themselves, and can score both in the lane and from farther out. With Pearson in the lineup, the Jasper bigs will have three strong options on outlet passes.

The Jasper bench will certainly not be the league's deepest, but it can be effective. Beamon and Bouli will spell the guards when they tire. Bouli will primarily offer defense while Beamon, a prolific high school scorer, will provide offense.

Brandon Adams will supply energy and hustle. He won't contribute much offensively, but he'll rebound and get to the line.

Kevin Laue, who has drawn lots of publicity after becoming the first one-handed Division I basketball player, will play solid defense and score on fast breaks.

After UCLA withdrew its scholarship offer, Mohamed Koita landed at Manhattan. The NCAA has not yet cleared Koita, an athletic guard, but the Jaspers will benefit immensely if Koita can play.

MAAC coaches, who picked Manhattan to finish eighth, have low expectations for Rohrssen and the Jaspers this year. However, the lack of expectations should only reduce pressure and motivate the team more.

If the Jaspers push the ball up the floor, they will exceed expectations and make MAAC coaches wish they could retract their votes.

If Rohrssen chooses against an uptempo offense, he'll be the one running.

Running out of Riverdale, away from a livid Manhattan fan base.

Evan Turner. James Johnson. Jeff Teague. Chris Wright. Robbie Hummel. Talor Battle.

For what ESPN's recruiting rankings are worth, the aforementioned collegiate studs were placed lower than Manhattan-bound Rico Pickett in the ESPNU Top 100 recruits of 2007.

Rated a 96 and ranked as the 46th-best player in his class, Pickett accepted a scholarship from Alabama and started in 20 of 29 contests as a freshman before being suspended indefinitely due to classroom issues. Prior to the suspension, Pickett averaged 5.9 points and 3.3 assists per game.

The point guard left Alabama for Miami-Dade Junior College in Florida after his first year, and led the school to be one of the premier Juco teams in the nation. Wanting to return to Division I basketball, Pickett opened up his recruitment as a junior college transfer.

Signing with UConn was as good as a done deal, but a potential Jim Calhoun recruiting scandal made the front page of ESPN.com and made Pickett question his decision.

Now signed on to spend his final two seasons of college eligibility at Manhattan, Pickett is eager to "win the conference and get back to the NCAA tournament again."

Oh, how Manhattan fans would love that.

The impact that Pickett will have on this Jasper team is greater than that of any incoming MAAC recruit. Head coach Barry Rohrssen's point guard situation has been a constant dilemma over the last few years. Antoine Pearson was sloppy and ineffective at the one, but Patrick Bouli couldn't command the offense well either, leaving Manhattan without a clear-cut floor general.

Now, the Jaspers have a true point guard who also prefers an upbeat offensive style, which is something this team was tailor-made to play. The combination seems like an illusion to Manhattan fans.

At Miami-Dade Junior College, Pickett averaged 17.3 points and five assists per game. He's really quick with the ball and can weave through the defense to the hole. Claiming to have a pass-first mentality, Pickett likes to dish to his big man or kick out for a trey when he gets inside.

The junior is blessed with outstanding leaping ability, and he will indubitably electrify the crowd at Draddy Gymnasium this year.

If Pickett attends class and stays out of trouble in Riverdale, Manhattan could be looking at a memorable season.

Manhattan College signed Barry Rohrssen four years ago because of his New York City ties. As an assistant at Pittsburgh, Rohrssen lured some of the best players from the Big Apple to play for his Panthers. The Jaspers hoped he would be able to keep those top players in the city, specifically at Manhattan College.

For three years, Rohrssen was unsuccessful. Players like Darryl Crawford and Antoine Pearson have been solid, but they are not of the caliber that Rohrssen was supposed to bring in. When Rohrssen actually signed potential MAAC stars, they transferred.

Part of the problem was that he relied too heavily on his New York connections. He barely recruited out of state; the one player he signed from out of New York was Chris Smith, who transferred to Louisville this spring. When the big names from New York didn't want to play at Manhattan, Rohrssen had nowhere to lean back on.

It appears that Rohrssen finally learned his lesson. The fourth-year coach currently has three incoming freshmen signed to National Letters of Intent; two of them are from out of state.

Rohrssen's first commitment of the offseason was junior college transfer Rico Pickett. Ranked forty-sixth in his recruiting class of 2007, Pickett originally signed with Alabama and started in twenty games as a freshman. However, he and the school had problems, prompting him to transfer to Miami-Dade Community College. At Miami-Dade, Pickett averaged 17.3 points per game and almost five assists, leading his team to a No. 3 national ranking among junior colleges.

After his sophomore season at the junior college, Pickett decided he wanted to return to Division I ball. It appeared that Pickett would sign with UConn, but he changed his mind when he learned that the school could face recruiting restrictions after violating some rules. Florida was supposed to be the point guard's next option, but he was unsure about how much playing time he would receive in Gainesville.

And then there was Rohrssen, who had continued to pursue the four-star recruit. Manhattan's coach guaranteed Pickett playing time from day one until his graduation, and also presented his recruit with the opportunity to play on the big stage in the Big Apple. Pickett signed with the Jaspers on April 24 and claimed that the school's location played a huge role in his decision.

Pickett is a highly rated, experienced point guard who will run the Jaspers' offense for the next two years.

A little less than a month later, George Beamon inked his signature. Beamon is the lone New Yorker in the recruiting class and he certainly can play. A 6'5" small forward, Beamon averaged 34 points per game as a senior at Roslyn High School on Long Island. He scored over 40 points on eight separate occasions and even surpassed 50 points twice.

Beamon can play; he was recruited by Big East schools who eventually dropped out because of his weaknesses in the classroom. Rohrssen was lucky that he was the only coach willing to gamble with Beamon because the Jaspers desperately need a scoring touch to replace the losses of Devon Austin, Herve Banogle, and Chris Smith.

If Beamon is the scorer that his stats imply he is, he will receive lots of minutes from day one.

For the first time since Luis Flores led the twelfth-seeded Jaspers past Florida in the 2004 NCAA Tournament, Manhattan made the front page of ESPN.com.

No, Rohrssen did not violate any recruiting regulations.

His willingness to take a chance on the one-handed Kevin Laue when nobody else would was promoted by all the media. The truth is, though, that Laue can play. He may lack half of his left arm, but he hasn't let that hold him back from anything, save playing guitar and climbing monkey bars.

Watch this.

Manhattan has not had a strong defensive center in years, but now they have Laue, who is 6'10" and loves to send opponents' shots into the stands. He averaged 10 points and five rebounds at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia last season. Although scoring is not his forte, he still has a smooth mid-range stroke. Hopefully the Jaspers will be able to rely on Pickett, Crawford, Beamon, and the other returning players for points.

People say that Laue could be an NBA player if he had two hands, but he is still a special player with one. ESPN rated him 82.

Pickett is by far the best get in this class, but, as a whole, the class is atop the MAAC. The Jaspers still have one scholarship to fill.

If Rohrssen continues to recruit like this, Manhattan could soon return to the top of the MAAC and New York basketball.

It's normally only mentioned once a year, at the beginning of March.

This year though, the voices were a little louder, a little more persistent: How come New York City basketball is so bad? They have the best players in the country, but none of these colleges can convince any of them to stay home?

The voices only make their opinions known when the field of 64 (65) is set. They look around the teams and notice not one of them is located in the New York Metropolitan area. But it is a question worth exploring.

St. Johns has been bad since Mike Jarvis squandered all the talent Fran Fraschilla had acquired. Fordham? Have they ever been good? Iona had a good run a couple years ago, but they have never won an NCAA tournament game. Columbia, NYU—let's not waste our time. Hofstra should count, but they have struggled since the team moved to the Colonial Athletic Conference.

That brings me to Manhattan College. The school that has developed high-level coaches such as Steve Lappas, Fraschilla and current Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez, has fallen on some hard times of late.

Former Pitt assistant coach, Barry Rohrssen has struggled to get and then maintain high-level recruits. He had a tournament-ready team his first year, but those players have since all transferred out, four of which have gone on to some premier schools—C. J. Anderson (Xavier), C. J. Lee (Michigan), Jeff Xavier (Providence), Brett Harvey (Loyola). 

It looked as though Rorhssen was on his way out the door as his top player from last year's team—Chris Smith (brother of NBA player J. R. Smith)—decided to transfer.

With his offensively-inept team losing its best player, Rorhssen was looking at one, maybe two more years left at Manhattan.

That all changed last week as Rorhssen landed his most heralded recruit and one of the top players to sign at these city schools in a number of years in Rico Pickett.

Two years ago Pickett was a freshman at Alabama, but the 6'3'' guard left at the end of the season and spent last year playing at Miami-Dade Community College. The three-star recruit had offers from UCONN and Florida, but turned them down to have a chance to play for the Jaspers and to play in Madison Square Garden.

"Surprised? Yeah everybody was a little surprised," Pickett told the Daily News' Dick Weiss. "But I just felt like Manhattan was the right fit for me. I was comfortable there. Coach (Rorhssen) also wanted me the most and I just want to come in there and help bring them back to where they were when they were going to NCAA tournaments."

Manhattan basketball continued its decline this week when news broke that sophomore guard Chris Smith had decided to transfer. Smith is the third Jasper to transfer since Barry Rohrssen replaced Bobby Gonzalez as head coach in 2006. 

In December of 2007, Jasper fans were thrilled to hear that Smith would be joining the men's basketball team that month. Originally signed to play his college basketball at Seton Hall, Smith was ruled ineligible.

Rohrssen seized the opportunity to sign a potentially prolific scorer, and Smith donned the Jaspers' home uniform for the first time on Dec. 21 against Pepperdine.

Wearing No. 2, Smith showed that he was not afraid to lead the offense. It only took him two games before he enhanced the Jaspers' languid set. As a freshman, Smith averaged 9.9 points per game. This past season, the sophomore's scoring average jumped up three-and-a-half points.

Smith's nightly offensive game played a huge role in the Jaspers' ability to win. In games when Smith scored above his average, the Jaspers were 11-6. Smith's lowest point total in a Jasper win was seven, but he made up for his poor shooting by grabbing 10 rebounds.

"Poor shooting" was consistently found in the same sentence as "Chris Smith." The 6'3" shooting guard thought he was a shooter from day one, but he only connected on 40 of 139 threes over the course of the season.

His true talent was displayed when he put the ball on the floor and drove to the hoop. Stats for high-percentage shots are not available, but Smith had a high conversion rate on layups and shots in the paint. Occasionally, Smith would throw down a thunderous dunk that would ignite the home crowd.

His leaping skills and scoring ability gave Manhattan a much needed spark on the offensive end, but one could tell from the minute he stepped into Draddy Gym that he was the kind of player who would let his family's basketball history make him selfish and cocky—Smith's older brother, J.R., is a high-flying sharpshooter on the Denver Nuggets.

Ah, now it all comes together. Chris was trying to live up to the bar that J.R. set. Maybe that explains why Chris was determined to prove that he could shoot the deep ball even though it was not his forte. Maybe that explains why he thought he was "the man" upon arrival.

Maybe he was a selfish player because he thought he belonged in the NBA.

Smith is not living within his own shoes. He thinks he is better than he is because of his older brother.

There is a rumor that Smith is leaning towards transferring to Louisville. I can't imagine this rumor being true because Rick Pitino does not tolerate players who don't demonstrate a defensive presence.

Smith is always so concerned with himself that he forgets about playing defense. His attitude changed towards the end of the season, when he realized that playing defense leads to wins, but nonetheless, his defense was far from the level that Pitino demands.

Forget defense, though.

Smith's offense, his strength, is not close to Big East level. His season high in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game was a meager 19 points—a MAAC scorer who plans on transferring to the Big East needs to show that he can dominate his league, consistently pouring in over 20 points against the mediocre competition.

Smith is making a mistake. He's simply not good enough to play at a level much higher than the MAAC.

Maybe, if he wants to go to a well-known program, Memphis would be realistic. The Tigers are losing lots of players because of John Calipari's departure, so there might be a spot open for Smith. Conference USA is a step above the MAAC, but Smith has the ability to play well in that league.

The Big East is a huge stretch—Smith would be lucky to get to participate in layup lines.

It's sad that Smith is letting his brother's success distort his judgment. On the court, Smith always thought of himself first—never about his teammates.

Manhattan is a basketball program that is struggling, but programs have an unlimited number of years to improve. Smith only has two remaining years of college basketball.

There is a high risk that comes with transferring—if things don't work out, Smith has no option other than sticking it out. This time, it would actually be appropriate for Smith to think about himself.

If it's not too late, he should tear up his release papers and come back to Riverdale, where his college career will not be in jeopardy.