Jasper to join basketball hall of fame

Basketball has taken Brian Mahoney many different places during his playing and coaching careers, everywhere from Riverdale to Europe with lots of other stops along the way. 

But come October, the game Mahoney has spent a lifetime in will take him one more place — to Springfield, Massachusetts and the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Mahoney will be inducted in this year’s class of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Honor Roll, in which honorees will be enshrined in “The MAAC Experience” exhibit at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The ceremony will take place at the Hall of Fame on Saturday, October 17.

So 44 years after playing his final game as at Manhattan College, Mahoney, 66, will receive the ultimate honor for a basketball lifer.

“That makes it really nice that it’s in that location, the MAAC Experience,” Mahoney said. “It was funny when I heard about it. I thought, ‘Gee I played at Manhattan over 40 years ago and at that time the MAAC did not exist.’ So I’m thinking, ‘How can I be going into the MAAC Hall of Fame?’ Back then it was the ECAC [East Coast Athletic Conference] and everyone was independent. It was way before we had all these conferences. But this is such a nice honor.”

When Mahoney graduated from Manhattan in 1971, he was No. 3 on the Jaspers all-time scoring list with 1,289 points. He is now 16th. 

“I was so surprised when [Manhattan Sports Information Director] Kevin Ross called me and told me about this,” Mahoney said. “I’m just glad people remember. It wasn’t like I played five or 10 years ago. But this is a very nice honor and my wife said she has never been to the Hall of Fame and now we’ll both be able to get up there.”

So many memories

Mahoney said he has wonderful memories of his playing days with the Jaspers. But the one that stands out above all the rest was Manhattan’s stunning upset of North Carolina and legendary coach Dean Smith in the 1970 NIT Tournament.