Iona Basketball

The Iona Gaels have been selected once again to play in an ESPN BracketBusters game, this one on Saturday, February 19th against Liberty University of the Big South in Lynchburg, VA.

Iona now has a 13-9 record overall and 7-4 in the MAAC after three straight conference setbacks.

The matchup will be telecast on ESPNU starting at 3 PM. This will be Iona's third televised game in the six years the Gaels have been invited to participate.

In 2006 the Gaels defeated Buffalo and in 2010 defeated William & Mary. Iona and Liberty have matched up just once before, on Dec. 20, 1997, when the Gaels won 84-68 in New Rochelle. As part of the BracketBuster agreement, Liberty will pay a rerun visit to Iona in New Rochelle during the 2012-2013 season.

The Flames are 16-7 overall and hold a 10-1 record in Big South play. They are led by 6'2" sophomore guard Evan Gordon, who is averaging 14.4 points per game and has recorded a team-leading 52 three-point shots. He is the younger brother of the LA Clippers' Eric Gordon.

Junior guard John Brown is averaging a double-double with 11.5 points per game and 10.6 rebounds. Another guard, junior David Minaya, is averaging 10.7 points per game, as is junior Jesse Sanders.

The BracketBusters format allows teams to play non-conference opponents approximately three weeks before Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament. Of course, this creates great broadcast opportunities for ESPN and valuable exposure for the participating schools, especially those who play well.

Last Thursday night in New Rochelle, Iona lost 61-59 to Rider, a team they had beaten in New Jersey just two weeks before. A game the Gaels led by as many as 10 points in the first half ended on a disputed shot when junior Mike Glover's shot was missed after he gathered the rebound from an intentionally missed free throw by Scott Machado. Some Iona fans thought a foul might have been called on the play.

Against Rider, Kyle Smyth led the Gaels with 17 points, which included three three-point shots. Jermel Jenkins added 15 points, and Machado provided 12 points along with seven assists. Glover struggled offensively in the game, going 3-of-6 from the field for 12 points, but added 13 rebounds.

The difference in the game was from the free throw line, where Rider made 17 points on 27 shots compared with the Gaels' eight on 14 shots. Noticeably Glover was not given a free throw in the game. Justin Robinson led Rider with 19 points.

Sunday afternoon the Gaels lost their third close conference game in a row, 88-85 in overtime to Loyola in Baltimore. The OT was forced by a three-point shot made with seven seconds left in regulation by Robert Olson of the Greyhounds.

Glover broke out of an offensive slump with 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds. The 6'7" Gael forward shot 7-of-12 from the field and 8-of-10 from the free throw line. Machado had another strong game with 19 points and six assists. Both guards senior Rashon Dwight and junior Jermel Jenkins had 13 points in the setback for the Gaels.

Junior Randy Dezouvre made a key jumper near the end of the first half that helped bring the Gaels back from an 11-point deficit.

Sophomore Chris Pelcher returned to action after sitting out the Rider game with a foot injury. Machado made a free throw with 20 seconds left to reduce the Loyola lead to one, but Loyola made two free throws off a foul given on the inbounds play, and Iona could not get a shot off to attempt to tie in the final seconds.

For the second game the Gaels were outrebounded, in this game 40-32. Iona made 27 of 40 free throw attempts on the afternoon. Glover continues to lead the Gaels with 19.1 points per game and 10.1 rebounds. Machado provides a consistent force with 14.1 points and 7.8 assists per game. Freshman Sean Armand is showing a hot hand coming off the bench, hitting over 40 percent on his three-point shots.

The Gaels play at Fairfield at 9 PM Friday night in Bridgeport, CT hoping to break a three-game conference skid. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.

Iona started its annual weekend road trip to western New York with a 72-66 win at Niagara Friday night but then lost for the first time in six games Sunday against Canisius 75-73.

Against Niagara, the Gaels led throughout, holding a 33-27 lead at the half. The Purple Eagles staged a second half comeback, going on a 15-5 run to tie the score at 42-42 at the 5:01 mark of the second half with 14:59 to play.

Iona freshman Sean Armand gave Iona offense off the bench with nine points in 89 seconds on three-point shots. Rashon Dwight, Mike Glover and Trinity Fields made key free throws down the stretch to ice the game for the Gaels.

Demonstrating a highly accurate jump shot all season, Armand provided the Gaels a spark of offense with 15 points. Scott Machado, a junior from Queens, NY, provided 13 points, while Kyle Smyth had 12 and Dwight had 10 points. Mike Glover had a big night under the boards with 17 rebounds. The junior transfer added 10 points for his 12th double-double of the year. 

Niagara, now 4-16 overall and 1-7 in the MAAC, was led by sophomore Eric Williams, who had 18 points and nine rebounds, while senior Anthony Nelson provided 17 points and six assists.

Armand was named the prior week's MAAC Rookie of the Week for averaging 19.5 points in Gael wins at Rider and at home versus Marist. The Brooklyn, NY native had 22 points versus Marist, which included an Iona rookie record six three-point shots. Over the two games Armand made 15 of 19 shots (78.9 percent) from the field, and on three-point attempts the 6'3" guard was 9-of-13 (69.2 percent).

Armand joins three fellow Gaels who have received MAAC weekly honors this year. Kyle Smyth, Mike Glover and Scott Machado have been recognized for a total of six MAAC weekly honors so far this season.

Iona had its five-game winning streak broken Sunday afternoon by Canisius 75-73 in Buffalo on a last-second layup by the Golden Griffins' Gaby Belardo.

Iona trailed in the game by five points 72-67 with 30 seconds left in the game when Sean Armand hit a three-point shot, and a moment later Iona's Jermel Jenkins tied the game with another three-point shot before Belardo's game-winner.

Machado had 17 points in the game, Jenkins 14 and Smyth 13. Junior Mike Glover had another double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Iona is now 13-7 on the year and 7-2 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The Gaels are now second in the conference by one game to Fairfield. They play Rider, 6-3 in the MAAC and 14-7 overall, Thursday night at home in New Rochelle.

Ken Kraetzer is a graduate of Providence College and holds an MBA from Iona College. He covers the Gaels for WVOX 1460 AM and WVOX.com. He can be reached at kgk914@aol.com.

After representing the MAAC in each of the past three NCAA tournaments, and winning first-round games in two of them, it appears Siena’s run on the national stage is beginning to fade. 

The opportunity is there for another team from the conference to step up and make a name for themselves come March.  That team could very well be the Iona Gaels. 

What makes Iona a potential noisemaker?  Mike Glover.  Just ask Jim Boeheim.

"Glover is about as good as anybody we'll play against,” Boeheim stated, after his Syracuse team defeated the Gaels by only six points back in December.  “We didn't control Glover—that was our biggest problem. I'm not sure who can,” Boeheim added.

In that 83-77 loss to Syracuse, Glover, a 6’6”, 215 lb. forward, finished with 25 points and 16 rebounds.  He made it clear that he can play with NCAA tournament teams, if the opportunity presents itself. 

Glover is averaging over 21 points and 10 rebounds a game.  Only one other player in college basketball is averaging 20 and 10: Eastern Michigan’s Brandon Bowdry.  He is shooting over 66 percent from the field, and has posted double-digit rebound totals in nine of the Gaels' last 11 games.  

Although a junior, this is Glover’s first season playing for Iona.  It didn’t take him long to make a name for himself, scoring 28 in a loss to Cleveland State, who is currently 15-3.  Two games later, Glover led the Gaels with 21 points and 17 boards in an 81-77 overtime win over Richmond, a team that is very likely to make a return trip to the NCAA tournament this year.

To follow that big win, Glover scored 39 against Canisius, then 30 against Niagara in leading Iona to wins in their first two MAAC games.  The team is currently tied for second in the league at 4-1 in conference play, and is 10-6 overall.  That record comes after the team began the season at 0-3.  It’s pretty safe to say Glover’s emergence has made the Gaels a more confident team that believes it can compete against anyone on their schedule.

Iona should definitely not be viewed as a one-man show, however.  This team has experience, led by point guard Scott Machado.  A junior, Machado is currently second in the entire NCAA with nearly 8.5 assists per game, to go along with 14 points per game.  He came one rebound short of a triple-double in their win over Hofstra in December, with 17 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists.  Despite the scoring ability of Glover, it is Machado who commands the presence of floor leader for head coach Tim Cleuss.

Forward Alejo Rodriguez is Iona’s closest thing to a legitimate big man.  The 6’8” redshirt senior does more of the dirty work inside against the smaller big men of the MAAC.  Rodriguez came up big with 13 rebounds in the win over Richmond, and scored 15 in the Hofstra victory.  He is certainly a key complement to Glover on both ends of the floor.

Rounding out Iona’s starting five are guards Jermel Jenkins and Kyle Smyth.  Jenkins, a junior, is averaging over nine points a game, and was a key in the win over Richmond with 18 points.  Smyth, a redshirt sophomore, is leading the team in three-point shooting, hitting 41 percent.  His shooting ability was showcased against Albany, when he knocked down eight threes.  He also put up 22 points in the loss to Syracuse.

The NCAA tourney success of Siena the past couple seasons was based on experience and confidence.  Iona certainly has the experience, and has recently displayed the confidence to compete against quality teams. 

With Mike Glover, this team may have the additional X-factor needed to become a household name to those outside of the greater New York City area, and maybe Syracuse.  

Player and team statistics from ESPN.  Quote from Associated Press

Iona follows Friday night win over Saint Peters with 86 to 68 win Sunday afternoon over Loyola at home in New Rochelle.  Junior Mike Glover led all scorers with 25 points and grabbed ten rebounds as the Iona Gaels (10-6) defeated the Greyhounds (6-9) 86-68 at the Hynes Center. 

Iona led throughout after starting strong and leading 56-37 at the half.  In addition to Glover, three other Gaels were in double figures scoring with guard Rashon Dwight at 18 including 4-of-6 three point shots while Scott Machado and Alejo Rodriquez both added 13. 

Machado was the playmaker for the Gaels with 11 assists. Iona was successful in getting the ball inside to Glover which resulting in 46 points in the paint and 17 off second chances. 

Rashon Dwight has emerged as a third scoring option on the team which should take some pressure off Machado and Glover.  After the game the junior from Newark, NJ said, "Coach has been telling me to have more confidence in my shot, I've been working on it in practice, so I am more comfortable in the games.  I'm just trying to be an extra weapon, if it is not Mike's night or Scott's night, I can help them out." 

Commenting on Iona's strong first half which resulted in a 19 point lead at the half but a challenging second segment, Dwight said, "In first half we played good defense and the offense was strong, in the second half we were lacking in defense and the coach talked to us about it."

Loyola was coming in after MAAC wins against Marist and Manhattan but was  playing without their leading scorer junior Shane Walker.  Senior Jamal Barney scored 21 points coming off the bench while forwards J'hared Hall had 17 points and Erik Etherly grabbed 9 rebounds.

Coach Jimmy Patsos in his seventh season at Loyola, said, "It was tough match up with out Shane Walker, Iona is playing well, he hurt his arch.  J'hared Hall has stepped it up. We have a young team, it is tough to learn on the fly."  

Iona's Mike Glover, a native of the Bronx NY has been the MAAC's leading scorer averaging 21.1 points per game and is the conference second leading rebounder with 10.5 boards per game coming into the Loyola game.  This was his ninth double-double in his last eight games with the exception being this week at Siena. 

The 6'7" 215 pound forward has climbed to No. 4 in the nation in field goal percentage shooting over 65 percent highlighted by converting 18 of his last 19 shots from the field against Siena and Saint Peter's before missing his last shot of the game Friday night. Against Canisius in December was Glover's breakout game scoring 39 points, the second most by a Gael ever at the Hynes Center.

Junior Scott Machado from Queens, NY went into the game leading the nation in assists averaging 8.2 per game so far this year which if he keeps it up will be an Iona season record.  The current Iona season record for assists is 6.5 per game set by Glenn Grant in 1988-89. 

This was Iona's second strong win at home on the weekend after defeating Saint Peter's Friday night 70 to 52.  Earlier in the week the Gaels lost by five 73-67 to conference leader Siena in Albany.  Dwight said, "We started out slow, the 0-3 start really helped us, we are continuing to get better.  We are going to use this weekend as a stepping stone." 

Iona coach Tim Cluess said, "Rach had a great game, he made some shots, he was aggressive, he made some stops, he has been a great addition to our starting lineup the past few games.  He works hard every day in practice, he has gotten healthy, that is why he has been playing better."   

Singled out for praise was sophomore guard Kyle Smyth, who has playing hard, taking shots from opponents while trying to drawing fouls.  Dwight said, "He sacrifices his body in the paint, he should have been a football player."

Coach Cluess said, "He can read what is going on, but is tough enough to take it, because you are going to get hit hard and go down, he is tough enough to take it, I am very proud of him.

"We played two very good teams, you want to win on your home floor, which we did.  We can look at different parts of the game, and understand what we did well in each one. 

"Against Saint Peters we played hard in the first half but played really good in the second half.  Today we played well in the first half then had a bit of a let up in the second. We have to give them credit, they played small so they could beat you off the dribble, we struggled a bit against that." 

On the play of forward Mike Glover, coach Cluess said, "On the offensive end he has been tremendous, he is a guy who plays with so much energy and effort, he has great touch and feel for what is going on around him, he is a tough guard for people.  On defense he has a lot of room for improvement ahead of him, he needs to be doing it on both ends, we are working on that with him."

The Gaels reached a special milestone Friday night against Saint Peter's when they recorded the 1,000th win in the history of the basketball program.  Basketball began for Iona with the 1940-41 season and program maintains a .566 winning percentage. 

The Gaels now 4-1 in the MAAC have a lot of reasons to be optimistic about the balance of their season, they have their next game Friday night at Rider.  

Manhattan and Iona had yet another close, hard-fought game in their first meeting of the year. The Gaels won 56-53 as a Manhattan comeback fell short.

Since then, Manhattan (8-16, 3-11 MAAC) has continued to lose, dropping into ninth place in the MAAC. Iona (18-7, 10-4) has won nine out of 10, on their way to second place. The Gaels are beginning to look like a NIT team. 

This coming game should be fairly easy for the Gaels, considering that Manhattan has really struggled recently, especially on the road.

Keys for the Iona Gaels

Get Alejo Rodriguez Involved—Alejo Rodriguez is averaging nine points and seven rebounds per game. He has had his best games against teams who do not have great big men. Manhattan does not have great big men. In their first meeting, Rodriguez was in foul trouble, and his playing time was limited.

If Rodriguez can stay out of foul trouble, his addition will really help the Gaels get a lead.

Take and Make the 3—Iona has multiple three-point shooters. Trinity Fields leads the Gaels in percentage (46.2 percent), and Kyle Smyth leads the team in three-pointers made with 41. Smyth shoots (40.7 percent).

Jermel Jenkins, Jonathan Huffman, Scott Machado, Rashon Dwight, Rashard McGill and Milan Prodanovic all shoot over 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. 

Keys for the Manhattan Jaspers

Make Free Throws Down the Stretch—Manhattan has struggled to hit their free throws in close games down the stretch. If the game stays close in the final two minutes, Manhattan needs to hit free throws to stay in the game.

Put the Ball in the Right Player's Hands—Manhattan's worst execution comes when the ball is in the hands of the wrong person. Rico Pickett and Darryl Crawford are the best creators on offense, and Djibril Coulibaly might be staring to turn into a potential threat in the post. When Antoine Pearson is in the game, he has the ability to create off the dribble. Manhattan needs to trust these guys to score the majority of their points.

Team Stats

Iona

Scoring Leader—Scott Machado (12.5)

Rebounding Leader—Alejo Rodriguez (7.3)

Assists Leader—Scott Machado (4.0)

Manhattan

Scoring Leader—Rico Pickett (17.5)

Rebounding Leader—Darryl Crawford (6.0)

Assists Leader—Darryl Crawford (2.2)

To see about some of the history of the Manhattan vs. Iona rivalry, click here .

Tip-Off: Friday, Feb. 12, 7:30 PM

ORLANDO—You would have no idea that Iona was picked to finish ninth in the 17th best conference in terms of conference RPI after the Gaels' performance during the Old Spice Classic.

Iona won just one of three games against Florida State, Baylor, and Creighton, but the Gaels hung tough with both the Seminoles and Bears who feature front lines that coach Kevin Willard will never see in the MAAC.

"Baylor and Florida State are so long," Willard said. "It was nice to play against a team that when you go inside you see 7'0", 6'11", and 6'9" and it's difficult. We don't see that on a regular basis."

That length halted Iona's offense almost to a standstill for the first two days of the tournament, but the seventh place game against Creighton that Iona won 63-55 allowed the Gaels to show what they can do against a team that better fits the profile of a MAAC school.

"The length of the other teams interrupted us the other days," said sophomore point guard Scott Machado. "When we were able to get into the paint we were able to see the corners because they [Creighton] weren't as long as Florida State and Baylor."

With the driving ability of Machado and fellow sophomore Jermel Jennkins, it is critical they can either get to the rim or see the corner where capable shooters Kyle Smyth and Milan Prodanovic frequently waited.

Iona also showed the grit on the defensive end of the floor to make the Gaels extremely competitive in the MAAC. Holding Old Spice finalist Florida State to .8 points per possession and Baylor below one point per possession is no easy task.

That defense should translate directly to MAAC play.

Iona cranked up the defense even further Sunday against Creighton.

"We tightened the defense and contested more shots," said red-shirt freshman Kyle Smyth. "After the 17 minute mark of the second half we stopped turning the ball over which didn't let them shoot threes in transition."

With the strong defense came outstanding effort. Throughout the tournament, Iona hit the deck quicker than anyone, which translated into grabbing its fair share of 50/50 balls. That advantage helped Iona make up its rebounding disadvantage against its bigger opponents.

The final step to Iona's development is experience. After losing another close game to Baylor Friday night, Willard explained his team's trouble in close games.

"We lost 10 games by five points or less last year so we are getting used to it...it's a maturity thing. We started three freshman, a sophomore, and a senior against a very good Big 12 team."

Willard's players have gone through enough close games last year and three in Orlando against teams that should be playing some form postseason ball.

After the Creighton game, Willard, Machado, and Smyth were generally in agreement that one of best things they could take away from this trip was getting to play three close games against three very good teams.

For more updates on college basketball, follow Jameson on Twitter.

The timeliness of this article is a little off, but yesterday I was sidetracked with college football and...well, there has to be a tactful way to put this...major conference college basketball.

Picked to finish last in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Marist has proved critics wrong, beating Iona Friday, 51-50—and now the Red Foxes are tied for first place.

Okay, that was a sensational lead. Aside from it being each team's first MAAC game, the fact of the matter is, the game was bad. Really bad. Don't let this breathtaking Associated Press recap fool you. Ah, shameless 150-word self-promotion.

As all bad journalists do, I wrote the lead of my story before the game ended. Then I had to rewrite it a second time. Then I had to rewrite it again!

It looked a little like this.

"Marist started the game on a 13-2 run and never looked back Friday, beating Iona..."

Oops, hang on.

"Iona overcame a double-digit deficit to beat Marist in each team's MAAC opener Friday..."

Oh crap, Dejuan just hit the game winner. Here we go.

"Dejuan Goodwin hit a game-winning jump shot..."

There it is.

You see, Marist jumped out to a 13-2 lead on eight points from Goodwin, and the McCann Center was bumping as if it were Cameron Indoor Stadium. It was actually nice to see the Jared Jordan leftover fans embrace this new-look squad as its own. I definitely expected a mutiny, but the kids love their college basketball.

Side note: Jared Jordan WAS in attendance. OMG!

Back to the game, Iona shot 27 percent from the field in the first half, and started the second half pretty miserable, too. They eventually caught Marist, taking a five-point lead with a minute to go.

Ryan Schneider hit a clutch three-pointer with 56 seconds left, just before fouling out. It brought Marist to within two points. Schneider is by far Marist's best clutch player, as he went 3-4 from the charity stripe in the final 12 seconds in the previous Saturday's win against New Hampshire.

It wouldn't have been such a big deal, but Marist let UNH whittle a 15-point lead down to two before it was all said and done. The clean up crew hasn't been doing its job for the Red Foxes this season. Come to think of it, there is no clean up crew.

Box scores are misleading at times, because Schneider went 6-14 from the field, including 5-11 from downtown. A lot of those shots shouldn't have been taken, but the ones he made were huge. He's like the opposite of A-Rod. He makes 'em when the team needs it, and misses when there's no drama.

So Schneider is fouled out, and he's the leader on the team. Nobody else has really found their way, and the team has NO chemistry without him, so clearly they're screwed.

Goodwin proved naysayers like me wrong, bringing the team together, culminating in a 16-foot leaner with one second left to give the Red Foxes the W.

It's tough to say whether Marist won this game, or whether Iona lost it. My final answer is Marist won it. Not with style though. I give the Red Foxes the nod only because they went 6-16 from the free-throw line. Even if they shot 60 percent, it wouldnt' have been so close in the end.

Free throws have been Marist's big problem so far, shooting around 60 percent on the year, a la Memphis 2007-2008. Those numbers aren't going to win Marist a national championship.

The Red Foxes are also ranked somewhere around 324th in Division I with eight assists per game. Not good.

Oh yeah, and there's my favorite stat: The Red Foxes have had 59 shots blocked in seven games. That's a lot.

Iona shot 0-10 from three-point range, likely saving Marist, and the Gaels' seven-footer, Jonathan Huffman, a transfer from Louisville, only played 20 minutes. Marist likes to run up and down the court, so that probably winded Huffman, who only had one personal foul.

Iona was picked to finish seventh in the MAAC, so it's not that huge of an upset, but Marist will take it. Any conference win they notch this season is an upset. We might end up seeing a few more of those than we expected if this team can get its act together.

Other notes from the game

Marist's David Devezin was hampered by a foot injury, the talk of the press room before the game started. He still ran the point for 33 minutes with four assists and only two turnovers.

Nobody on Iona played 30 minutes. Depth? Or lack of conditioning?

Iona shot 80 percent from the line, including 10-12 in the second half.

This was the Red Foxes' best assist/turnover ratio in a regulation game this season. That's not saying much, with 10 assists and 16 turnovers.

Along with about twenty other collegiate basketball players who took steps down from Power-Conference schools to Mid-Majors following the 2006-07 season, Jonathan Huffman will be eligible to log minutes for his new school, Iona College, this November. 

Huffman spent his first two collegiate seasons on Rick Pitino's bench at Louisville. The seven-footer only averaged 4.2 minutes of action in those two seasons. Pitino only started Huffman once, in a game against Dayton. Huffman only saw six minutes on the court, and missed both of his field goal attempts. 

After his sophomore season, Huffman decided to transfer from Louisville. The center, who averaged 17.1 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game in his senior year at Central Park Christian High School, knew that he was worth more than 1.1 points per game.

Rather than stay close to home in Alabama, Huffman followed his assistant coach, Kevin Willard, up to Iona College in New York. Willard had spent six years under Pitino, and was ready for a head-coaching job of his own.

"I've felt comfortable with Coach Willard from the beginning," said Huffman, courtesy of ESPN's Kyle Whelliston. "He's been a real father figure to me. I've always been able to trust him, even with off-the-court stuff. I also didn't want to go through too many new things when I transferred. I've found out that the process of going to a new place is hard enough as it is."

The seven-footer has already had a year to adjust in New Rochelle, and has been accepted by his teammates from day one.

Huffman is already locked in as a starter. Iona SID Brian Beyrer thinks that Huffman will start at power-forward, despite his height, because of his great shooting ability. 

During the Gaels Labor Day Weekend trip to Canada, the seven-footer shot 16-20 from the field. Ten of those twenty field-goal attempts were launched from behind the arc, and Huffman connected on all but one. "I don't think one of the nine makes actually hit the rim," said Beyrer in an e-mail. 

It is hard to believe that Pitino was unable to take advantage of Huffman's shooting ability, and it is almost as hard to believe this seven-footer has such a smooth stroke.

Huffman was 6'5" for most of his high school career, and had a great stroke from the field. Towards the end of his high school playing days, Huffman shot up to 7'0", and told Whelliston, "I was always a good outside shooter, but once I grew, I never lost my touch."

Well, if this is not a blessing for Iona, I don't know what would be. Not only are they getting a talented shooter, but they also receive a seven-foot presence on defense. 

“He has the ability to change shots on the inside but I don’t anticipate him being a big shot blocker, despite his size,” claimed Beyrer. “There’s a reason he was a high-major recruit at Louisville, unfortunately for him, he was behind a bunch of big-time post players (Padgett, Clark, Caracter, Palacios, etc.), and couldn’t crack the lineup there.”

At Iona, Huffman will be the big-time post player. There is no doubt that Huffman will have a humongous impact on the Gaels. A versatile big man, like Huffman, will always be able to flourish in the MAAC.

For Huffman and all the other transfers who are now eligible, we can only hope that the change of setting is positive for them because they cannot transfer again.

At least for Huffman, things seem to be going well.