Coaches get remunerated beyond anything that seems fair but are expected to act as standard setters for their student athletes

John Ri Manhattan College, a modestly-sized third level institution in the Bronx with a modestly-ranked athletics department, resonates quite deeply with the GAA in New York.

The college and the GAA share the use of Gaelic Park and enjoy a cordial relationship, considering the tension that can often arise between other clubs and leagues when faced with paucity of large, high standard pitches in the five boroughs.

So when Manhattan’s basketball team gained a rare ticket to the NCAA tournament in March, there was a little bit of attention focused on the team for a few days, not just up where their picturesque campus is located in Riverdale but as far as the citywide New York media, always hungry for an alternative to the underwhelming Knicks or whatever pre-season baseball story was being churned out that day.