The Bronx Sports Report recently had a chance to talk with Manhattan College’s first-year head coach Steve Masiello who has led the Jaspers to this season’s biggest turnaround in all of NCAA men’s basketball. Last year, Manhattan won a total of six games. Tonight, at home against Canisius, they go for win number 20. A White Plains native, Masiello starred in high school, played his college ball at Kentucky where he won a national championship after joining the team as a walk-on. He returned to Manhattan, where he was an assistant coach from 2001-2005 after spending the previous six years as an assistant under coaching legend Rick Pitino at Louisville. Here are some highlights from our conversation.

On the Jasper’s performance so far this year
I think it’s been a fun year, we really got our brand and our product out there for everyone to see that this is a new era in Manhattan basketball. We let everyone know that we are no longer a bottom feeder. We’re close to a 20-win season, one of our goals this year.

How did the turnaround happen so quickly?
It’s really a lifestyle. This is something that doesn’t just happen from 7 to 9 at night. It’s all day. It starts at 6 a.m. and it continues throughout the day, every day. It’s something we pride ourselves on.

Who’s stepped up their game?
[Freshman and Bronxite] Emmy Andujar. He’s a New York product and he’s stepped up his game and become one of the better players in the conference.

On recruiting New York players like Andujar
It’s something we definitely want to do, keep the local products here. We tell them, if you’re not going to one of the major college programs — like Louisville or North Carolina — then why not stay in the country’s biggest media market where you’re going to get a lot of great exposure … Recruiting is a lot easier when you win. [Masiello has already signed up three new players for next season and says he expects to add one more by the end of the recruiting season.]

On how to be a good recruiter
It’s all about relationships. Do they trust you? Do they trust that you’re looking out for their best interests? We talk about how it’s not just about the next four years, but the next 40 years … We want to help guys get jobs. I tell our recruits and our players, during their time here, you’re creating 4-year commercial for yourself, show everyone what you can do. If you show that you can come in here, do what you need to do, stay focused and perform, and what can that lead to?

What’s the ultimate goal this season?
Obviously, what we want is to get into the NCAA Tournament. [Masiello said the only way that’s going to happen is if it wins the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) tournament, which would give them an automatic bid into the Big Dance. He said the last time a MAAC team received an at-large bid was back in 1995 when Fran Frachilla coached the Jaspers.]

Which team will they have to beat in the MAAC tourney?
Iona has the best talent. They’re the team to beat.

How will Manhattan win the MAAC tourney?
Take care of the basketball. We’ve played good defense all season. We were tops in the conference in field goal percentage defense. But we need to take care of the basketball. If we don’t, we can be beat.

On takeaways from his first-year as head coach
[I’ve learned] to really have a lot of fun with it. Try to come in and learn something every day. It’s my program, it’s on me to represent this school and this team. Great to see that I can have a positive impact on these kids’ lives. But really just get better every day and learn from my mistakes.