By the time you read this, it likely will be official: Manhattan College is the Kentucky of the MAAC.
Too harsh you say? Actions speak louder than words.
Manhattan athletic director Bob Byrnes told coach Barry Rohrssen that he would be fired after this fifth season. The 10th-seeded Jaspers lost, 68-66, to seventh-seeded Siena late last night in the opening round of the MAAC tournament, and if form held, Rohrssen coached his last game.
The Jaspers finish 6-25 in Rohrssen’s fifth season and 58-95 overall during his tenure. If you’re a hardcore hoops fan, that’s more than enough to warrant dismissal. This is a business, after all.
But not all businesses are run the same. Manhattan’s basketball program is supposed to have loftier goals than wins and losses.
The program is supposed to stress the student in student-athlete. It’s supposed to be a front porch for the college, one that encourages potential students to enroll at the little oasis in The Bronx, get a quality education and enjoy the Division I basketball experience.
Rohrssen has graduated every player who stayed for four years — 12 in, 12 out with their diploma. He never got a technical foul in five years. He attended every graduation ceremony in May, when the campus was half-empty.
Compare that to the previous coach at Manhattan, Bobby Gonzalez. Byrnes once described Gonzalez as unprofessional, selfish and a teenager, but Gonzalez was 129-77 with two NCAA Tournament appearances, so he got to keep his job for seven seasons.
You never would hear anyone describe Rohrssen that way. Two years ago, according to the most recent NCAA statistics, Rohrssen’s Academic Progress Rate was 958, higher than the national average of 940. Gonzalez’s APR in his last season was 880, well below the national average of 927.
Calls to Byrnes seeking comment on why he kept Gonzalez yet is set to can Rohrssen were answered by an e-mail from the school’s athletic communications office: “At this point there is nothing to comment on regarding the future of Manhattan basketball, Barry or Bobby.”
Nothing needs to be said. The actions paint a clear picture. Manhattan is the MAAC’s Kentucky.