Iona Basketball

Former Iona College point guard Scott Machado made the opening-night roster of the Houston Rockets, but did not dress in the 105-96 win at Detroit. 

The NCAA leader in assists last season earned his spot on the extended roster playing behind two former Knicks, Jeremy Lin and Toney Douglas. He signed a three-year, partially guaranteed contract, according to Slam-Online. 

This summer, Machado played in the Las Vegas Summer League and scored eight points per game while handing out 5.6 assists. He commented on the signing to Slam-Online:

They know I’m a great passer, I feel like every day I progressed and got better just getting more comfortable and more used to the style of play and the pace of the game, the players around me.

Machado spent his NCAA career playing for Iona in New Rochelle, NY.  In his senior season, he scored 13.6 points per game and averaged a shade under 10 assists—tops in all of Division I. He averaged over 49 percent from the field last year and over 40 percent on three-pointers.

Machado teamed with forward Mike Glover to form a potent combo for the Gaels. Glover was the beneficiary of much of the point guard's excellent passing.  As juniors, Machado and Glover led Iona to the finals of the CIT postseason championship.  As seniors, the two helped Iona gain a berth in the NCAA tournament, where the Gaels lost to BYU 78-72.

Iona Sports Information Director Brian Beyer told me to expect to see Machado assigned by Houston to play in the NBA Development League, which starts play in late November. 

For Machado, this should provide an opportunity to make adjustments to the pro game and showcase his skills as a great passing player.

Scott Machado is a very hardworking and mature young man.  He grew quite a bit as a leader between his junior and senior year when he played on the Brazilian national team in the World University Games. 

This growth was evident in his play during his senior year, as he built his relationship with Iona backcourt partner  Lamont "Momo" Jones.

You have to imagine that in a league like the NBA—where scoring is prized—a player who prides himself on setting up other players should be highly valued.  It may take a bit of time, but expect to see Scott Machado as a starting point guard setting up some of the big names in the game.

Ken Kraetzer covers Iona basketball and West Point football for WVOX 1460 AM in New Rochelle, NY. Twitter: SAL50NYRadio

The Iona College Athletic Department announced Thursday that sophomore Tavon Sledge, who started his college career at Iowa State, had been granted a hardship waiver by the NCAA to play for the Gaels' basketball team in the 2012-2013 season.

With this announcement Iona could be considered to be reloading instead of rebuilding after losing six seniors from last year's NCAA team—led by point guard Scott Machado, who is now with the Houston Rockets. 

An account from slamonline.com indicated that Sledge was attracted by the guard play at Iona (Machado and current Iona senior Lamont "Momo" Jones") and the fast-paced game taught by head coach Tim Cluess.

The account mentioned that going to school close to home in New Rochelle was attractive after spending a year in the Midwest. 

Tavon Sledge is a native of Rockland County and attended Half Hollow Hills West High School on Long Island and Saint Benedict's Prep School in Newark, NJ before originally signing with the Cyclones. 

The 5'9" point guard was considered one of the best high school players coming out of the New York City area in 2011, having been named All-New York City First Team by NYHoops.com. 

Sledge can play, averaging 25.3 points, 5.2 assists and 3.5 steals per game as a senior. He received All-State, All-Long Island, and All-Conference honors and was ranked the 79th best high school player in the country during 2011 by Hoopscoop.com.

His breakout performance in the state quarterfinals was a 46 point effort scored in a double-overtime win over Elmont. 

During his junior year, Sledge played on the Half Hollow Hills team which won the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class AA Championship. He played in eight games last season for Iowa State.

This is quite a recruiting win by Iona as Sledge can be expected to complement "Momo" Jones in the backcourt this year rather than sitting and waiting for next year.

Ken Kraetzer covers Iona Basketball and West Point football for WVOX 1460 AM in New Rochelle, NY.

Iona College held its annual Sports night program for alumni in New York City on Wednesday evening hosted by school President Dr. Joseph Nyre and Athletic Director Eugene Marshall Jr.

The cross country coach Richard Santos described the continued success of the team which finished ninth nationally in Division One at the NCAA's last year and women's basketball coach Anthony Bozzella talked about new players and the team's summer trip to Canada.

The evening turned to men's basketball coach Tim Cluess who is rebuilding his squad from his NCAA season last spring after departure of six seniors including Scott Machado and Michael Glover.  Coach Cluess has four returning players along with nine new players recruited to the team which will start practice on Friday.

The big name to basketball fans will be Lamont "Momo" Jones the former Arizona "Elite Eight" player from Harlem, will now be leading the Iona team in his second season in New Rochelle.  Coach Cluess feels Jones has already demonstrated growth in leadership skills in his senior year, an important factor on a team that is rebuilding with nine new players on the roster. 

When I met "Momo" last year his perspective about both basketball and school work at Iona was impressive and genuine.  He told me in an interview last December about working closely with his teachers to get his work done that his grandmother keeps him focused on academics. Coach Cluess described Wednesday night that Momo is becoming an effective leader for the new players not only on the court, but also with academics and life as college students.

"Momo had a great year for us last year.  His game has transformed probably at the same level as Scott Machado did from junior to senior year. He has really worked very hard to improve his leadership skills. He has been a tremendous leader of all our young men." 

Jones averaged 15.7 points and 2.9 assists a game last year as a two guard playing off Scott Machado.  About Jones' role on the court leading this team, Coach Cluess said,

"Momo is playing the point for us this year, he can score the ball at a high rate as you know, but he is also getting everyone else involved. He really takes it on him to mimic Scott Machado in the number of assists Scott got, but at the same time score the basketball and play at even a faster pace than we did the past two years, if you can believe that.  So we are thrilled to have him at our point guard spot." 

Junior Sean Armand has impressed me since his freshman year when we did an interview during the CIT post season tournament.  Since then when I visit the gym Sean often runs over and says hello, not every college student is this thoughtful.  Last spring he was one of a handful of athletes who attended the announcement meeting for the appointment of Gene Marshall as the new Iona Athletic Director, a show of interest in the leadership of his athletic program.  Of course Sean is impressive at shooting his three point shot.  Last season Armand had a big night at Madison Square Garden scoring 32 points versus Siena, about him Coach Cluess said,

"Sean Armand has gone from a freshman who was about 165 pounds, to a great leader on our campus, now 6'4" about 215 pounds, just transformed everything about himself on and off the court. Last year and the first year, he was basically a kid who could knock down a three point shot, now he is a our smartest basketball player, he has learned more than anyone that we we have had. He will lead us shooting, handling the ball, we are really excited about Sean."

Coach Cluess complimented the leadership of both Jones and Armand going into the new season with working to help the new Gaels acclimate to New Rochelle and to handle the expectations for growth and success Iona has for its athletes,           

"They have grabbed the whole group and showed them the ropes on and off the court, how to behave in the classroom, on the court, outside in public, in all the different areas that we expect our student athletes to represent the school, they have been tremendous."

A third player back from the starting nucleus of the 2011-12 team is senior Taj Ridley from the Bronx.  Ridley is a power forward who often started last year but often found himself on bench averaging 18.5 minutes.  He can be an effective inside player averaging 4.0 rebounds and 6.7 points per game with a field goal percentage of 51%.  Still Ridley had times he needed to be more focused and consistent.  His second year in New Rochelle is an opportunity to show that he can play more minutes.

 "Taj has really bought into working harder, he has really grown in his life because of Iona College, he has taken responsibility for working harder. I expect a lot more from Taj Ridley. Taj has really grown his is becoming the third leader on our team, so I expect a much bigger role from Taj this year, he is going to give us a lot in different ways."

The fourth returning player highlighted was Nyandigisi Moikobu from Seattle who played sparingly last year, known as "Digs, the 6'7" senior scored 15 points in 17 games last year, commented the coach,

 

"Diggs, he has been a tremendous man around campus, but just can not seem to avoid the injury bug. He has gotten hurt for the third time this preseason.  We expect him to have a bigger role for our program this year."

 Coach Cluess described several of his new players:

 Tre Bowman: A 6-5 guard-foward, who originally committed to Penn State but played at Midland CC.

"We expect huge things out of  Tre, he was a top 50 recruit.  He can shoot the three, he can drive the basket, he is type of player we have not had here, an athletic wing who can do a lot of everything, he will help our defense having him out there."

Curtis Dennis:  Guard from the Bronx who played at Blessed Sacrament, transferred from University of Toledo but is eligible to play right away.

 "Will be able to play coming from Toledo. 6-4 wing player, really good to have an older guy around with leadership skills, like to just talk about life in our.  He is a local player who wanted to come to us earlier but we did not have a scholarship available.  Will do great things for the school as well".

Shawn Jackson: A player not on the summer roster announcement, apparently enrolling at Iona in September, played 26 games for Murray State before transferring to JUCO of Northwest Florida where he averaged ten points and five rebounds per game before grades sidelined him.  Zach Braziller of the New York Post wrote last month, that his JUCO coach Steve Forbes described him as a "Good Defender".  Coach Cluess commented,

"A very late arrival, 6'9" about 240 pounds, he is one of the most high energy performers you will see, take the Randy Dezouvre's energy and put that in a 6'9" player, he will give you every ounce of energy he has.  He is polite as can be, he is going to be great representative of our school, he is tremendous." 

AJ English III: A 6' 3" shooting guard, averaged 18 points per game at St. Thomas More School in Oakdale, CT.

"A phenomenal freshman. AJ is at another level, his father played in the NBA for four or five years, comes from a good pedigree, He is another 6'4" point guard, two guard, three guard, can play every position, he is dynamic, plays with a lot of energy, has growing up to do like most freshman, believe he is going to be a big part of our program this year."  

The Iona community continues to mourn the loss of a member of the recruiting class, Chicago native Michael Haynes who died in a shooting in July.  Coach Cluess offered heartfelt comments telling a story about Michael's recruiting visit and the key question had,

 "Michael was a tremendous young man...On his recruiting visit he asked, will you mentor me off the court, I know you will teach me basketball, will you teach me about life, how to behalf, how to act, I never had a male role model, never had a father, my older brother was a member of a gang, if you can do that for me, I want to come to Iona College". 

Coach Cluess talked about how Haynes was looking forward to getting away from the crime filled streets of Chicago's south side.  Shortly before Haynes died he spoke to Coach Cluess who recalled his looking forward to the start of school,

"I can't wait get to get to Iona to change my life." 

The Gaels open up the 2012-13 schedule at home against the University of Denver on November 9th, last year in Denver the Gaels won an overtime thriller, a standout moment of their season. 

Ken Kraetzer covers Iona basketball for Sons of the American Legion Radio and WVOX in New Rochelle, NY Twitter: SAL50NYRadio.

Ken Kratzer is a Contributor for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.

In July, Iona was dealt heartbreaking news with the death of Chicago native Michael Haynes, who was planning to start his Division I basketball career with the Gaels this fall.

This month, Iona fans now have something to be cheerier about.

Norvel Pelle, who was a member of the ESPN Top 100 for the class of 2011 and committed to St. John's last year, committed to Iona, according to a Tweet by CBS college basketball insider Jon Rothstein on Tuesday night. He reportedly chose the Gaels over DePaul, Auburn and New Mexico State.

According to Rivals, Pelle is ranked 23rd overall in his class and is the No. 1 center coming out of high school.

Pelle was supposed to be an impact recruit as part of St. John's monster recruiting class last season, but he was ruled ineligible because the NCAA did not accept summer classes that he took at Northeast Preparatory School, according to an article in The New York Times.

Pelle de-committed from the Johnnies in November and reopened his recruitment.

Less than two months before the new season, he finally has a new home.

The next questions are if he will become eligible to play for the Gaels this year and, moreover, if he will be eligible to play immediately at the start of the season.

Iona, which last year won the MAAC regular-season championship and went to the NCAA tournament with an at-large bid after losing in the MAAC tournament, is generally regarded as one of the top three teams in the MAAC this year, along with Manhattan and Loyola (MD).

The Gaels graduated their two best players, Michael Glover and Scott Machado, but they return a pair of starters in Momo Jones and Sean Armand.

Jones was No. 2 on the team in scoring last year, with 15.7 points per game.

Armand averaged 9.5 points and was No. 2 in the MAAC in three-point percentage, at 46.7.

Senior Taaj Ridley is also back. Ridley started in the frontcourt last year alongside Glover and averaged 6.7 points and four rebounds per game.

The Gaels are expected also to start Toledo transfer Curtis Dennis. Dennis, who averaged 11.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 2011, is eligible immediately thanks to Toledo's postseason ban.

David Laury, a junior-college transfer, is expected to have a huge junior season for the Gaels, but he will not be eligible until the second semester.

If Pelle is eligible, the Gaels can start him with Jones, Armand, Dennis and Ridley for their season opener.

Once second semester rolls around, Laury can replace Ridley, and Ridley can become a useful sixth man.

Before the addition of Pelle, Iona appeared to be a solid step behind Manhattan and Loyola in the run for the MAAC title. But with the former St. John's commit, the Gaels are now possibly even ahead of the Jaspers and Greyhounds.

Iona's biggest pitfall, aside from a potential lack of chemistry with so many new pieces joining the squad, was going to be its lack of size.

Laury is 6'8" and 240 pounds, but he is more of a small forward than a traditional big man. Ridley, at 6'7", possesses a similar problem.

Pelle stands at 7'0" and will be an immediate force in the paint against MAAC competition.

His athleticism and shooting skills are not too common for a man of his height. His brother, Rambo Rasheed, compared him to the Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant in an article by NBA.com's Adam Zagoria.

Size is already rare in a mid-major conference like the MAAC. But size combined with top-100 talent is an absolute gem.

The Chicago Sun Times reports and Iona College confirms that Gael basketball recruit Michael Haynes, age 22, died of gunshot wounds late Thursday afternoon near his home in Chicago. 

The report quoted his cousin Kandice Blouin, who described what happened to Haynes:

"Was shot dead while trying to break up a fight over a stolen necklace," Blouin said. “He was an innocent victim, very loved by everybody.”

Further the Sun Times quoted police who stated that Haynes was:

"Shot in the wrist, chest and lower back about 5:10 p.m. in the 11600 block of South Vincennes Avenue."

The report added that the former Chicago high school basketball player was pronounced dead at MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island at about 6:25 p.m.

Just two weeks ago Iona head coach Tim Cluess announced that nine players, including Haynes, were scheduled to join the program in the fall to replace six seniors and two transfers. 

Haynes played at Fenger Academy and then most recently at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, IA.  A 6'7'' forward, he was scheduled to play for Iona as a sophomore and compete for a starting role.

At Indian Hills, Haynes averaged 6.9 points and 4.5 rebounds last season playing for coach Barret Peery.  He had originally signed to play at UTEP where head coach Tim Floyd in an April 2010 EPVOX interview described Haynes as:

"Great competitor, great rebounder. I have not seen a guy play as hard as Mike in a long, long time."

He graduated from Heat Academy in 2010, where the team was 36-4 and ranked 4th nationally by USPrepBasketball.com. 

Haynes attended Washington High School where he averaged 12 points and 17 rebounds as a sophomore and 17 points and 22 rebounds as a junior, according to Iona's announcement, which added that he was rated the No. 11 player in the state of Illinois by ChicagoHoops.com following his junior season.  As a senior at Fenger High School he did not play.

Another gun-related tragedy takes the life of a player who finally was set to play DI college basketball.  At Iona, Haynes had the potential to have a fine three-year career at a school where athletes go to class, graduate most of the time, and afterwards quite often have the chance to play professionally, or even head to Wall Street jobs. 

Our condolences to his family and friends. 

This is my second obituary this month for players from one of my teams.  Chase Prasnicki, a former Army football player, died from an IED explosion in Afghanistan. 

Sometimes I wonder what soldiers serving overseas think when they read about the violent tragedies occurring at home in places like Virginia Tech, Aurora and the streets of Chicago.

Ken Kraetzer covers Iona basketball and West Point football for WVOX and Sons of the American Legion Radio.   

The Gaels made it back to the NCAA Tournament last year with a veteran team including six seniors, but now they must rebuild their team. Head Coach Tim Cluess is attracting nine new players to build around returning point guard Lamont "Momo" Jones and swing forward Sean Armand, as reported in a press release today.

This was Cluess' first real recruiting since coming to Iona prior to the 2010-2011 season.  He had nine open scholarships to fill with six seniors graduating as well as the departures of Josh Gomez and Ra'Shad James.   Returning on the roster along with Jones and Armand will be senior power forward Taaj Ridley, who started most of the games last year and Nyandigisi Moikobu.

"Momo" Jones averaged 15.7 points and 2.9 assists a game playing along side Scott Machado, who is now on the Houston Rockets' summer league squad.  As a sophomore, Sean Armand averaged 20 minutes of playing time in 2011-12 and 9.5 points per game.  Armand had a breakout 32-point game last year at Madison Square Garden and then started the Gaels last eight games of the year. Taaj Ridley at 6'7" and 225 pounds will be looking to improve his rebounding of four per game last year to increase his playing time.  The fourth returning player is "Digs" Moikobu another 6'7" player who has seen only limited playing time for the Gaels.

The nine new players for the Gaels are:

Sr. Curtis Dennis is a guard who joins the Gaels as a transfer student from the University of Toledo, where he played in 27 games and averaged 12.7 points per game.  Dennis made 49 three-point shots last season.  Prior to Toledo, the 6'5", 205 pound swing man played 41 games at New Mexico.  A local player from the Bronx, he played high school ball in New Rochelle at Blessed Sacrament-St. Gabriel. 

Jr. DeSean Anderson, from Inglewood, California.  DeSean is a 6'8", 200 pound forward, who played as a sophomore at Los Angeles Trade Technical College in a season highlighted by a 31-point effort and a four rebound effort.  His freshman season was spent at San Bernardino Valley College in Colton, California.  As a senior at Inglewood High School, Anderson averaged 15.3 points and 8.7 rebounds.

Jr. DeShawn Gomez is a point guard who comes to Iona after playing at Antelope Valley College and at New Mexico State.  As the second Inglewood, CA native in the recruiting class along with new teammate DeSean Anderson, Gomez led Antelope Valley to a 44-18 record in two seasons while completing 93 threes and generating 295 assists.  An eye injury that he suffered at New Mexico State after seven games caused him to seek a medical waiver granted by the NCAA.

Jr. Brandon Parga from Pico Rivera, CA is a tall, 6'5" shooting guard-small forward who scored 17.8 points per game last season at Citrus College in Glendore, CA.   As a freshman he shot 40.8 percent from the floor leading his team to the CCCAA State Championship game.

So. Michael Haynes, from Chicago, IL is a 6'7" forward who played at Indian Hills Community College scoring 6.9 points and grabbing 4.5 rebounds per game.  Originally signed by Texas-El Paso, he led his Washington High School team to back-to-back appearances in the city championship.

So. David Laury, from West Orange, NJ is a 6'9", 240 pound power forward-center who played the 2010-11 season at Lamar State College in Texas and enrolled at Iona in January.  He is described by Iona as a "Virtual Point Forward" and as a "Strong rebounder and a great passer".  In 16 games at Lamar, the West Orange, NJ native averaged 16.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.  Laury will be eligible to play at the end of the first semester.

Fr. Grant Ellis comes from Newark, NJ and a flourishing Hudson Catholic team, which had a 25-3 record in 2011-12.  Considered a candidate to start as a freshman, the 6'5" wing had seven games in which he scored ten or more points for the Hawks including a 19-point effort this past February.

Fr. A.J. English III is a shooting guard who played last year at St. Thomas More School in Oakdale, CT and averaged 18 points per game.  A 6'3" shooting guard, English is considered a scoring threat suited to Iona's uptempo offense.   His dad played two seasons for the Washington Bullets from 1990-1992.

So. Tavon Sledge, from Spring Valley, NY  is a transfer from Iowa State.  Although he will sit out the 2012-2013 season, he will hold onto three years of eligibility.  Sledge is a 5'9" guard who played at Half Hollow Hills West High School in Dix Hills and he averaged 25.3 points and 5.2 assists per year.  Look for Sledge to compete for "Momo" Jones' point guard spot in 2013-2014.

Seven of these nine players are taking summer courses at Iona.  The school has been invited to play in a Labor Day weekend tournament in Canada.

The class is a sharp contrast from Iona teams in the recent past which were composed primarily with players from New York City.  This class attracted two players from New York, three from California, two from New Jersey and one each from Illinois and Delaware.  Perhaps the numerous games that Iona played on national television last year helped attract such a diverse class.

Looking at the roster breakdown:

Guards are lead by Sr. "Momo Jones" at the point with Jr. Sean Armand given the option to play at the 2 or 3.  Newcomer Sr. Curtis Dennis joins the Gaels' backcourt to pair with Jones.   Backing up "Momo" should be Jr. DeShawn Gomez.  Learning and competing for time will be the two freshmen Grant Ellis and AJ. English III.

Small Forwards:  So. Michael Haynes, at 6'7" and 225 pounds has a shot to start at the 3 if Coach Cluess wants to play big and have Sean Armand at the 2. Another option is Jr. Brandon Parga, who at 6'5" can play the 2 or 3. 

Power Forward-Centers: Sr. Taaj Ridley is the incumbent at the 4 and may play the 5 until Laury is available at the Christmas break.  Jr. DeSean Anderson brings his 6'8", 200 pound size to the 4 or 5.

So.  David Laury will come aboard in late December adding his 6'9", 240 pound size and giving Iona the true center that they have lacked. We might see "Digs" Moikobu (6'7", 235 pounds), cover time here as well. 

Definitely a rebuilding and reorganizing year for Iona.  A lot depends on the leadership ability of the returning big three of Jones, Armand and Ridley.  Have to imagine that "Momo" Jones wants another chance to prove himself in the bright lights of the NCAA tournament. 

Just a month of summer and half of a football season before another season of college basketball. 

Ken Kraetzer covers West Point football and Iona basketball for WVOX 1460 AM and Sons of the American Legion Radio. @SAL50NYRadio.

Anyone who followed Iona in the 2011-12 season knows that no Gaels' lead is a safe lead. No matter how much time remains on the clock.

In Tuesday night's play-in game, Iona led BYU by as many as 25 points in the first half, but the lead evaporated into the Dayton air. The Cougars took away the Gaels' transition game, which favors Tim Cluess' fast-paced offense, and Iona couldn't score in the half court.

The Gaels ultimately fell, 78-72.

In MAAC play, Iona relinquished other comfortable leads. The Gaels led rival Manhattan by 17 points with less than eight minutes left, but a stagnant half-court offense and missed foul shots by Mike Glover enabled the Jaspers to storm back and win on a miracle buzzer-beater.

Then, just 11 days later, the Gaels opened on a 20-2 run against Siena. Though they allowed the Saints back into the game, Iona still held an 11-point lead with nine minutes left. However, Siena outplayed Iona down the stretch and won, 65-62.

I actually missed the first half of Tuesday's game, but I received several texts from friends who were absolutely infatuated by the Gaels' play. By all accounts, Iona dominated BYU in the opening period.

Even when BYU closed the half on a 16-5 run, Iona still seemed like a lock for a Thursday date with Marquette. The Gaels led, 55-40.

Then the second half happened.

Iona couldn't score in the half court, and the team's collective body language emitted a complacent aura. The Gaels lacked passion. That was evident, and it's an issue Tim Cluess dealt with all season.

As someone who witnessed the collapse against Manhattan, I recognized Iona's complacency and had a nervous feeling the Gaels would lose after Brandon Davies' jumper cut the lead to 10 with 12:47 left.

The Gaels were frustrated. It almost felt like they were already losing.

Meanwhile, the Cougars were high on adrenaline, knowing their opponent was vulnerable.

But, still, Iona just seemed too good—and too capable of reigniting its offense. And when Jermel Jenkins scored five consecutive points for Iona, you could feel somewhat of a shift.

But as quickly as the Gaels regained momentum, the Cougars usurped it again.

It's truly a shame that Iona's players have an inability to fight for 40 minutes. With Scott Machado, MoMo Jones and Glover, this team is loaded with talent.

Unfortunately, though, that talent couldn't spark a Cinderella run, let alone a single win. We've seen the last of Machado and Glover at the college level, and they'll graduate with a 0-1 NCAA tournament record.

Cluess will be faced with the tall task of replacing one of the nation's best point guards and his perfect complement.

If only he can inject some passion into next year's team, he might be alright.

For your printable bracket for the 2012 NCAA tournament, click here.

There were a lot of teams on the edge of the bubble on Sunday.  Many thought St. Bonaventure's win in the Atlantic 10 tournament stole a bid from an at-large team.

Most thought the Iona Gaels would be on the outside looking in.  After the selection committee had their say, the Gaels were part of the First Four, just like Virginia Commonwealth last year.  Could they be the team that no one wanted but couldn't get rid of?

From the outset, Iona showed that they were not VCU.  Point guard Scott Machado had the Gaels off to the races.  VCU topped USC 59-46 in the first-round last year.  Iona was not grinding it out.  It was running away with it.

Brigham Young had no answers on offense or defense as Iona blew through them, leading 55-31 with 4:34 remaining in the first half.  

For 15 minutes and 26 seconds, Iona looked unstoppable.  The 55 points were compiled on 24-of-35 shooting, an astounding 68.6 percent from the field.  They were crisp moving the ball, with 14 assists against zero turnovers to that point.

Iona was all over the place, with four players on the floor who could handle the ball, get into the lane and knock down a jumper at all times.  This was not VCU, this was even better.

The thing is, from that point on, things changed.  A lot.

Over the course of the final 24 minutes and 34 seconds, the Gaels managed to score just 17 more points.  On pace for over 140 points, Iona managed only slightly more than half that total, losing 78-72. 

After a blistering start, Iona made just seven of their final 35 shots, turning the ball over 17 times against just five assists.

It's hard to figure what happened at this point.  Did they wear themselves out?  Did they foolishly try to sit on the lead and bleed the clock?  Were they already thinking about Marquette in the next round?

Whatever it was, they definitely stopped playing their game.  They played a slow and sloppy style that simply didn't suit them.

Machado showed what a good point guard he is by scoring 15 points and dishing out 10 assists. Unfortunately, Iona showed that it is not this year's VCU, dropping out before the real field even started to play.

As a team, Iona showed why it belonged, but, ultimately, it looked like the Gaels didn't. Congratulations to the BYU Cougars for coming back from 25 points down.

Marquette is eagerly waiting, and BYU is excited to have survived such a first-half barrage.

BYU outscores Iona 38-17 in the second half to win 78-72 after Iona led by 25 points in the first half.   The Cougars advance in the NCAA West Regional to play Marquette from the Big East on Thursday in Louisville. 

BYU slowed the game down in the second half and forced Iona to deal with their zone defense. Noah Hartsock ended the game with 23 points and five rebounds.  Brandon Davies had 18 points and 15 rebounds as the Cougars won the rebounding battle 39-32.

For Iona, Scott Machado played well in his last game as Gael with 15 points, and ten assists.  Jermel Jenkins who really did not play that much in his senior season had 13 points and four assists.   Mike Glover in his last game for Iona had 12 points and nine rebounds, a collision near the end of the first half  may have limited his mobility in the second half.

BYU showed patience and resiliency waiting for Iona to slow down the fast pace the Gaels maintained through the first half racing to a 49-24 lead. BYU closed out the first half with a 16-6 run.

The Iona Gaels ran BYU all over the University of Dayton court in the first half of the their NCAA "First Four" game on Tuesday night, shooting 58 percent from the field en route to a 55-40 lead at the break.

Iona leaped out to a 22-10 lead in this game on hot shooting from forward Randy Dezouvre. Sophomore forward Sean Armand lit up the Dayton Arena with two three-point shots to help the Gaels extend the lead to 26-10. 

After a defensive play, Lamont "Momo" Jones held the Iona name on his jersey for the crowd to see as he dribbled the ball—before drilling a jumper to advance Iona's lead to 28-10, capping a 15-0 run. 

Machado, the nation's leader in assists per game (9.9), dished nine assists in the first frame, often battling through a smaller BYU lineup. At one point the Gaels' lead swelled to 53-29, but the Cougars ended the half on an 11-2 run to draw within 15 points.

Glover and Armand both posted 10 points for the Gales in the half, with Dezouvre adding nine and Jermel Jenkins eight. Brandon Davies led BYU with 12 points and five rebounds. Anson Windsor and Damarcus Harrison notched eight apiece.

In the second half, the Gaels opened well, Scott Machado led Mike Glover on a two on one down the lane for two to take a 62-46 lead.  Then Glover picked up his third foul and looked slowed by the shot he took on his knee in the first half.

BYU noticeably slowed the tempo, and the Gaels let up on their full court pressure.  Brandon Davies makes a short jumper to bring BYU back with in ten at 62-52.  Glover is double teamed and Jenkins allows a steal by BYU. 

Noah Hartsock hits three straight jumpers to make it a one point game.  BYU has gone on a 17 point run, shutting the Gaels down for nine minutes till Jermel Jenkins hits a three with 7:60 left. With Glover double teamed, BYU steals the ball from Jenkins. Damarcus Harrison hits a three for BYU, then trail by one 65-64. 

Jermel Jenkins hits a short jumper but on the Gaels next possession Machado is called out of bounds on the sideline which the replay showed was incorrect.  Jenkins and Harrison exchange misses with 5:30 left.

Machado hits a short jumper, is fouled and coverts the three point play, Iona leads 70-64. 

Noah Hartsock hits a jumpers over Randy Dezouvre, then hits from the foul line, and BYU trails by one.  Dezouvre picks up his fifth foul. 

This half Iona is just not making shots, Mike Glover misses connecting on an pass to the basket. BYU comes back and Hartsock makes a three to give BYU a 71-70 lead with 2:11 left.  Iona is being outscored in the half 31-15.

The Gaels try to mount a comeback but Glover picks up his fourth and fifth fouls.  Davies makes two three throws for a three point lead.  Brock Zylstra ices the game with a three point play to make it 76-70 with 23 seconds left.  The final was 78-72 BYU.

A memorable win for BYU, a devastating loss for Iona.  Nothing hurts more than a game lost when you had a big lead.

The end of an era for the Gaels, Iona fans will remember the excitement of the two years Mike Glover and Scott Machado played together.  Then this year with addition of Momo Jones making the NCAA tournament with a strong cast.    

Credit also senior Jermel Jenkins who sacrificed playing time when Jones joined the team but played well in his only NCAA game.  Randy Dezouvre made many contributions to the team in his two years with his sure handed play and clutch shooting.  Credit also senior Trinity Fields who played more in his first two years than the last two but was a spiritual leader of the team, one of those players who comes back as a coach someday.

Next year will be the year that Momo Jones and Sean Armand will have the opportunity to demonstrate leadership and hopefully have another shot in the NCAAs. 

Would not be surprised if we see Scott Machado and Mike Glover continuing to play professionally.  That will be fun to see.

Ken Kraetzer covers Iona Basketball for WVOX 1460 AM in New Rochelle, NY and Sons of the American Legion Radio. 

Although many question Iona even reaching the NCAA Tournament, the team will be this year's version of VCU.

A year ago, the VCU Rams were one of the last at-large teams selected into the NCAA Tournament field. They were forced to play in the first ever at-large opening round, giving the team an extra obstacle towards a successful postseason.

The team stuck together and rattled off five straight wins to reach the school's first ever Final Four.

While this was an unlikely occurrence, do not be surprised when Iona recreates this feat a year later as a No. 14 seed.

The Gaels open their tournament on Tuesday night against BYU. If they are successful, they go on to face a tough, veteran team in Marquette.

Fortunately, Iona is exactly the type of team that can give opponents fits, especially without extra time for scouting.

Iona runs a very fast-paced game and tries to shoot as quickly as possible. This pace helped the team become the nation's best offense at 83.3 points per game, but they are also second in the nation at converting 50.4 percent of their field goals. 

Individually, point guard Scott Machado leads the country in assists and Mike Glover is a legitimate force up front. 

As much talent as Marquette has, the Golden Eagles struggled in the Big East Tournament when Louisville controlled the pace, leading to 26 turnovers and a loss.

If the Iona shooters can get hot over the course of the next couple of weeks, the Gaels have the talent to shock a few teams on the way to at least the Sweet 16, maybe more.