When former Hartford Hawks head coach John Gallagher was first hired by Manhattan in March, it was safe to assume that some of his former players with remaining eligibility would follow their former head coach, fleeing Hartford’s imminent transition from Division 1 to Division 3.
However, when DeJuan Clayton, who started his collegiate career at Coppin State in 2016, received a waiver earlier in September to play for Manhattan, Gallagher completed his first recruiting class that now features three former Hawks.
“DeJuan is a veteran guard who has tons of experience,” says Briggs McClain, Hartford’s scoring and steals leader who was the first Hawk to commit to Manhattan, “He’s an elite scorer from all the levels and someone you want to play with.”
Playing just two games at Hartford during the 2021-22 season, Clayton and McClain developed a relationship that will continue to flourish this season. “When we were at Hartford together, we gelled on and off the court real quick,” McClain adds.
“With him being much older than me, I looked to him kind of as a big brother. We’re both lefties, so being in the gym with him, taking different parts of his game and implementing them into mine was a big part of allowing me to feel more comfortable in games as an underclassman.”
Southpaws Clayton and McClain are expected to start for Manhattan’s backcourt, with McClain’s shooting ability meshing nicely with Clayton’s ability to break down the defense and create offense.
“Dejuan is elite at getting downhill in transition to score or create for others,” says John Auslander, Clayton’s assistant coach at Coppin State, “he has a very good feel and IQ on both ends of the court.”
Injuries have been a factor in Clayton’s last three seasons but “he was extremely productive and impactful during his time at Coppin State,” adds Auslander, “In his final year at Coppin State, the 2020-21 Season, he was First Team All-MEAC and helped lead Coppin State to their first MEAC regular season championship since 2003-04.”
The 2020-21 season was Clayton’s best, averaging 14.9 points, 5.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game, along with the fourteenth highest free-throw rate in the nation, per Kenpom.com.
Clayton and McClain will be two of the five upperclassmen on Manhattan’s roster, but incoming sophomore and Hartford transfer Lorenzo Washington will allow Gallagher to apply one of his best traits: mentorship and an ability to develop talent.
“Playing for Coach Gal, he only gives you confidence,” says McClain, “I believe that I’ve grown so much in my ability to score the ball from all three levels – just being able to go out and play my game. When a coach believes in his guys the way that Gal does, it makes the game a lot easier.”
Washington, who was originally recruited by Gallagher’s staff before Gallagher resigned from Hartford, is the third recruit with Hartford ties and one of the many young pieces who Gallagher will develop to hopefully be a part of Manhattan’s next wave of talent.
“He’s a quick, scrappy point guard,” McClain says of Washington, “Great vision and very unselfish. He’s got a solid mid-range game and can hit the three.”
If Clayton stays healthy, Washington will compete with fellow sophomores Shaquil Bender and Brett Rumpel for backup minutes at point.
Hartford’s program was dubbed “The Neighborhood” under Coach Gallagher. When he needed reinforcements to lead Manhattan’s newest chapter, he called on former Hawks McClain, Clayton and Washington to help build the new look backcourt.
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