4 Steve Masiello

Stephen John Masiello Jr. was born September 2, 1977, in Yonkers, New York to Kathryn and Stephen Masiello.  Masiello is a native of White Plains, New York. 

Masiello met then-New York Knicks guard Mark Jackson one day, asked him for an autograph and struck up a conversation. Jackson stood in the rain talking basketball with the then-seventh grader for 15 minutes and invited the kid to a practice.  Masiello did anything to hang around. He rebounded practice shots and toweled sweat off the
floor. He wound up the team ball boy at Madison Square Garden when Pitino coached the Knicks.

He graduated from Iona Grammar School in 1991 and attended Archbishop Stepinac High School for two years before transferring to the Harvey School in Katonah.  As a junior in high school, he averaged 19.9 points per game and 6.0 assists per game in leading the Cavaliers to the New England Prep School championship. He scored 38 points, had nine assists and grabbed three rebounds in the championship game.  As a senior, he was named All-County, All-Conference, first-team All-New England and honorable mention All-State.  He averaged 34.5 points per game and 8.0 assists per game as a senior.  Masiello scored a career-high 44 points and set a school record for
most points in a game breaking the school record of 40 points in a game set by Tyrone Foster, who went on to play for the University of Oklahoma.  He scored 41 points in the New England Prep School Tournament quarterfinals vs. King Lowe Haywood Thomas before injuring a knee.  Masiello scored 38 points, had nine assists and grabbed three rebounds in the championship game to earn MVP honors.  He finished with more than 1,000 points in two years and twice scored more than 40 points during his senior year, setting a school record with 45.  

Masiello played collegiately as a walk-on at Kentucky for coaches Rick Pitino and Tubby Smith from 1996 to 2000. Though he rarely played, he was a member of two Final Four teams, including the 1997–98 Wildcats team that won the national championship. 

He could've gone to Niagara on scholarship. Pitino found out Masiello wanted to be a coach someday and told him he could walk on at UK and learn the system.  That was the best offer Masiello ever got.  “I've never been so happy playing basketball in my life.” Masiello said. “I haven't been down once since I've been here.  It's a dream come true, but you can't let it get to you because it's reality. You have to stay focused.”

Masiello didn't have the talent of the other Wildcats, but Pitino said he's got the “heart of a lion.”  He was a fan favorite that got the crowd into a frenzy when he took off his warmups and got off the bench. 

As a walk-on freshman, Masiello saw limited action in 23 games.  He played seven minutes vs. Georgia in the SEC Championship game, scoring two points.  He played eight minutes against LSU and Montana and saw late action against Arizona in the national title game.  He nailed his first career three-pointer in the closing moments vs. Villanova.  He played two minutes vs. Wright State, finishing with two points and an assist and played three minutes vs. Indiana, converting 3-0f-4 from the foul line.  He scored his first collegiate points vs. Syracuse.

He played in 18 games as a sophomore, including three NCAA Tournament games.  The UK coaches gave him the “Reggie Hanson Sacrifice Award” following the season.  He came off the bench in the final three minutes against South Carolina in the SEC Tournament to tally a career-high six points on 2-2 shooting, including one three-pointer.  The Buffalo mayor declared it “Steve Masiello Day” in Buffalo, New York when the Cats played Canisius there.  Tubby Smith said of Masiello, “”What a joy he is to have on this team. His leadership is very important and needed on this team. I have as much respect for Steve as anyone, because it's not easy to come to practice every day, knowing his minutes will be few. But he has a chance to contribute.”

As a junior, he played in 14 games.  He committed only two turnovers in 45 minutes, owning a 5:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.  He recorded a productive three points and one assist vs. Tennessee State in four minutes.  Masiello made his first collegiate' start against Wright State as a “reward” for his effort practice, finishing with two rebounds
and two assists in nine minutes.  Tubby said of Steve, “Steve has been one of the most dedicated and loyal players I have ever coached. He was very deserving of a scholarship, which he now has.  He is going to have to step up and contribute, which he always does, especially in practice.”

Coming into his senior year, he would no longer be a walk-on.  He was awarded a scholarship by Tubby Smith for his senior season.  He went from being a walk-on under Pitino to a scholarship player on a team that had been to two Final Fours the past three years and won the national championship in 1998.  Looking back, would he do
it all again? Were the hardships worth the hardware?  “Definitely, without a doubt,” Masiello said. “It's a great lesson on and off the court. There isn't any regret I have about anything.  Winning the championship might have been one of the best experiences of my life.  Losing the championship, in 1997, might have been just as good, to be honest. It made us work that much harder.  You couldn't have written a book any better than this has been.”

Following the close of his college career, Masiello got his first coaching job as an administrative assistant at Tulane during the 2000–01 season. Following a stint as an assistant at Manhattan, he got an opportunity to rejoin his old coach Pitino at Louisville. Masiello served on Pitino's staff for six years, gaining a reputation as a top assistant coach and strong recruiter.

On April 11, 2011, Steve Masiello was named the 24th head basketball coach at Manhattan College.

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