Manhattan’s regular season was defined in a matter of seconds.
Leading by two points with less than two minutes remaining in yesterday’s regular season finale against Loyola, Md., first-year coach Steve Masiello waved his arms up and down, imploring the fans at Draddy Gymnasium to assist with a key defensive stop.
The Greyhounds turned the ball over and the crowd erupted, creating an unimaginable scene for a team coming off a six-win season, picked to finish eighth in the MAAC.
Loyola would rally for the 62-60 win after Kidani Brutus’ 3-pointer fell short for Manhattan, dropping them from the No. 2 seed to No. 3 in the MAAC Tournament. But something much bigger was evident — Manhattan matters again.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a quicker and better rebuilding job than Steve Masiello has done here at Manhattan,” Loyola coach Jimmy Patsos said. “He’s been an unbelievable inspiration for young coaches. His enthusiasm and energy has overflowed into his program and his players.”
After the biggest turnaround in Division I and their first 20-win season in five years, Manhattan (20-11, 12-6 MAAC) will play No. 6 seed Siena in the tournament quarterfinals Saturday in Springfield, Mass. The Jaspers split two games with the Saints this season.
“I’m happy we got the bye, but out goal was to win the conference,” Masiello said. “Our next goal is to win the MAAC Tournament. I hope everyone’s goal is to win the conference. Every team should want to go to the Final Four and win that. If not, what are you doing this for?”
Manhattan was carried again yesterday by leading-scorer George Beamon, who had a game-high 24 points. The junior guard scored 17 of the Jaspers’ first 28 points, but saw extra attention in the second half, as Manhattan blew a 50-39 lead with 11:30 left in the game.
Despite shooting just over 36 percent from the field for the game, Manhattan maintained a lead throughout with their patented defensive pressure, which forced 21 Loyola turnovers and held the Greyhounds (21-8, 13-5) to 0-for-8 shooting on 3-pointers. However, playing without starting point guard Michael Alvarado (fractured orbital bone) for the third straight game and a 40-20 disadvantage in rebounds were too much for Manhattan to overcome, as Justin Drummond led Loyola with 13 points.
Brutus, the Bronx native who finished with 14 points in his last home game, was only minutes removed from action when he discussed the opportunity to make the NCAA tournament.
“I think we can win this,” Brutus said about the MAAC Tournament. “[The loss] hurt, but we’ve got three more games left.”
Masiello interrupted.
“Four [games],” Masiello said. “Five. Six.”
Brutus corrected himself as well. Who was he, or anyone, to question what the team can do now?