Post by FU73 on Jan 31, 2014 7:39:54 GMT -5
The New York Times on the "special rivalry" in the MAAC between Manhattan and Iona. Tonight's game from New Rochelle is on ESPNU at 9:00 pm:
The bus ride has not changed since 1946: 8.6 miles, out of the Bronx and up into Westchester County, where one small Catholic university awaits another small Catholic university in perhaps the best basketball rivalry running in New York.
Yes, you can forget about Knicks-Nets. The battle for an N.C.A.A. tournament bid via the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference may come down again to Iona (11-8, 8-2 MAAC) and Manhattan (14-5, 7-3) — two brotherly competitors, separated by less than 10 miles, who fight over everything in between (and beyond).
“I’ve played in Kentucky-Louisville,” Manhattan Coach Steve Masiello said. “There is no difference in the feelings.”....
“He’s got those kids playing with passion,” Cluess said of Masiello. “That program is playing at a really high level — they’re the team to beat in the MAAC right now. He’s done a great job.”
Cluess, who grew up on Long Island and played at Hofstra, said the particular styles the teams play adds to the intrigue. Masiello, a Rick Pitino disciple, considers defense to be paramount. Cluess is an offensive guru whose teams usually rank among the nation’s leaders in scoring.
But there is also a six-degrees-of-separation feeling, making the matchups more inherently personal. Masiello follows Iona guard Sean Armand on Twitter; Armand plays summer ball in the Bronx with Michael Alvarado; Alvarado helped lure the Maryland transfer Ashton Pankey to Riverdale instead of New Rochelle.
Masiello even attended Iona Grammar School, which was headed, at the time, by Brother J. Kevin Devlin, now Iona’s team moderator. This, of course, all flavors his passion to overtake the Gaels.
“I have to want to beat them in everything,” Masiello said. “From recruiting, to staff, to stationery, to our pens. Everything we have has to be better than Iona’s.”
Jared Grasso, Iona’s associate head coach, said much of the Gaels’ success could be attributed to the broadening of its recruiting net in recent years, and the college has had success bringing in transfers from larger programs, like Mike Glover and Momo Jones.....
In truth, Iona and Manhattan’s programs mostly just reflect each other, rising in lock step, bickering like twins. The Jaspers seem to believe their time is now. The Gaels seem to believe the Jaspers cannot tell time.
www.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/sports/ncaabasketball/only-a-few-miles-separate-a-heated-manhattan-iona-rivalry.html?_r=0
The bus ride has not changed since 1946: 8.6 miles, out of the Bronx and up into Westchester County, where one small Catholic university awaits another small Catholic university in perhaps the best basketball rivalry running in New York.
Yes, you can forget about Knicks-Nets. The battle for an N.C.A.A. tournament bid via the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference may come down again to Iona (11-8, 8-2 MAAC) and Manhattan (14-5, 7-3) — two brotherly competitors, separated by less than 10 miles, who fight over everything in between (and beyond).
“I’ve played in Kentucky-Louisville,” Manhattan Coach Steve Masiello said. “There is no difference in the feelings.”....
“He’s got those kids playing with passion,” Cluess said of Masiello. “That program is playing at a really high level — they’re the team to beat in the MAAC right now. He’s done a great job.”
Cluess, who grew up on Long Island and played at Hofstra, said the particular styles the teams play adds to the intrigue. Masiello, a Rick Pitino disciple, considers defense to be paramount. Cluess is an offensive guru whose teams usually rank among the nation’s leaders in scoring.
But there is also a six-degrees-of-separation feeling, making the matchups more inherently personal. Masiello follows Iona guard Sean Armand on Twitter; Armand plays summer ball in the Bronx with Michael Alvarado; Alvarado helped lure the Maryland transfer Ashton Pankey to Riverdale instead of New Rochelle.
Masiello even attended Iona Grammar School, which was headed, at the time, by Brother J. Kevin Devlin, now Iona’s team moderator. This, of course, all flavors his passion to overtake the Gaels.
“I have to want to beat them in everything,” Masiello said. “From recruiting, to staff, to stationery, to our pens. Everything we have has to be better than Iona’s.”
Jared Grasso, Iona’s associate head coach, said much of the Gaels’ success could be attributed to the broadening of its recruiting net in recent years, and the college has had success bringing in transfers from larger programs, like Mike Glover and Momo Jones.....
In truth, Iona and Manhattan’s programs mostly just reflect each other, rising in lock step, bickering like twins. The Jaspers seem to believe their time is now. The Gaels seem to believe the Jaspers cannot tell time.
www.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/sports/ncaabasketball/only-a-few-miles-separate-a-heated-manhattan-iona-rivalry.html?_r=0
