Manhattan coach Steve Masiello is being considered a top contender for the vacant head coaching position at South Florida and may meet with the school later this week, The Post has learned.
South Florida reached out to Masiello, 36, shortly after the conclusion of his third season with the Jaspers, in which he took the team to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 10 years, falling just short to defending national champion Louisville.
Masiello, who has two years left on his initial five-year contact with Manhattan, was scheduled to meet with school officials in Riverdale on Monday night, with Manhattan hoping to extend the deal of one of the fastest rising stars in the coaching ranks, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Manhattan athletic director Noah LeFevre told The Post after the loss to Louisville he believes Masiello will be back in The Bronx next season.
“I’m not just confident because I’m confident,” LeFevre said. “I’m confident because we’re dedicated in doing everything that we can to have him be a member of the Manhattan community for many years to come. I fully anticipate Coach being our coach well into the future, meaning beyond his existing contract.”
Though Masiello, a White Plains native, has strong ties to the New York area, mentor Rick Pitino endorsed a move south — after their two teams played — according to the Tampa Bay Times.
“[Masiello] said, ‘What do you think [about USF]?’ ” Pitino told the Times on Saturday in Orlando. “I said, ‘For you, it’s a grand slam.’ ”
On March 14, the Bulls fired coach Stan Heath, who finished his seven-year run with a 97-130 record.
With South Florida now in the AAC and no longer a perpetual Big East punching bag, Pitino seemed confident the struggling program could be turned around.
“I said, ‘Steven, in the Big East, I thought [USF] was an average to marginal job at best,’ ” Pitino said. “‘At the conference they’re in right now, I think it’s a great job.’
“When you’re going against Syracuse and Louisville and Pittsburgh and Villanova and all those schools that have better facilities and better tradition, then it’s not necessarily a great job. But now, I think it’s a great job. They’re very, very committed.
“They built a practice facility, nice renovations [to the Sun Dome]. It’s a great school.”
South Florida finished 12-20, with three wins in conference play this season. Manhattan, which won 25 games, will lose key seniors George Beamon, Rhamel Brown and Michael Alvarado next season.