The Manhattan Jaspers men's basketball team is the basketball team that represents Manhattan University in The Bronx, New York City, New York, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. They have won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament championship five times (1993, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2015). The Jaspers have had three players named Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Year, most recently Luis Flores in 2003. Luis Flores is also the Manhattan Jaspers all-time leading scorer with 2046 points from 2001 to 2004. Their current head coach is John Gallagher, who was hired from the University of Hartford in March 2023.

History

Fran Fraschilla was head coach of the Jaspers from 1992, when he was 33 years old, to 1996, and his teams had an 85–35 record, a 71% won-lost percentage, and won two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) titles and the 1993 MAAC men's basketball tournament championship."Frschilla to become Manhattan basketball coach," UPI, May 3, 1992. In 1995 the Jaspers became the first Jaspers team in 35 years to compete in the NCAA Basketball Tournament and the first team from the MAAC to obtain an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. There, they defeated the fourth-seeded Oklahoma Sooners in the first round, before losing in the second round to the Arizona State Sun Devils."College hoops analyst Fran Fraschilla," Fra Noi, June 21, 2021."Manhattan College Men's Basketball," 2011-12. Fraschilla was named the 1994–95 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Coach of the Year, after his team's 26-5 season."Fran Fraschilla", sports-reference."FRASCHILLA MAKES TACTICAL MOVES ," Hartfield Courant, January 7, 1997.

Rivalries

The Jaspers' main rivals are the Iona Gaels. This rivalry started in December 1946, which Manhattan won 69–62. Iona leads the all-time series 66–45 They also enjoy a strong rivalry with the cross-borough Fordham Rams, whom they first played in the 1911–12 season and annually since the 1922–23 season. Although the Rams left the MAAC for the Atlantic 10 Conference in 1990, the "Battle of the Bronx" is still played almost every season. In the most recent matchup, the Rams won 82–53 against the Jaspers on December 13, 2025.

Postseason NCAA tournament results The Jaspers have appeared in eight NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 3–9.

1956 First round Connecticut L 75–84 1958 First roundRegional semifinalRegional 3rd-place game West VirginiaDartmouthMaryland W 89–84L 62–79L 55–59 1993 First round Virginia L 66–78 1995 First roundSecond round OklahomaArizona State W 77–67L 54–64 2003 First round Syracuse L 65–76 2004 First roundSecond round FloridaWake Forest W 75–60L 80–84 2014 First round Louisville L 64–71 2015 First Four Hampton L 64–74

NIT results The Jaspers have appeared in 18 National Invitation Tournaments (NIT). Their combined record is 8–19.

1943 First round Toledo L 47–54 1949 First round San Francisco L 43–68 1953 QuarterfinalsSemifinalsThird-place game LouisvilleSeton HallDuquesne W 79–66L 56–74L 67–81 1954 First round Dayton L 79–90 1955 First round Louisville L 86–91 1957 Quarterfinals Memphis L 73–85 1959 First round Providence L 66–68 1965 First roundQuarterfinals Texas WesternVillanova W 71–53L 71–73 1966 First round Army L 66–71 1970 First roundQuarterfinals North CarolinaArmy W 95–90L 72–77 1973 First round Alabama L 86–87 1974 First round Maryland–Eastern Shore L 81–84 1975 First roundQuarterfinals MassachusettsSt. John's W 68–51L 56–57 1992 First roundSecond roundQuarterfinals Green BayRutgersNotre Dame W 67–65W 62–61L 58–74 1994 First round Old Dominion L 74–76 1996 First round Wisconsin L 42–55 2002 First round Villanova L 69–84 2006 Opening RoundFirst roundSecond round Fairleigh DickinsonMarylandOld Dominion W 80–77W 87–84L 66–70

CBI results The Jaspers have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) one time. Their record is 0–1.

2025 First round Incarnate Word L 85–92

CIT results The Jaspers have appeared in one CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). Their combined record is 1–1.

2012 First roundSecond round AlbanyFairfield W 89–79L 57–69

NAIA tournament results The Jaspers have appeared in the NAIA Tournament once. Their combined record is 2–1.

1948 First roundSecond roundQuarterfinals Arkansas State TeachersSouthern IllinoisHamline W 65–60W 52–42 L 51–60

Head coach history

1951 college basketball point-shaving scandal

In 1951, Manhattan College star center Junius Kellogg was offered a $1,000 bribe to shave points in a game against DePaul. Though he was earning only minimum wage working at a frozen custard shop near campus, Kellogg refused the offer and immediately reported it to Manhattan coach Ken Norton. Working with investigators, Kellogg wore a wire during a meeting with fixer Henry “Hank” Poppe, who openly described the point-shaving scheme. The evidence led to the arrests of Poppe, Manhattan co-captain John Byrnes, and several gambling figures, exposing efforts to manipulate Manhattan games.Junius Kellogg is dead at 71 Refused bribe in '50s scandal, The New York Times, Frank Litsky, September 18, 1998.

Kellogg’s courage helped ignite an investigation that uncovered the massive 1951 college basketball point-shaving scandal, which ultimately implicated players from several major programs. Dozens of players were arrested or banned, and the revelations rocked college basketball nationwide.

After his role in uncovering the 1951 point shaving scandal,Kellogg left college for the army, serving in the Korean War, before returning to graduate in 1953. He subsequently joined the Harlem Globetrotters. In 1954 while traveling with the team he suffered a cervical spinal cord injury and as paralyzed in a car accident. He became an ardent supporter of wheelchair basketball culminating in head coaching Team USA to the 1964 Paralympic gold medal.

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