sports
sportsshorts Jaspers Honored at Hall of Fame Former Manhattan College President Brother Thomas Scanlan, FSC, as well as former basketball stars Keith Bullock ’93 and Gina Somma ’96, were inducted into the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Honor Roll during a dinner at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on March 8. They are members of the second MAAC Honor Roll class, joining 2012 inductees Jack Powers ’58 and Sheila Tighe ’84. Br. Scanlan was selected for his contributions to the conference during his tenure as president from 1987-2009. He served as chair of the MAAC marketing and television committee, and played a key role in expanding the MAAC’s television and multimedia efforts. Br. Scanlan also endorsed the MAAC’s partnership with Disney that continues to this day and was a proponent of the joint MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships at one venue. He served as a member of the NCAA Division I AA/AAA Presidential Advisory Group. The Jaspers won 72 MAAC postseason championships and 18 MAAC regular season titles during his presidency. The men’s basketball squad also became the first team in conference history to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in 1995. In addition, Manhattan won the MAAC Commissioner’s Cup for overall excellence in 2002-03 and 2003-04. Bullock led a renaissance of men’s basketball and helped the Jaspers make their first postseason appearance in 15 years with a berth in the 1992 National Invitation Tournament (NIT). In 1992-93, he was named MAAC Player of the Year and MAAC Tournament MVP, as Manhattan won its first MAAC championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1958. A three-time First Team AllMAAC selection and the 1990 MAAC Rookie of the Year, Bullock is second on Manhattan’s all-time lists for both scoring (1,992 points) and rebounding (1,012). Somma was named MAAC Player of the Year, Metropolitan Player of the Year and Third Team All-American after leading Manhattan to its third MAAC title and NCAA Tournament appearance in 1995-96. She scored 768 points that season (the most in a single-season in Manhattan history, men or women) and finished third in the nation in scoring average (25.6 points per game). Somma is third on Manhattan’s alltime scoring list (1,838 points) and fifth all-time in rebounding (819). National Champion Former Manhattan College star Jake Freeman ’04 earned his second career national title when he won the weight throw at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Albuquerque, N.M., in March. Freeman sat in second place after three attempts but moved ahead of three-time Olympian A.G. Kruger with an effort of 23.51 meters (77 feet, 1¾ inches) in the fourth round. It’s Freeman’s first indoor national championship. He previously won the hammer throw at the 2010 USA Outdoor Championships. MAAC Expansion The MAAC announced in December that Monmouth and Quinnipiac 16 N spring 2013
will join the conference on July 1. With the addition of the two schools, the MAAC’s first new members since 1997, and the departure of Loyola, which will become a member of the Patriot League, the MAAC will feature 11 teams during the 2013-14 season. As a result of the expansion, the conference schedule in men’s and women’s basketball has increased from 18 to 20 games. UNITE Comes to Campus The Manhattan-Iona men’s basketball game at Draddy Gymnasium on Feb. 15 was televised by ESPNU as a part of Rivalry Week. Danny Kanell, Reese Waters and Marianela Pereyra, the hosts of ESPNU’s popular UNITE show, served as commentators for the game, and the Jaspers were featured on UNITE leading up to the contest. UNITE, ESPN’s first late-night entertainment show, airs weeknights at midnight (ET) and features a mix of sports, humor and pop culture. Brown Bagged It Junior forward/center Rhamel Brown of the men’s basketball team was recognized by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association with a selection to the All-Met Second Team. Brown led the Jaspers in both scoring and rebounding, and averaged 11.4 points and 7.2 rebounds. He was also named MAAC Defensive Player of the Year for the second-straight season after ranking 10th in the nation with 3.0 blocks per game. He broke his own single-season program record with 95 blocks in 2012-13, while also setting a new Manhattan career record for blocked shots (247). Staff News After three seasons as an assistant, Jorden Scott has been promoted to head coach of the men’s soccer team. He becomes the eighth head coach in the program’s 46-year history. Scott helped lead a rebuilding effort that has resulted in eight victories and two ties during the past two seasons. In 2011, the Jaspers went undefeated in their final four games of the regular season, then notched thrilling victories over Loyola and Iona to reach the MAAC Championship game for just the second time in school history and the first time since 1994. Pat Slevin has been named head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country programs. He will also serve as an assistant coach working with the distance runners during the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons. Slevin comes to Manhattan after eight years as an English teacher and track coach at Chaminade High School on Long Island. During his time at Chaminade, the Flyers won three indoor league championships, as well as the 2011 Catholic High School State Championship. He also mentored two individual national champions, four state champions and 35 high school All-Americans. Catherine Conway has been added to the women’s lacrosse staff as an assistant coach. A 2012 graduate of Boston College, she will serve as the Jaspers’ defensive coordinator, while also contributing to the team’s scouting and recruiting efforts.