Masiello prepares for pivotal year with newfound perspective at Manhattan

Steve Masiello hopes he has answers to Manhattan’s offensive questions as Jaspers enter pivotal MAAC season. (Photo by Sports Illustrated)

Now one of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s elder statesmen as he enters his 11th season at the helm at Manhattan College, Steve Masiello is finding himself being counted on to be a voice of perspective, maybe more than he already was through the past decade.

After all, few coaches have been able to delicately strike the balance between basketball and life as well as Masiello, wizened at only 44 years old and hungrier than ever after six straight losing seasons following a cathartic and emotional MAAC championship defense in 2015. And in light of the pandemic that continues to wreak havoc across the world, Masiello found a way to intertwine what happens on the floor with making sure he keeps his team in a healthy mindset off it.

“It’s by far been the most challenging thing that you worry about,” he said of addressing the mental health aspect of the game, now more important than ever in a world cautiously defined as fluid while it navigates COVID-19. “Sometimes, you don’t see it right then, it’s kind of a residual effect or an effect that takes place later on where you’ve got to check on guys and make sure they’re doing well, make sure they’re in a good place mentally. This past year was very hard for coaches, administrators, and it was really hard on student-athletes. I think what these young people did for the sacrifice, selflessness and how they conducted themselves across the league and across the country, is something to be excited about, because it says a lot about that generation. But in the same boat, you want to make sure they’re getting back to some normalcy and being 20-year-old kids and enjoying life, enjoying college, having that experience that’s so important to their development as they grow, so nothing’s changed there.”

“You’ve got to be flexible, you’ve got to adapt. You’ve got to be like water and go with it, because if you fought it, you were going to get swept away in it. There were a lot of things that were thrown at us that we didn’t know why or didn’t know the reasoning behind, and still don’t, to be honest with you. But you have to believe and adapt to change.”

Manhattan has certainly tried to adapt to the changing landscape, but offensive struggles and inefficiency were two of the biggest factors plaguing the Jaspers through last year’s abbreviated schedule. With arguably his deepest and most talented roster since becoming a household name with his pair of conference championships, Masiello feels the question marks that rose last year have begun to be addressed, and is continuing to fix what may be broken, including adding a pair of high-level transfers in Jose Perez and Josh Roberts, from Marquette and St. John’s, respectively.

“When you lose seven games by five or less last year, you want to try to address those things,” he conceded. “And I think that’s something we’ve concentrated on, building chemistry, understanding timing and just really playing together. In a shortened year like last year, shortened offseason, you didn’t get that chance to play together. That’s something we’re trying to build on, and as we get that, I think we can have a chance to be successful.”

“I think Josh is another rim protector. He’s a legit 6-foot-10, 220 pounds, an athletic big who can run the floor. He was leading the Big East in blocks, so anytime you have a guy with that mentality, physicality and experience, you hope that translates, and that’s something we’re excited about. Jose’s a guy who had great success at Gardner-Webb, was a big part of their NCAA Tournament run, but the past is the past. That has nothing to do with the next step. For him, it’s about consistency, getting back to that player he was as a freshman, and showing the country who he really is. That’s going to be his challenge.”

As far as the returning players, a cast including the likes of Anthony Nelson, Warren Williams, Elijah Buchanan, Samba Diallo, and Samir Stewart, their mission is simple: Trust the process, and watch the everyday progress lead to results.

“I think experience is always important,” said Masiello. “Anytime you can have continuity, you want to try to build on that and address weaknesses. We’re very excited about the guys we have returning and what they can be. There’s a lot of work to be done for them to kind of improve and get where they need to be, and not only achieve their individual goals, but the team goals. It’s all about their habits every day.”

In particular, Williams, who spent the summer with the Jamaican national team, gained experience that has already proven invaluable, even more so considering the overall improvement and maturity of every team in the MAAC.

“Warren had a great summer,” Masiello gushed. “He played with the Jamaican national team down in San Salvador, it was a great experience for him just to be around older guys, pros, and learn a different perspective of the game. It was a great experience for him, he got a lot better mentally from it, so I’m really happy for him. Warren’s a sponge. He left that experience a lot more resourceful. I think he’s a very experienced, talented, hard-working player. The best way to describe him is selfless. He’s going to do whatever is needed for the team to be successful and for his teammates to have success. He fits the Rhamel Brown mold very well from that standpoint. Obviously, his game’s a lot different than Rhamel or Pauly (Paulicap), but by the same token, he’s a very good shot blocker who can change the game on both ends.”

“I think the league has changed for the better. I think it’s gotten extremely competitive, it always has been. I think you’ve seen the brand of basketball really elevate. It’s become a very competitive, underrated basketball league that I’m very humbled and lucky to be a part of.”

In what could be considered a make-or-break season for Masiello as he looks to bring Manhattan back to the heights he reached early in his tenure, he does so with a renewed outlook that may have tempered his expectations, but rekindled the blessing that lies deep within his competitive fire.

“I don’t believe in pressure,” he admitted. “I believe in privilege. It’s a privilege to do what we do, it’s a privilege to come out every day. This little orange ball has changed my life and provided me a great life, and it can do that for a lot of people. I have a lot of respect for the game, and I take great pride in that.”

“There’s a 10-year-old child somewhere fighting cancer. That’s pressure. This thing of basketball is a privilege, and you have to have gratitude about it every day, no entitlement. You have to be very, very appreciative of the opportunities given. If there’s one thing this past year gave me, it’s the perspective of what’s important.”