Manhattan College Head Coach Steve Masiello has announced that Branden McDonald has joined the back-to-back Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Champion Jaspers as an assistant coach.
“We are excited to have Branden as part of staff,” said Masiello. “He has a terrific passion and with his relationships and basketball pedigree he will be a great addition to the championship culture we have cultivated here at Manhattan. On the recruiting front, he also gives us immediate credibility in the Washington DC Area.”
McDonald arrives in Riverdale after spending the last two seasons as a graduate assistant for the University of Pittsburgh where he helped the Panthers qualify for back-to-back postseason appearances, highlighted by a berth in the 2014 NCAA Tournament that included a win over Colorado.
During his time at Pittsburgh, McDonald assisted in player development, film breakdown and scouting reports while helping Lamar Patterson blossom into a 2014 NBA Draft Pick.
All told, in his two seasons Pittsburgh went 45-25, including 19-17 in the ultra-competitive ACC, highlighted by a win over Colorado in the 2014 NCAA Tournament.
Prior to his time in Oakland, McDonald served as an assistant coach for both the Eleanor Roosevelt High School and AAU Team Takeover programs after working as a counselor for the Hoop Group.
McDonald played his collegiate basketball at renowned Division II power Virginia Union University and following his graduation in 2011 worked as a paraprofessional in New Carrollton, MD.
