College basketball: Takeaways after Iona's 71-60 win over Manhattan to take MAAC top spot
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NEW ROCHELLE - The Iona-Manhattan rivalry has had some exciting moments and epic finishes over the years.
However, for the first time in five years, Iona can proudly say it secured the first regular season series sweep by either team since the 2017-18 campaign.
The Gaels defeated the Jaspers, 71-60, in front of the soldout crowd at the Hynes Center on Friday night.
"We didn't play our best basketball, but Manhattan can do that to you because they're always trapping and changing defenses," Iona coach Rick Pitino said. "But we played really good defense in the first half and our defense matched theirs, but they're a tough team to play against."
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A hot start by Iona allowed the Gaels to grab an early lead. The Jaspers started to gain some traction late in the first half, but Iona remained in front.
Anton Brookshire hit a highly-contested three-pointer just before the buzzer to give the Gaels a 35-24 lead at halftime.
The Gaels pushed their lead to as high as 20 points early in the second half, but Manhattan wouldn't go away quietly. After missing their first five shot attempts after the break, the Jaspers shot 13-of-23 (56.5%) the remainder of the game.
They were unable to close the gap though, as Iona's double-digit lead was never in jeopardy.
Walter Clayton Jr. led Iona with 23 points, four rebounds, five assists and three steals. Nelly Junior Joseph chipped in 12 points and 17 rebounds. Daniss Jenkins had a 10-point, 10-assist double-double. Osborn Shema added 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
For Manhattan, Josh Roberts paced the Jaspers with a 14-point, 18-rebound double-double. Anthony Nelson had 14 points and five assists, but shot just 6-of-18 on the floor with five turnovers. Samir Stewart added 12 points off the bench and shot 4-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
Iona takes first place in MAAC, enjoys season-high six-game winning streak
There's no more excuses and little room for error as college basketball teams head down the last leg of the regular season.
After an up-and-down stretch following the New Year due to various injuries and challenges, Iona seems to be getting used to its forced adjustments due to notable absences.
They were dealt with another bout of misfortune during their road trip through western New York, as Cruz Davis has been inactive since last Sunday's game against Niagara with a nagging Achilles injury.
"We did an MRI, it's fine, but he's now got a bubble, a bump by his Achilles, which is going to take usually a week to two to heal," Pitino said of Davis' situation.
"Without question if we were at full strength, we would be a different basketball team, but if Manhattan was at full strength, they're by far the best team in the league. … Can you imagine if they had the preseason player of the year (Jose Perez), who's now at West Virginia, full strength with all that experience? We caught a break, as well as the rest of the teams, but we're really happy with how we're playing right now. We've missed more minutes than any team in the nation."
While the Gaels' core group of starters dialed up another solid all-around balanced performance, they've continued to make it work despite a short bench.
On Friday, though, Anton Brookshire provided a big boost, as he settles back into game shape after a bout with COVID-19. He had his best showing since his return, going 3-of-6 from deep -- knocking down a couple of heavily-contested threes -- in his nine-point, two-assist showing.
Iona attributes its recent success and season-high six-game winning streak to its defense, which has been the team's calling card.
"We took a few losses and I feel that really helped us wake up as a team and refocus," Clayton said. "That's been it, like defense, for sure. We haven't fixed it completely yet, but we're well on our way."
Thanks to Rider falling short to Canisius on Friday night, Iona now regains sole possession of first place in the MAAC with a 19-7 overall record and a 12-3 mark in conference play.
"This league hasn't been this way the last two years," Pitino said. "We won the league by three games last year, the COVID year was a little more difficult.
"… The coaching in this conference, as you watched with Shaheen (Holloway) last year, every single guy can flat-out coach in this conference. I'm really, really impressed with it."
Steve Masiello saga adds to the rivalry
While players on both sides don't usually need any extra motivation when it comes to preparing for one another, the addition of former Manhattan head coach Steve Masiello to Iona's coaching staff certainly added to the intrigue of this year's season series.
Masiello, a Westchester native, was fired from Manhattan just 12 days before the start of the 2022-23 season. A former ballboy for Rick Pitino when he coached the New York Knicks and a longtime coaching protege, Masiello reunited with his mentor and is now the Gaels' Director of Basketball Operations.
Iona outlasted Manhattan in overtime last time out, but there was little doubt this time around. The Gaels now lead the all-time series, 61-43.
"Coach Mas is our guy," Jenkins said. "We welcomed him with open arms ever since he came here. Each time we played (Manhattan), we knew we wanted to get the 'W' for him, as well as for the team and coach."
Pitino rants about NIL and the NCAA
The NCAA's new rules on name-image-likeness (NIL) have swept the state of college sports, completely changing the dynamics and allowing players and recruits to profit off NIL and follow the money.
According to data from Opendorse, which provides technology to the athlete endorsement industry, college athletes earned an estimated $917 million from July 2021 to 2022 in the first full year of the new NIL rule.
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young was one of the biggest earners, entering the 2022 season with already $1 million in NIL deals made.
Everyone has an opinion on the changing landscape.
"Big football schools have a huge advantage over everyone," Pitino said, noting how college football has surpassed college basketball over the years in TV ratings and overall popularity. "Whatever they want, the football schools get. NIL is here to stay. The NCAA does a good job, but they're always reactive, never proactive.
"… They got tipped off because Congress was pissed at their monopoly. They did that and now they don't know what to do about NIL to get it under control, because they're going after high school kids."
The NIL rules go hand-in-hand with the new transfer rules, which allow athletes to freely change schools one time without sitting out a year, unlike in the past.
"There'll be 2,000 kids in the portal and you know what they are? Free agents," Pitino said. "They're going around seeing who will offer the most money. 1,000 kids are going to be free agents and they'll be free agents next year. It's a difficult thing and the NCAA was once again just reactive, never proactive.
"Congress was after them for years about not giving players money back from the (NCAA) Tournament. Now, they're behind the 8-ball and don't know what to do about it. Quite frankly, none of us know what to do about it."
Pitino isn't completely against it though.
"I'm glad the players are making money, but I'm a little old school," he said. "If you make money, you have to earn it because when you leave, they're not going to be given anything again. I hope players are investing it wisely, paying taxes and doing the right things, because they're never going to make that money again -- some of them.
"They have to watch it because they're being given things and not earned. They're professional athletes. College basketball is pros. We're not amateurs anymore, we're flat-out pros. We're getting paid. The only negative is pros have the luxury of signing multiple-year contracts so you know what they'll be paid. Here, I hate to see what the portal's going to be this year."
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: College basketball: Iona beats rival Manhattan, takes top spot in MAAC
