Manhattan Basketball: Steve Masiello Gets First Signings for 2011-12

Manhattan coach Steve Masiello has Manhattan back on track to becoming a strong mid-major. Earlier in the week, Kentucky All-Star Donovan Kates committed to Manhattan.

For Christian County High School, Kates averaged 20 points per game while leading his team to a state championship. The 6'5" shooting guard/small forward also grabbed seven rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent from the field.

Kates is also known as a shooter. On ESPN.com, he is described as having "NBA shooting range off the catch." This season, he shot 40 percent from three-point range.

It sounds like Kates' pure scoring ability could be enough to really help Manhattan from the start. With him in addition to Kidani Brutus and Torgrim Sommerfeldt (who is returning from a knee injury), the Jaspers will have a strong trio of three-point shooters.  

Just as important as his basketball talent, Kates is a strong student. In high school, Kates had a 3.9 GPA. 

On Thursday, Manhattan also received a commitment from Emmanuel Andujar from Rice High School in New York. Andujar is listed as 6'5" tall and the No. 97 small forward in the 2011 recruiting class.

ESPN says that Andujar is a good scorer from "16 feet and in." In addition, he is reported to be a strong rebounder with good jumping ability. Andujar seems to be a strong all-around player, but he is said to be a little streaky. 

These two join one of Barry Rohrssen's recruits, Ryan McCoy. McCoy is a 6'6" small forward from Montgomery High School in New Jersey.

ESPN calls McCoy a "terrific pure shooter" and also says that he "handles the ball well." However, McCoy is said to not have terrific strength. As of now, he needs to put on weight in order to be an impact player in the MAAC.

For more college basketball news, follow Jesse Kramer on Twitter @Jesse_Kramer.