2010-2011 MAAC Basketball Previews: # 9: The Manhattan Jaspers

# 9: The Manhattan Jaspers

Head Coach: Barry "Slice" Rohrssen

2009-2010 Record: 11-20

2009-2010 Conference Record: 4-14

The Jaspers file in at # 9 on this list. Similar to their pals over at Marist, Manhattan has taken a fall over the past few years. A program which has been historically one of the leagues gems has since fallen into the bottom half of the league. As to date, I would bet that they would stay in the bottom half, approximately at # 9. Examining their roster, there is an abundance of unrecognizable names. Six new roster spots have been filled.

At a quick glance this would lead a follower of the league to believe this will not help their current mediocrity in the league. Gunner Rico Pickett jumped ship after one year, and that means his 30 point outbursts will be gone. All league performer Darryl Crawford used up his four years of eligibility, and one of the most irritating big men in the league, Brandon Adams, is no longer around to play garbage man. This all seems negative for the Jaspers. But are new faces a good thing in Riverdale?

The Low Down On The Jaspers:

Rohrssen's teams have been somewhat of an enigma to figure out. He often carries a boatload of talent and on some nights they look like The Globetrotters. Other nights they look like The Generals, which we all know folks ALWAYS ends in a loss. As I mentioned Pickett and his points are gone, but his turnovers and "me first" attitude are gone with him. There will be plenty of shots to go around this season with Pickett gone. The question is who is going to take them?

The underlying reason for me to take Manhattan over Marist for the 9 spot is simple: Rohrssen brings in talent. Every year he recruits well from the city. One other staple in Rohrssen's teams at Manhattan is their ability to rebound the ball, especially from the offensive end. Manhattan players fly to the glass like bats out of hell, even from the guard position, and you can expect this will continue, regardless of who is doing it.

Andrew Gabriel enters his senior year as a player who has yet to live up to his billing coming out of high school. However with more shots to go around, the crafty power forward is now in a position to have the ball in his hands more often. We will see if new assistant coach (and former NBA player) Scott Padgett can help Gabriel reach his potential as a premier big man in the MAAC. The early success of the Jaspers in the trenches will likely fall on the shoulders of Gabriel. He can only hope one of the newbies is ready to go to battle with him.

Sophomore George Beamon was buried behind senior guards last season, but he could be making the move to Manhattan's next gunner. Beamon average 30 points per game his senior year in high school, and has good size at the two guard spot.

Rohrssen figures to let his string of freshman and junior college transer guards fight it out to see who gets the ball in their hands. Freshman guard Mike Alvarado seems to be the leader early on for the point guard position. Word on the street (or scouting services and all that jumble), is that Manhattan has assembled its strongest recruting class in the Rohressen era. This could be the main reason for Rohrssen opting to stay at Manhattan, rather than run for St. John's as Steve Lavins top recruiter.

The Negatives:

The MAAC is a guards league, no doubt about that. Rohrssen will have to let his recruits learn on the fly, which could be lead to some early bumps and bruises (heck it could lead to a concussion for the Jaspers). None of these pups have played a college game, and guys like Beamon and spot up shooter Nick Walsh didn't even appear in some games last year. Rohrssen will give a long leash on the freshman guards because... Well because he has no other choice. Fairfield's Derek Needham showed last year that a freshman is capable to lead a team to postseason play, but how often do Derek Needham's come around? Not often. Rohressen must hope he has a player or two who can do their best impression of Needham.

Nobody knows if Gabriel will be able to put up consistent numbers in this league. For Manhattan to finish ahead of this prediction, Gabriel, or another big must give the Jaspers 10 to 12 points a game along with 7 to 9 rebounds an outing.

Manhattan will also have to show more team commrodiory than they have in the past. The frontrunning has to stop, and a more even keeled group must be present for the Jaspers to move forward. If not, Rohrssen may be wishing by mid-season that he was wearing red instead of green this season.