Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
One Year After Scandal, Masiello, Manhattan Headed Back to NCAAs (UPDATED)
One year after a scandal threatened to derail his career, Manhattan head coach Steve Masiello is going dancing yet again.
Masiello guided Manhattan to its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance by virtue of a 79-69 victory over arch-rival Iona in the MAAC championship game at the Times Union Center in Albany.
“The greatest feeling of my life,” Masiello said, according to the Journal-News. “It’s probably been the hardest year of my life.”
Ten days after saying he wanted to face top-seeded Iona for a third time, 6-foot-10 junior Ashton Pankey went for 21 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks in the win. Emmy Andujar added 18 points and 11 rebounds for the No. 3 Jaspers (19-13).
MAAC Player of the Year David Laury of Iona went for 24 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out, but A.J. English managed just 10 points on 3-for-11 shooting and Isaiah Williams struggled to score 7 points on 2-for-7 shooting after he had poured in 27 points in the semifinals. Iona went 5-for-22 from the arc one game after making 19-of-34 against Monmouth.
“You saw them,” Iona coach Tim Cluess said, per the Journal-News. “The same shots we had yesterday we got today. We just missed them.
In his latest mock bracket, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Manhattan as a No. 16 seed playing a play-in game against Lafayette with the right to meet No. 1 Virginia in the East. Iona is listed among the “Next Four Out,” but Lunardi said Iona is “not going to make it” as an at-large team.
A year ago, Manhattan advanced to the tournament as a No. 13 seed and pushed Rick Pitino and No. 4 Louisville before the student fell to the mentor, 71-64, in Orlando.
Though he failed to win a tournament game, Masiello’s stock exploded to the point where he was offered the job at South Florida, which would’ve paid him $6.2 million over five years.
Masiello reportedly asked Pitino before taking the job, “What do you think (about the USF job)?”
Pitino responded: “I said, ‘For you, it’s a grand slam.’”
But when it was discovered during a background check that Masiello had never graduated from Kentucky, the entire storyline flipped.
Not only did South Florida back out of hiring Masiello (they ultimately hired Kentucky assistant Orlando Antigua),but Manhattan placed Masiello on leave in late March and his future seemed uncertain.
In April, Manhattan reinstated Masiello and by May he had completed his degree work at Kentucky.
Questions abounded.
Could Masiello still be effective as a coach after all that had transpired? Would his players trust him? Could he recruit? Could he win?
All those questions have been answered now.
After losing both games to regular-season champ Iona during the season, Masiello said he would just as soon not see the Gaels again for a third time in the MAAC Tournament.
“I’m not a guy that believes in seeing good teams three times,” Masiello said last week. “I’d be much happier not playing Iona again and seeing them go out early. I’m not into the sizzle factor. They’re a good team and I don’t like playing them. You like playing them because it’s good for college basketball. It’s good for our guys, but it’s a tough out.”
Manhattan won the tough out and they are still going.
And so is Steve Masiello.
Photos: Seth Harrison/The Journal News; USA Today Sports
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
One year after a scandal threatened to derail his career, Manhattan head coach Steve Masiello is going dancing yet again.
Masiello guided Manhattan to its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance by virtue of a 79-69 victory over arch-rival Iona in the MAAC championship game at the Times Union Center in Albany.
“The greatest feeling of my life,” Masiello said, according to the Journal-News. “It’s probably been the hardest year of my life.”
Ten days after saying he wanted to face top-seeded Iona for a third time, 6-foot-10 junior Ashton Pankey went for 21 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks in the win. Emmy Andujar added 18 points and 11 rebounds for the No. 3 Jaspers (19-13).
MAAC Player of the Year David Laury of Iona went for 24 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out, but A.J. English managed just 10 points on 3-for-11 shooting and Isaiah Williams struggled to score 7 points on 2-for-7 shooting after he had poured in 27 points in the semifinals. Iona went 5-for-22 from the arc one game after making 19-of-34 against Monmouth.
“You saw them,” Iona coach Tim Cluess said, per the Journal-News. “The same shots we had yesterday we got today. We just missed them.
In his latest mock bracket, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Manhattan as a No. 16 seed playing a play-in game against Lafayette with the right to meet No. 1 Virginia in the East. Iona is listed among the “Next Four Out,” but Lunardi said Iona is “not going to make it” as an at-large team.
A year ago, Manhattan advanced to the tournament as a No. 13 seed and pushed Rick Pitino and No. 4 Louisville before the student fell to the mentor, 71-64, in Orlando.
Though he failed to win a tournament game, Masiello’s stock exploded to the point where he was offered the job at South Florida, which would’ve paid him $6.2 million over five years.
Masiello reportedly asked Pitino before taking the job, “What do you think (about the USF job)?”
Pitino responded: “I said, ‘For you, it’s a grand slam.’”
But when it was discovered during a background check that Masiello had never graduated from Kentucky, the entire storyline flipped.
Not only did South Florida back out of hiring Masiello (they ultimately hired Kentucky assistant Orlando Antigua), but Manhattan placed Masiello on leave in late March and his future seemed uncertain.
In April, Manhattan reinstated Masiello and by May he had completed his degree work at Kentucky.
Questions abounded.
Could Masiello still be effective as a coach after all that had transpired? Would his players trust him? Could he recruit? Could he win?
All those questions have been answered now.
After losing both games to regular-season champ Iona during the season, Masiello said he would just as soon not see the Gaels again for a third time in the MAAC Tournament.
“I’m not a guy that believes in seeing good teams three times,” Masiello said last week. “I’d be much happier not playing Iona again and seeing them go out early. I’m not into the sizzle factor. They’re a good team and I don’t like playing them. You like playing them because it’s good for college basketball. It’s good for our guys, but it’s a tough out.”
Manhattan won the tough out and they are still going.
And so is Steve Masiello.
Photos: Seth Harrison/The Journal News; USA Today Sports
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
