The MAAC has historically been a one-bid league, and first-year Manhattan coach Steve Masiello doesn’t see that changing this March.

“Don’t get me wrong, the regular season matters and the seeding matters and you want to win the conference,” Masiello, whose team hosts Iona Saturday night, told SNY.tv Friday by phone. “But it all comes down to what you do on March 2-5.”

The MAAC Tournament actually runs March 1-5 in Springfield, Mass., but the top six seeds get a bye.

Entering Saturday’s tilt, Iona and Manhattan are tied atop the league at 10-2, although the Jaspers actually hold the tiebreak edge by virtue of their 75-72 victory Jan. 12 at Iona that prompted a hug from former Seton Hall and Manhattan coach Bobby Gonzalez.

Loyola is not far behind at 9-2.

Manhattan (17-7) has won eight straight games, catapulting Masiello, the former Rick Pitino assistant, into Coach of the Year consideration. Iona (18-5) has won three in a row.

“I just think for a team like us who was picked eighth to even be in the conversation with Iona in February is a great, great situation to be in,” Masiello said. “It’s really a win-win.

“Obviously, Iona being picked first is the cream of the crop of the conference…But for us to be in this conversation at this point in the year, we’re just having fun with it.”

Iona is coming off a 105-86 victory over Canisius Thursday in which Arizona transfer Lamont “Momo” Jones poured in 43 points, a Hynes Center record.

“They have to be in the conversation for one of the best backcourts in the country, with Momo and Scott [Machado],” Masiello said. “I think Scott is the best point guard in the country and Momo is starting to hit his stride. He had 25 against Loyola and now he has 43…so I think he’s kind of getting in rhythm.”

Machado, who had 14 points and 14 assists in the Canisius game, leads Division 1 in assists at 10.0 per game and recently got glasses, which should improve his vision.

He is one of 11 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award for the nation’s best point guard.

Iona’s Mike Glover, the Preseason MAAC Player of the Year, leads the league in scoring at 18.5 points per game, but Manhattan junior guard George Beamon is second at 17.4 points a game.

“I put him up there as one of the best scorers in the New York area, really can score the ball with anyone,” Masiello said of Beamon.

Asked if people were sleeping on his players, Masiello said, “I think they are but in fairness I don’t think you get recognized until you win. And Iona’s already done that. They’ve already won and now we’re starting to do that.

“So you take Mike Alvarado, who’s only a sophomore and is having a terrific year, and I think when Scott kind of leaves this conference, I could see Mike as a guy taking the torch next year trying to be that guy. I think he then turns into the premier point guard in this conference. He’s 6-3, he’s strong, he’s got a pass-first mentality.”

A year ago, Fairfield won the MAAC regular season title, but St. Peter’s ended up capturing the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Now, as many as four teams could capture this year’s bid — Iona, Manhattan, Fairfield and Loyola.

“It comes down to a three-game deal in March,” Masiello said. “I think any [one of] four teams in a tournament setting could be a very tough out.”

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Steve Masiello, fresh off an exciting win over Iona and then a consolidating victory over Siena, talks with Tommy Dee of The Knicks Blog about Manhattan hoops.

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By JOSH NEWMAN

Special to ZAGSBLOG

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – The scene wasn’t quite out of the Twilight Zone, but it was odd enough to anyone who knows the history and was paying attention.

Here was first-year Manhattan head coach Steve Masiello still in stunned disbelief after the Jaspers, once down as many as 18, claimed a 75-72 win at MAAC-leading Iona on Thursday night thanks to freshman forward Emmy Andujar banking in a 3-pointer from about 25 feet out at the regulation buzzer.

The officials reviewed it, Andujar’s shot was indeed good and Masiello and his players understandably went nuts.

Masiello turned, and who was at midcourt near the scorer’s table to greet him? Yes, his former employer and ex-Jaspers head coach Bobby Gonzalez to give him a huge hug and say a few kind words.

“We just spoke a bit. He told me it was a great win and he told he was really proud of me,” Masiello said. “I thanked him for everything he has done for me and for where he got this program. We had a great exchange and I’d still like him to come out for a practice.”

Between 2001-05, Masiello was an assistant under Gonzalez, who was at the Hynes Athletics Center to see one-time Seton Hall recruit and current Iona senior Michael Glover.

Masiello’s tenure in the Riverdale section of the Bronx included trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2003 and 2004. He eventually left Riverdale to coach under Rick Pitino at Louisville, while Gonzalez moved up to Seton Hall, a time in Pirates lore that many in the fan base would rather forget.

With Thursday being arguably Masiello’s first major win as the head coach at Manhattan, it seemed almost fitting that he and Gonzalez embraced. Gonzalez, who’s now looking for work as an NBA scout or college coach, was the last coach to lead Manhattan to the NCAAs, while his old assistant has been charged with bringing it back there.

There are high expectations and an even higher standard to uphold at Manhattan and Masiello can thank his predecessors for the immediate pressure.

Barry Rohrssen’s time spent in Riverdale notwithstanding, the Jaspers have enjoyed considerable success beginning with Steve Lappas’ 1992 NIT squad, followed by multiple NCAA Tournament berths thanks to both Gonzalez and future-St. John’s head coach Fran Fraschilla.

No one is soon forgetting what Lappas, Fraschilla and Gonzalez were able to accomplish in the Bronx, but none of that really matters now as the heyday of the 1990s and much of the 2000s is long out of view after a 58-95 record and just one 10-win MAAC season from Rohrssen over five years.

What Masiello is being asked to do is help the Jaspers reemerge as a contender in the MAAC. By the looks of things, especially Thursday’s win over the preseason MAAC favorite, things are headed in the right direction.

Expectations were actually low coming into 2011-12 after the Jaspers went just 6-24 overall and 3-15 in the MAAC in Rohrssen’s final season.

Instead of the Jaspers finding their way under Masiello, they surprisingly have 11 wins in their first 18 games and currently sit in the upper half of the MAAC standings.

Junior swingman George Beamon, who scored a game-high 21 points on Thursday, has turned into a star, while sophomore guard Michael Alvarado, sophomore forward Rahmel Brown and senior guard Kidani Brutus have all become dependable pieces of the rotation.

“We want to get it back to where it was when I was an assistant where we’re competing every year to go to the tournament and if we get to the tournament, we won’t be surprised if we win a game,” Masiello said. “We have a long way to go, we’re not anywhere near where we wanna be.”

Those aforementioned players are not part of what really helped Masiello to make his name as a top assistant coach under Pitino, which is recruiting.

The White Plains native accepted the Manhattan job on April 10, 2011. Less than a month later, he had a pledge from 6-foot-5 Christian County (Ky.) off-guard Donovan Kates. Less than a month after Kates came aboard, Andujar, out of Harlem’s Rice High School, committed.

In less than two months on the job, Masiello had two kids who have played and contributed right away.

Ever the recruiter, Masiello is not done yet. He has National Letters of Intent from Chicago point guard C.J. Jones, New York small forward Shane Richards and Indianapolis small forward Paul Bayt for the class of 2012.

Manhattan is also on the short list for St. Anthony senior power forward Jerome Frink, along with FIU, Hofstra, St. Peter’s and FDU.

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Paul Bayt

“The coaches believe in me and believe in my ability and I believe in their vision and the way the school and program is headed,” Bayt told SNY.tv.

“Bayt is a deep, deep 3-point threat,” Park Tudor coach Ed Schilling told SNY.tv . “At a long 6-4 he can shoot his picture perfect 3-pointer with guys in his face. He helped his Park Tudor team to the Indiana high school championship.”

Instead of going on the AAU circuit this summer, Bayt worked out two hours,  five days a week with NBA guys like Patrick Patterson, Alec Burks and Gordon Hayward.

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6-3, 185-lb combo guard Aishon White of Chipola JC, committed to Eastern Kentucky, per Billy Diamond…Oak Hill guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera will visit N.C. State this wknd with Tyler Lewis.

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C.J. Jones

“I chose Manhattan because it was the best fit for me and my family and I know the coaching staff at Manhattan is going to take good care of me,” Jones said by text. “But I will just try to be the best player I can be for Manhattan. I plan on making a big impact from day one.”

A onetime Ball State commit, Jones figures to be a strong defender at Manhattan.

“He’s one of the best on-ball defenders in the country,” a source close to the staff said.

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Anderson is a 6-foot-2 product of I.C. Norcom High School in Suffolk, Va. who helped the Greyhounds win back-to-back Group AAA State Championships. Andujar is a 6-5 versatile wing who played under head coach Dwayne Mitchell at Rice High School in New York City.

“We are excited about Decarlos joining the Jasper family,” head coach Steve Masiello said. “Decarlos is a winner who has experienced success throughout his high school career. He can play multiple positions in the backcourt and we will look for him to be an integral part of our basketball team.”

Anderson garnered First Team All-Eastern Regional honors after averaging 15.8 points as a senior playing for head coach Leon Goolsby. He helped lead I.C. Norcom to a 30-1 overall record as the Greyhounds finished the season ranked in the top 10 nationally in six polls. Rivals.com and MaxPreps.com had the Greyhounds as high as No. 3, while Norcom ranked No. 4 in the Powerade FAB 50 ESPN RISE poll and No. 6 in USA Today.

Anderson averaged 14.4 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, dished out nine assists and logged seven steals over the Greyhounds’ three playoff contests.

Andujar helped guide Rice to the 2011 CHSAA class AA championship game and finished with a game-high 28 points in the title contest against Christ the King. He averaged 12.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists helping Rice win 19 games and earn the Archdiocese of New York AA Championship. Andujar was named to the All-CHSAA Second Team and received CHSAA All-Tournament Team honors.

“We are also thrilled to have Emmy join the Manhattan basketball program,”  Masiello said. “He continues a great tradition of Rice High School players who come to Manhattan. Anytime you get a player from Rice, you are getting a high quality person and student-athlete who will be successful on and off the court. Emmy fits the mold of a player who can be used in multiple positions and one who has a high skill set.”

Anderson and Andujar join the Jaspers’ incoming recruiting class that also includes 6-5 190-pound combo guard Donovan Kates and early signee 6-6 wing Ryan McCoy.

(Photo courtesy NY Post)

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New Manhattan coach Steve Masiello dropped by the SNY.tv studio today to talk about taking over the MAAC program.

Masiello talked about his vision for the program, which went 6-25 a year ago; his recruiting plans; and his goals for hiring a staff.

A former Knicks ball boy, Masiello even chimed in on the skill-set of TheKnicksBlog.com author Tommy Dee, and gave his prediction for the upcoming Knicks-Celtics series.

As a side note, neither Russ Smith nor George Goode will be coming to Manhattan from Louisville, despite rumors to the contrary.

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“It’s done,” said another candidate who was in the mix.

Masiello was a former Manhattan assistant under Bobby Gonzalez from 2001-5 before joining Rick Pitino’s staff at Louisville, where he has successfully recruited the New York area and helped Louisville become a perennial Big East and national contender.

“Steve is from Westchester,” New York Panthers director Gary Charles told SNY.tv before the news broke. “When he was at Louisville, he recruited Edgar Sosa, Samardo Samuels, Earl Clark and Francisco Garcia. Everyone in New York knows Steve Masiello.”

Masiello is originally from White Plains, N.Y., and played  with TheKnicksBlog.com author Tommy Dee at Archbishop Stepinac High School. He moved to the Harvey School in Katonah, N.Y. and also served as  Knicks ball boy when Pitino was head coach. He later was a walk-on at Kentucky.

Manhattan officials initially offered the job to LIU coach Jim Ferry, but the two sides could not agree on financial terms.

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MANHATTAN: The school offered the job to LIU coach Jim Ferry, but the two sides could not agree on the financials. Sources said Ferry was seeking in the neighborhood of seven years at $350,000 per, and the school is willing to pay more like $175,000, plus about $200,000 for the staff.

The administration is now split between Rhode Island College coach Bob Walsh and Louisville assistant Steve Masiello, sources said.

Walsh is by all accounts a good man and a good coach, having come from Timmy Welsh’s coaching tree at Providence. In five years prior to this one, the New York native went 114-35 at the Division III school. He has been in the mix for the head job at Marist, Iona and St. Francis and has the backing of Associate AD Shawn Brennan, who knows him from their time together at Iona, where Walsh was an assistant. Yet because he’s coming from a D-3 program, he faces a perception problem.

Masiello, who was born in New York, grew up in Westchester and coaches under Rick Pitino, has the backing of athletic director Bob Byrnes, as well some of the top AAU guys in New York.

Gary Charles of the New York Panthers said he would like to see either Masiello or Rutgers assistant Van Macon get the job.

“The New York Panther organization would be happy with either Steve Masiello or Van Macon,” Charles said. “I think both of them would do an extremely good job there. I’ve known both of  those young men for a long time so I can’t pick one over the other.

“For the sake of Manhattan College, they need to get a New York person who has recruited New York and knows all the players. Steve is from Westchester. When he was at Louisville, he recruited Edgar Sosa, Samardo Samuels, Earl Clark and Francisco Garcia. Everyone in New York knows Steve Masiello.

“And Van Macon, that goes without saying. He was at Hofstra for nine years and everyone knows and loves Van. To me, those two guys are no-brainers.

“Sometimes I think the administration makes this harder than they need to. At the end of the day it’s about players. Hire the coach that’s going to get you players. That’s the bottom line. I don’t care how good of an X’s and O’s coach you are, those guys can get you players. End of discussion.”

In the midst of this stalemate, Arizona assistant Book Richardson, another New York guy who recruited Kevin Parrom, Lamont “Momo” Jones and Sidiki Johnson to Arizona, has emerged as a last-minute candidate, sources said.

Manhattan assistant Scott Padgett has also been mentioned, and would provide some continuity between the current players and new staff.

Word is the administration will think things over for at least the weekend.

“It seems wide open at this point,” one source close to the situation said.

MIAMI: From Day One, Kansas State coach Frank Martin has been most closely linked to this vacancy, created when Frank Haith suddenly left for Missouri. He is a Miami native and sources have said Miami would be his “dream job.”

Still, Martin said in a Sporting News radio interview with Tim Brando on Tuesday he has not spoken to or been contacted by anyone regarding the position, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

He said, “if people want to throw my name out there, I look at that as a compliment and I look at that as being lucky and fortunate that I’m in a good place right now and that people out there respect what we’ve done here.”

Shakey Rodriguez, a Florida high school coach and one of Martin’s mentors, told TheMercury.com that Martin would listen if Miami came calling.

“At this time I know [Martin] is happy at Kansas State but he would listen to Miami,” he told TheMercury.com.

Still, he sounded dubious that Miami could make it happen given the fact that it has an interim AD and has shown an inability to fully support its basketball program in a football-mad environment.

“I don’t know that Miami, not having an A.D. present, is prepared to put together the kind of package that would sway him in this direction,” Rodriguez said.

Martin is also not a squeaky clean candidate.

He was fired from Miami High’s coach in 1998 after the FHSAA ruled the school had illegally recruited, the Sun-Sentinel reported. The school was fined $2,500 and forced to reimburse $5,000 in expenses.

At Kansas State, the NCAA suspended New York product Curtis Kelly for six games for taking clothing at a local apparel store, and guard Jacob Pullen got three games for the same offense.

The Sun-Sentinel also pointed out that Martin hit guard Chris Merriewether on the arm with the back of his hand.

Amid all this, acting AD Tony Hernandez told the Sun-Sentinel: “At this point, we’re considering everybody. We’re going to take it on a case-by-case basis. But I assure you that integrity and ethics will be a high priority in the search.”

UNLV: AD Jim Livengood announced on Tuesday that the four finalists were Mike Dunlap, Ernie Kent, Dave Rice and Reggie Theus.

Rice, a UNLV alum and the associate head coach at BYU, and Theus, the former UNLV star, are considered the favorites.

“We have completed the interviews of the four finalists,” Livengood said Friday. “All of the candidates did an outstanding job and all would certainly be great choices for UNLV and our head coaching position. We now want to spend the next couple of days continuing with a thorough review of the interview process and further consult with the president [Neal Smatresk].

“The hope is to be able to make a decision sometime on Sunday. We would then announce that decision at a press conference on Monday.”

Ferry would replace Barry Rohrssen, who was fired last month after five seasons.

Ferry beat out Louisville assistant Steve Masiello, Rutgers assistant Van Macon, Rhode Island College coach Bob Walsh and Manhattan assistant Scott Padgett.

Ferry went 27-6, 16-2 last season while leading the Blackbirds to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997, where they lost to North Carolina in the first round.

He was 125-140 in nine seasons at LIU.

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