By Joe Budzelek
In NYC metro area college hoops, it is hard to find a better example of kismet more pronounced than John Gallagher landing at Manhattan.
Just two months after Hartford’s 2021 America East Conference Tournament championship and the program’s lone appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the university’s board of regents voted to transition its athletic programs from Division I to Division III. That decision quickly set off a chain of events that expedited Gallagher’s resignation in November 2022, ending an impressive 12-year tenure with the Hawks. In October of that same year, Manhattan parted ways with Steve Masiello, leaving the Jaspers’ fanbase frustrated during an acrimonious stretch that began with Masiello’s late-offseason dismissal and culminated in what many felt was the unfair bypassing of interim head coach RaShawn Stores in the search for Manhattan’s next head coach, which concluded in March 2023 with Gallagher’s official hiring.
With that being said, Gallagher is beyond grateful to have landed on his feet at Manhattan, where, in just two short seasons, he has led the program to a top-four ranking in the MAAC preseason polls for the first time in a decade.
"When you’re building a program, it used to be that by your third year you’d get to seventeen wins,” says Gallagher, “You’d go from seven wins in the first year, to twelve, to seventeen—and then try to keep it around twenty, because your recruiting and your energy had become solid.
“For us, I think we’ve skipped a year—and you can do that now with the portal and NIL. The key, though, is you can’t skip the values, the culture, or the process of making sure the players you bring in have the right mindset. We haven’t skipped that, and that’s what I’m most excited about. We’ve retained two of the top three scorers in the conference with Devin Dinkins and Will Sydnor. I think we’ve got an interesting group that brings a lot of different things to the table.”
Finishing last season with the most efficient offense in the MAAC, per KenPom.com, Manhattan returns four key pieces expected to sustain its scoring prowess. First-Team preseason All-MAAC selections Dinkins and Sydnor will once again lead the team in scoring, while sophomore sharpshooter Fraser Roxburgh steps into the starting lineup to replace the graduated Wesley Robinson. Junior point guard Jaden Winston also returns as one of the best passers in the MAAC—and arguably the best player in the league not named to a preseason All-MAAC team.
After spending most of last season with three-guard lineups—and at times even four-guard lineups with 6-foot-3 Swish Gilyard at the 4—Gallagher is excited about the prospect of rolling out a bigger starting five that features all returning Jaspers from last year: Winston and Dinkins in the backcourt, 6-foot-7 Fraser Roxburgh at the 3, 6-foot-8 Sydnor at the 4 (his natural position after playing much of last season as the small-ball 5), and 6-foot-10, 225-pound sophomore Marko Ljubicic anchoring the middle at center.
Despite the unit’s overall size, all five players are capable perimeter shooters. That spacing will not only allow Dinkins to maintain his potent on-ball attacking ability, but it should also create more opportunities for Winston and Roxburgh to increase their scoring inside the arc—making the Jaspers’ offense even less predictable than it was a season ago.
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| Manhattan junior guard Devin Dinkins in the team's CBI opening round matchup against Incarnate Word (photo credit: @Stockton_Photo) |
Scoring will remain a strength, but after losing five games last year despite putting up 80 points or more, Manhattan focused this offseason on addressing its defensive, physicality, and rebounding issues through the transfer portal following the additions of Norfolk State veteran guard Terrance Jones, Saint Anselm (D2) big guard Erik Oliver-Bush and JUCO power forward Anthony Isaac.
Across his four seasons at Norfolk State, 6-foot-3 Terrance Jones played a key role in the Spartans’ three MEAC regular-season championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances. He finished last season with the seventh-highest offensive rating in the MEAC, per KenPom.com, buoyed by the conference’s fourth-lowest turnover rate, a 55.6% two-point percentage (14th in the conference), and a 33.3% three-point percentage (17th in the conference). Jones is also an excellent offensive rebounder.
Following his freshman season at Saint Anselm, 6-foot-5 Erik Olivier-Bush earned the title of Northeast-10 Rookie of the Year after averaging 11.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and nearly a block and a steal per game. He also made nearly 60% of his two-point attempts, 35% of his three-point attempts, and 74% of his free throws.
Despite their supporting roles on the offensive end, Gallagher is most excited for what each player can bring on the defensive end. “Erik Oliver-Bush and Terrance are really physical, big-time defenders, and that’s one of the biggest upgrades we’ve made—defense and rebounding,” says Gallagher.
“They bring a new level of athleticism and toughness. Both of them are guys you can put on the other team’s best scorer, and they’re going to cause problems. We just didn’t have that last year. I’m talking about east–west defense, keeping guys in front. That’s what has really stood out to me—his ability to guard the best. With Terrance, it’s not just his defense and intensity; he’s also won big games and been part of championship teams at Norfolk State. He’s a veteran, and he brings a lot to the table for us.”
Similar to his role at Norfolk State, Jones is expected to be the first guard off the bench, logging minutes at both the 2 and the 3—and it would not be surprising if he earns a few starts along the way. For Oliver-Bush, his versatility allows him to play anywhere from an extra-big two-guard to a small-ball 4, especially as a larger version of what Gilyard provided in that role last season.
While Manhattan’s frontcourt is flush with skill and length, Brooklyn native Anthony Isaac complements that group well with his bruising, down-low approach on both ends of the floor. An undersized big at 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds, Isaac is coming off an impressive season at Blinn College, where he averaged 14.6 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.
Anthony’s the best rebounder in the league,” says Gallagher, “There’s no one you can put on the court where you’d say, ‘Oh my God, he’s better than Anthony.’ That just hasn’t happened in JUCO in the past two years, and I don’t see it happening at the Division 1 level. I think he’s a high-major rebounder in any league in America.”
Isaac will begin the season as Ljubicic’s primary backup, but if the young Croatian develops more consistency in space, it wouldn’t be out of the question for both bigs to see minutes together on the floor.
The previously mentioned eight players are expected to earn the lion’s share of playing time this season, but redshirt senior Brett Rumpel could be an ace up Gallagher’s sleeve as he ramps up activity in his recovery from an ACL tear suffered early last December. Rumpel is projected to return in January, and in the small sample of four games he played healthy at Manhattan, the Saint Bonaventure transfer averaged 12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 5 free-throw attempts per game. Known more for his creativity and aggressiveness inside the arc than his perimeter shooting, Rumpel has also drawn Gallagher’s praise for his defensive versatility, with his length and toughness helping to neutralize opponents’ high-usage guards.
Despite a strong returning core and a precisely targeted transfer class, Manhattan also boasts one of the better freshman groups in the MAAC with the additions of guards Omari Moore, Quron Elliott, and Asier Miguel.
Breaking down the newcomers, Gallagher noted, “We can start with Omari—he’s a catch-and-shoot three-point shooter. He gets it off quickly and has great rhythm. He’s a really good MAAC guard. Back in the day, he would have been playing 30–35 minutes as a freshman, but not right now with the veteran depth we have at guard.” 247Sports lists Moore as a three-star prospect, and he previously received an offer from Mike Anderson during his tenure at St. John’s.
Baltimore native Quron Elliott finished his high school career at Mt. Zion Prep and profiles more as a traditional point guard, earning high marks for his court vision, basketball IQ, and maturity.
Gallagher also praised Real Madrid product Asier Miguel as “one of the best catch-and-shoot guys I’ve recruited and also an unbelievable defender.” Similar to their fellow freshmen, it will be difficult to project Miguel or Elliott into major minutes as rookies, but together this class represents a key part of Manhattan’s next wave of talent.
With an experienced roster that is Gallagher’s most talented, versatile and balanced seen in his time at Riverdale, the head coach is quick to point to the commitment and resources that has helped the Jaspers’ steady growth under his tutelage. “We have great respect for the other teams—there are great programs and great coaches in this league—and we’re just fortunate. We have a strong alumni base, and I’ve said this from the start: this is a mid-major power because of that alumni base,” says Gallagher, “In this new era, if your alumni care about winning, you’re going to compete. If your alumni are laissez-faire, it’s going to be tough. I say that more in defense of all the coaches out there, because I was fortunate to get Manhattan, where the alumni truly care about winning championships.”
And what better time in Riverside to talk about championship aspirations? Two decades have passed since Manhattan’s last regular-season title and eleven years since their first conference tournament championship, yet the Jaspers now stand among the cream of the crop in the MAAC, alongside Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart, and Siena.
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