As a soccer coach, you are generally trained to do your coaching in practice. Trying to coach too much during the game is considered pointless. It's hard to communicate on a large field. Listening to your instructions can distract the players, and what you see isn't what they are seeing. By the time the coach sees something, verbalizes it, and the players on the field hear it, what the coach saw normally isn't there anymore.

Which is why I usually find it comical to see the hysterics of many college basketball coaches. There are a few out there that will primarily stay in their seat, only getting up and coaching during timeouts or brief pauses in play like during free throws. Far too many coaches stomp up and down the sideline, constantly shouting at their players and acting like they are actually playing.

Steve Masiello of Manhattan definitely falls in the latter category. Masiello is in his second year coaching the Jaspers after serving as an assistant to Rick Pitino, whom he also played for at Kentucky. You can see a lot of Pitino's style in Masiello and how he wants his team to play. But Pitino eventually realized you can't behave like a maniac on the sideline all the time, something the 35-year-old Masiello hasn't quite figured out yet.


Not that the coach on the other bench has calm demeanor mastered yet. Archie Miller, also in his second year as a head coach at Dayton, is a bit of a yeller and a stomper as well. But compared to Masiello, Miller is John Wooden.

Why do college basketball coaches insist on this behavior? Is it to provide the appearance that they are really coaching and working hard? If they sit on the bench, do they fear being criticized for not coaching enough? Is it just burning energy because ultimately, the coaches can't control what the players on the court do? The players can't constantly be paying attention to the coaches, otherwise they will miss something on the court.

In a way, the coaches' temperament rubbed off on their teams. From the start, Manhattan wanted to keep the pace high. George Beamon managed to launch the game's first three-point attempt just six seconds into the game. The Jaspers got the rebound, and soon, another three pointer was launched by RaShawn Stores. This time, Dayton got the rebound, and within eight seconds, Josh Benson had a layup for the Flyers. Manhattan attacked right back, and 14 seconds later, Beamon had a jumper to tie the game at 2-2. In 54 seconds, there had already been four shots attempted.

Manhattan liked to press after made baskets, and it definitely gave the Flyers some problems in the early going. Back-to-back turnovers by Kevin Dillard and Dyshawn Pierre let Manhattan take the lead via a Rhamel Brown jumper.
Dayton would come to terms with the pace and pressure and flip the script on the Jaspers. Manhattan would turn the ball over four times in the next four minutes, and the Flyers would capitalize.

The primary beneficiary would be Vee Sanford, a transfer from Georgetown, who would score 10 of Dayton's next 16 points, to give the Flyers an 18-7 lead. However, Sanford was unable to keep himself under control and picked up a charging foul, his second of the game, forcing him to the bench for the rest of the half.

Without Sanford, Dayton would start to lose the plot. The turnovers would continue to mount for both squads, 23 in total for the half, with the Jaspers responsible for 13 of those. Dayton's lead would shrink to two before a Dillard superhoop with a minute left extended the Flyer lead to five at the half, 33-28.

The halftime act would not allow the fans to relax from the chaotic action. Two men called the Skyriders! (yes, the exclamation point is part of the official name) brought high-flying trampoline acrobatics to UD Arena. The act was entertaining but a bit ragged, as it seemed they would stop every 30 seconds or so to switch places or add in new equipment like a snowboard, skis, or a hula hoop.


Coach Masiello and Coach Miller didn't make many coaching adjustments during halftime, as both teams continued to waste possessions by turning the ball over. A Pierre three would give the Flyers a nine-point edge early in the second half, but Pierre cancelled out his own contribution with back-to-back turnovers. The freshman from Ontario would end up with five turnovers on the evening.

Pierre wasn't the only player having a hard time with the basketball. Stores was having his own personal nightmare for Manhattan. In The Game, each team has a player contributing points based on their efficiency score. If a player could have a negative efficiency, Stores was close to having one on Saturday. Three points on 1-for-4 shooting, three rebounds, three assists, one steal and SEVEN turnovers. That adds up to a big zero on efficiency.

Manhattan eventually fought back and even took the lead on a superhoop from Emmy Andujar. This finally awoke the UD Arena faithful, who had been rather stoic through the game. Whether it was the post-Thanksgiving blahs, the lack of students or a greatly-reduced pep band, who knows.

A few players were enjoying the quick pace. Beamon, while not related to former long jump record holder Bob Beamon, certainly is blessed with some leaping ability. There were a couple of occasions where Beamon seemed to be able to hang in the air longer than everyone else, and adjust his body in mid-flight to create a better shot. The second of which extended the Jasper lead to 51-48, with 5:55 remaining.

Manhattan wouldn't be able to handle the prosperity though. Four more turnovers in the last five minutes would result in eight Flyer points. Diliard, who would lead all scorers with 20, put Dayton ahead for good with a three with 4:23 remaining. Manhattan would finish with 23 turnovers on 71 possessions, more than one every three possessions (35.4 percent). Dayton seemed thrifty in comparison with 19 turnovers and a 27.4 percent turnover rate.

That's a shame because both teams shot the ball well. Manhattan shot 45 percent from the floor and 7-of-15 from behind the arc. The Flyers were even better, shooting 52 percent and 5-of-10 from three. Both teams clearly have some skilled players. Coaches, instead of hyperventilating and whipping your team in a frenzy, tell them to relax, take a seat in your nice, padded bench chair and enjoy the game.

The game is about the team on the court. Not about you.

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