By Ronak Patel
RIVERDALE, NY - There were many plays from Wednesday night's
81-47 Manhattan victory over Bronx
rival Fordham that typified the new establishment under first-year coach Steve
Masiello.
In front of
a sold out, boisterous crowd at Draddy Gymnasium, the Jaspers jumped out 8-0
and turned up the throttle throughout the entire game.
Manhattan
unleashed an entire team display that has become the norm on this young season.
There was
sophomore Rhamel Brown continuing his down-low dominance with four blocks - and
now has 22 rejections in the last five games. On one Fordham possession, Brown
blocked a three-point shot and then followed up with a block on a lay-in
attempt.
Senior
forward Roberto Colonette has shaken off the rust from his injury last season
and provided a steady hand in the paint collecting seven points, nine rebounds,
two blocks and three steals against the Rams.
In all,
five players scored in double-figures, led by junior swingman George Beamon with
15 points.
"We don't
really have an MVP," Head Coach Steve Masiello said. "On any given night, we
don't know who's going to step up and make big plays. That's the beauty of our
team. That's a great privilege to have."
But there
was Bronx native and former Rice High School star Emmy Andujar doing a little
of bit everything. He had 14 points, snared seven rebounds and most
importantly, dished out a career-high seven assists (he came into the game with
10 assists total).
"He's one
of those kids that just get's it," Masiello said. "I grabbed him by the side
and told (Emmy) 'it's not Rice-Christ the King, relax.'
"He kind of
laughed and kind of went on and had three turnovers early but he's so important
to our offensive and defensive schemes. He can play so many positions and we
can do many things with him."
That
versatility was on full display throughout the game for Andujar, who was
awarded the John "Doc" Johnson MVP Award after the game.
"I give all my credit to (the)
guards and big men," Andujar said. "We work hard and it's as a result of our
coach."
In the first half, the rookie
dished out five assists, collecting three on the first eight points of the
game, all scored by Beamon.
Two of them were pinpoint passes
that resulted in successful three-pointers by Beamon. The non-three point
assist came on a nice bounce pass from Andujar to a streaking Beamon, who
scored a lay-in from the right side.
"We want to
be the most unselfish team there is," explained Masiello. "Some teams get
excited by scoring but we get excited by playing defense and making the extra
pass."
The
first-year head man continued, "Our guys, they look for the corners and look to
make the extra pass when getting in the lane. They get more happiness out of
other guys doing well and that's a credit to our guys and what they believe
in."
Manhattan led 36-25 at the
half and within the first few possessions of the second, it was apparent that
the Jaspers were well on their way to matching last year's win total of six.
And the
main reason why? The local freshman was at the epicenter of the activity. On
the Jaspers' first second half possession, Andujar drained a three-pointer.
Then on Fordham's next possession, he chased down the ball and before heading
out of bounds, he threw the ball to sophomore point guard Michael Alvarado.
Moments
later, Andujar knifed through the lane and scored on a lay-in. The score made
it 41-28.
Furthermore, Andujar tallied a
couple of highlight reel passes - one to Brown and other to Colonette - that
punctuated the freshman's best game of his young, burgeoning Jaspers basketball
career.
With a little under 15 minutes left
in the game, Andujar took the ball at the top of the key, spun in the lane and
dropped off a perfect pass to Brown for the lay-in.
Several
minutes later, Andujar collected an aggressive rebound off of his own missed
lay-in. He was able to gather himself several feet away from the hoop after the
rebound and while defended hard by two Fordham players, maintain composure, and
whip a pass underneath to Colonette for the score.
"I'm just a
pass-first (player)," Andujar said. "I look for my teammates first before I
look for myself."
Through the
team's first 10 games, different players have stepped up and taken control of
games for the Jaspers. On a night where two rivals met in the 104th
edition in the "Battle of the Bronx", it was fitting that the Doc Johnson MVP
award went to a Bronx native.
"He's one of the most coachable
kids I've had," Masiello said. "He's so humble and has no ego in him at all. The
only thing he wants to do is get better. I'm so proud of him and he makes me be
a better coach. He's going to be a great player."
