Game 1: Manhattan (0-0) vs. NJIT (0-0)
Draddy Gymnasium (2,345) - Riverdale, N.Y.
Saturday, November 12, 2011 at 2 p.m.
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Scouting Report
Manhattan (0-0)
Under the direction of first year head coach Steve Masiello, Manhattan returns 10 letterwinners, including four starters, from last season. The Jaspers lineup features a blend of talent in the backcourt. Senior Kidani Brutus, junior George Beamon and sophomore Michael Alvarado were regulars in the starting line up in 2010-2011 and the trio accounted for nearly 60% of the Jaspers' scoring.
Beamon is coming off a break out campaign as he earned All-MAAC Third Team and All-Metropolitan Third Team honors after averaging 16.3 points per game, which was the third highest scoring average in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Brutus, a transfer from Carl Albert State in Oklahoma, converted a team-high 63 3-pointers and ranked seventh in the MAAC for 3-pointers per game.
Alvarado earned a spot on the 2011 MAAC All-Rookie team after averaging 11.2 points primarily running the point last season. He was 10th in the conference with 3.2 assists per game and eight with a 78.2% free-throw shooting mark.
Underclassmen are expected to power the Jaspers front court with sophomore Rhamel Brown and freshman Emmy Andujar. Brown, a 6'6" 215-pound Brooklyn native, was the top shot blocker (68) in the MAAC last year and he led Manhattan in rebounds averaging 7.1 per contest. Andujar can have an immediate impact for the Jaspers after a successful career locally at Rice High School. A 6'5" 205 pound versatile player, he averaged 12.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists as a senior helping Rice advance to the 2011 CHSAA Class AA championship game.
Masiello has instilled an up-tempo style of play on the Jaspers and will look to go 11-12 players deep on his bench.
NJIT (0-0)
NJIT is coming off its most successful season since joining the NCAA Division I ranks. The Highlanders finished second overall in the Great West conference with a 9-3 league mark, and posted a 15-15 overall record.
The Highlanders return four starters and 10 letterwinners from 2010-2011. Senior guard Isaiah Wilkerson, a 6'3" 225-pound native of Staten Island, is the Highlanders top returnee as he started all 30 games and averaged a team-high 13.6 points per game. He also topped the Highlanders in the rebounding column averaging 6.2, while shooting 41.9% from the field.
Garrett Frick and Odera Nweke are expected to be the Highlanders top newcomers. Frick, a 6-7 235 freshman from California, comes to NJIT from the US Air Force Academy Prep. Odera is a 6'5"215-pound wing from Richmond, Texas.
NJIT averaged 68.8 points per game last season and shot 42.9% from the field. The Highlanders finished out the regular-season with a 13-4 record, a hot streak that began in January.
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