The college basketball season starts in 12 days. It's a good time to fire your coach. Steve Masiello was dismissed from the program just short of starting his 12th season at the helm of the team in the final year of his contract. No wrongdoing or personal reasons have been attached to the removal of Masiello. It sounds tone-deaf.
The pink slip couldn't have been given after the season. At the end of the year? Masiello knows his own personal stakes in a contract season, so he developed his roster to make a run at an NCAA Tournament appearance. You were told you were not part of the rebuild when you worked out in the summer. According to the New York Post, Masiello was terminated by the school due to his request for a contract extension. Deadspin tried to reach Masiello, but couldn't.
Less than two weeks before its season opener, the Jaspers' roster is in disarray because of Masiello's sudden departure. Manhattan was picked to finish second. Jose Perez was chosen as the preseason player of the year. He'll never wear a Jaspers jersey again as he's entered the transfer portal and has received interest from several big-time programs. He won't change his course and stay in NYC. According to Perez, several of his teammates will join him in leaving the school.
There is no regard for a team that is already at the school according to a statement from Manhattan's athletic director.
We wish Coach Masiello all the best. With the signing period approaching, we decided that it was time to rebuild from the top down.
Masiello did not deserve a contract extension at this time in his career. In his 11 seasons in The Bronx, he has only guided the team to three postseason appearances, two in The Big Dance. The last time Manhattan College won a game was seven years ago. He has led the Jaspers for 11 seasons. The promise of Perez increased preseason hype. In a one-bid league, it looked like it was a great sink or swim scenario.
It's foolish to transfer at this point in the year and hope for immediate playing time, as most Division-I schools locked in 13 scholarship players months ago. A coaching change isn't part of the NCAA's exemptions for the transfer portal, meaning immediate eligibility would be hard to get even if Perez and other Jaspers were to find a new school.
Perez has only one year left in college. Unless the NCAA offers him an olive branch, he either has to return to Manhattan under RaShawn Stores, or one of the most promising mid-major players in America won't play basketball this season. Masiello still hasn't taken the mention of him being Manhattan's head basketball coach out of his bio. The conference preseason player of the year was promoted last week. He has said that the more you love your decisions, the less you need other people to love them.
Firing a coach less than two weeks before the start of the season is the worst possible time. It is throwing the most profitable team under the bus. If the athletic department decided to change the direction of the program before you start playing meaningful games, what would the player think? When the people who give you free stuff prove their loyalties aren't with you, it's not free. The question isn't if the Jaspers survive, it's if the institution will survive. It's logical to think how many games Manhattan will have to give up for not having enough players. Will we be able to try out at MC in the near future? Manhattan is able to reap what it sows.
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