Manhattan hires Branden McDonald as assistant coach

Branden McDonald, formerly graduate assistant at Pittsburgh, is now a member of Steve Masiello's staff at Manhattan, joining Jasper family as replacement for Rasheen Davis. (Photo courtesy of the University of Pittsburgh)

When addressing the need for an assistant coach earlier this offseason, Steve Masiello admitted he had several options, chief among them an experienced assistant and recruiter, or a younger, up-and-coming coach whom he could develop in much the same vein as the group of players that has carried Manhattan to back-to-back Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships.

This afternoon, Masiello decided to go with the latter, hiring Branden McDonald to join a staff that includes associate head coach Matt Grady and assistant coach Michael Bramucci, as well as former Jaspers Heshimu Evans, Roberto Colonette, and Kidani Brutus in the capacities of strength and conditioning coaches and special assistant to the head coach, respectively.

"We are excited to have Branden as part of our staff," Masiello said through a release issued by the Manhattan College office of athletic communications. "He has a terrific passion, and with his relationships and basketball pedigree, he will be a great addition to the championship culture we have cultivated here at Manhattan. On the recruiting front, he also gives us immediate credibility in the Washington, DC area."

Only four years removed from being a member of Virginia Union University's Class of 2011, McDonald has already solidified his resume in a short period of time, working with The Hoop Group while balancing stints at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Maryland and the prestigious Team Takeover program that is a part of the Amateur Athletic Union. More recently, the native of Glen Arden, Maryland spent two seasons as a graduate assistant on Jamie Dixon's staff at the University of Pittsburgh, aiding the Panthers' transition from the Big East Conference to the Atlantic Coast Conference. While at Pitt, he was also instrumental in the evolution of Lamar Patterson, who was a second-round selection of the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2014 NBA Draft, and currently plays overseas for Tofas Bursa of the Turkish Basketball League.

McDonald replaces Rasheen Davis, the Jaspers' lead recruiter and associate head coach, who was hired by Will Wade to join his staff at Virginia Commonwealth University on April 21, becoming the third Masiello assistant to earn a spot on a staff at a larger program, following Rashon Burno and Oliver Antigua.