Iona Basketball

Fairfield (17-11) will challenge Iona (22-6) for first place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tonight, in New Rochelle, while a remarkable former Gael player, Stanley Hill will be honored for his role in the 1950s fight for integration of college basketball and our country.

Both teams are anxious to set up for the conference tournament next week in Springfield, Massachusetts. Iona, 13-3 in the MAAC, leads Fairfield, 12-4, by one game, with two games to go in the regular season. Last year, the Stags lost the conference semifinals on their home court to John Dunne's Saint Peter's team, which went on to beat Iona in the final and play in the NCAA tournament. 

Fairfield has won nine of its last last 11, with a 67-63 loss at Wisconsin-Milwaukee last week at the Bracketbusters event, a tough draw. Senior swingman Rakim Saunders leads the Stags with 16.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Junior guard Derek Needham averages 12 points a game. Fairfield has a real center in 7-foot senior Ryan Olander. 

Iona goes in to the 9PM late-start game at the Hynes Center coming off three wins in a row, including last Saturday's Bracketbuster win over Nevada, 90-84. They lead the country in both points per game at 83.0 and assists at 19.4. Led by the inside play of Mike Glover, the Gaels are third in the country in field goal percentage at 49.8. The Gaels go play this weekend with a "Real Time RPI" of 42, Fairfield is 122.

Against Nevada, point guard Scott Machado put on another remarkable performance, with 15 assists and 13 points. The pro scouts, including a delegation from the New Orleans Hornets, could only be impressed with the maturity Machado has shown. The long postseason run to the CIT Tournament final helped, as did summer play for a Brazilian national team. Machado's family is from Brazil.

Another senior, Mike Glover, has been a consistent force for the Gaels, despite how much opponents try to double team or collapse their defenses in the paint around him. The power forward averages 18.5 points and nine rebounds per game. What is remarkable Glover's 64.7 shooting percentage. Of course, many of his shots are dunks; but he has good hands and catches passes often from Machado and takes the ball cleanly to the basket.

As the season has progressed, Lamont Jones has increasingly become an offensive force for the Gaels, now averaging 16.2 points per game. This is an increase from the 9.7 points per game he had last year playing for Arizona's Elite Eight team. After a disappointing performance at St. Peter's, "Momo" put in extra gym time to work on his shooting. His effort was rewarded with a 43-point performance against Canisius, when he hit seven of 12 three-point shots. In other recent games, he has switched to a pull-up jumper in the lane; against Nevada, he drove under players to get to the basket. 

Sophomore small forwards Sean Armand and Randy Dezouvre have both been giving Iona extra offense. Armand is the best three-point shooter on team, making over 47 percent of his threes. He totaled 22 points against Rider and 25 in Iona's loss at Loyola two weeks ago. Dezouvre has shown good hands, rebounding, holding passes from the guards and making clutch shots. The senior from Montreal had 17 points last week against Nevada. Dezourve has been splitting time with junior Taaj Ridley at the four position. Ridley has a field-goal percentage of 52.5; but Coach Clues would like to see him improve his rebounding, which stands at 4.3 per game, third on the team.

A special event at the game will be a halftime award presentation to Iona graduate and former player Stanley Hill, from the class of '59. He will receive the Trailblazer Award by the athletics department for his presence on the 1956-57 Gael team that the University of Mississippi refused to play because Hill was African-American. The two schools were scheduled to play in a tournament in Owensboro, Kentucky, when the Ole Miss coach Bonnie Graham refused to let his team play the integrated Iona team.

According to the release issued by Iona, Graham had the support of the university president and the state governor on his stand. The Iona coach, Jim McDermott, refused to take Hill out of the lineup. The Gaels were awarded a forfeit and several of the Mississippi players went to the hotel Iona was staying at to offer apologies.

In 2001, when Iona played Mississippi in the first round of the NCAA tournament, the Ole Miss officially and visibly apologized to Hill and Iona for the actions taken over 40 years before. Hill was invited to attend an Ole Miss practice and to sit with university officials for the first half of the NCAA game. Hill went on from college basketball to have a distinguished career as a New York labor leader.

Sometimes sports does make a positive difference. Thank goodness our country has come so far since the segregated times of the 1950s. Sports was a contributor to this change. Stanley Hill is part of that story.

Ken Kraetzer covers Iona basketball and West Point football for WVOX 1460 AM in New Rochelle, NY and Sons of the American Legion radio. His Twitter address is @SAL50NYRadio.

The Iona Gaels (22-6) put on a running, pressing and shooting exhibition before a national ESPN audience, winning a Sears BracketBuster game 90-84 over the Nevada Wolf Pack (22-5) in New Rochelle.

Lamont "Momo" Jones led Iona with 18 points and four assists.  Scott Machado had 13 points and 15 assists, as he continues to lead the country in assists per game.  Forward Randy Dezouvre made one clutch shot after another and finished with 17 points.

For Nevada, Olek Czyz dominated the boards in the early going and ended up with 28 points and seven rebounds.  Deonte Burton had 21 points. 

It was a playoff atmosphere in New Rochelle, as the Wolf Pack traveled across the country to play the Iona Gaels.

Iona Coach Tim Clues went into the game knowing he would have to depend on speed and quickness to handle a much larger Nevada team.

Nevada's senior from Poland, Olek Czyz, showed good hands by making six quick inside points to give the Wolf Pack a 17-15 lead.

Iona's Kyle Smyth hits a three-pointer to tie the score at 20.  Dario Hunt scored inside for Nevada, and then Randy Dezouvre answered.  The Wolf Pack switched to a zone defense, which helped them regain the lead, 36-27.

But the Gaels came back with a 16-7 run—sparked by a Momo Jones three and followed with a Taaj Ridley jumper, a Mike Glover layup, a Sean Armand jumper and a Kyle Smyth three-pointer.  The Gaels went into the locker room at halftime leading 47-46.

In the second half, the Gaels came out running and pressing.  Nevada struggled to keep up the pace.  The Gaels took a 57-51 lead on a Randy Dezouvre jumper. 

Later in the half, Momo Jones artfully made three inside plays to give the Gaels an 80-69 lead. 

Nevada kept the game close with a couple of inside baskets by Dario Hunt.  But Iona gained the win 90-84.

Ken Kraetzer covers Iona basketball for WVOX 1460 AM in New Rochelle, NY.  His Twitter address is @SAL50NYRADIO

It is Sears Bracketbuster weekend and the University of Nevada (22-4) will fly East to New York to play the Iona Gaels (21-6). The game will be aired on ESPN 2 in matchup of first place mid-major NCAA contenders.   

The Sears Bracketbuster event involves 142 teams and 71 games to be played around the country, matching teams from 16 mid-major conferences.  This is a chance for the teams to showcase their skills and ability for the NCAA Tournament Committee. 

It is an opportunity for the teams to improve their RPI standing by playing other top mid-majors.  

For a select few it is a chance to show they belong in the NCAA's even if they lose their conference tournament on a buzzer beater.  For those that will go on to win conference tournament it is a chance to improve their seeding so they can avoid first round match-ups with top opponents. 

With a 4 p.m. start, the Iona-Nevada game matches two teams with twenty wins and low RPIs. Iona has an RPI of 52 and Nevada 56. 

This is a big, veteran Nevada team, coming in to play the self-described undersized but quick Gaels.  The Wolf Pack have gone 22-2 since two season opening losses.  They have beaten the likes of Bradley, Washington and Arizona State in Tempe.  Their only loss since November was on Feb. 4 to Idaho 72-68.

Nevada, from the Western Athletic Conference, is led by third year coach David Carter, a graduate of St. Mary's, who has been with the program 13 years.  The Wolf Pack have a scoring average of 70.3 points per game and shoot 45.3 percent from the field. They have a lot of size on their roster with eight players that are 6'6" or taller.  The Gaels are going to have their hands full playing a much bigger team than what they are used to in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. 

Deonte Burton, a sophomore from Los Angeles at 6'1" is the Wolf Pack's leading scorer at 14.9 points a game.  His backcourt partner 6' 7" junior guard Malik Story from Pasadena, CA,  averages 14.7 points a contest.  Story's height advantage will make him a tough player to guard for either of Iona's guards.

Another big player for Nevada is 6-8 guard Jerry Evans from Lawndale, CA who averages 6.7 points and 4.7 assists per game.

Senior forward Dario Hunt, 6' 8" and 238 pounds from Colorado Springs, Colorado; scores 9.7 a game, grabs 9.5 rebounds per game, and has 55 blocks on the season.  Another Nevada forward averaging double digits in points at 12.7 and while producing 6.3 rebounds per game is 6' 7", 240 pound senior Czyz Olek from Poland. 

Nevada has started the same line-up all season of Burton, Story, Evans, Hunt, and Olek. Except for Burton, Nevada's whole core is 6'7" or better.

I asked second year Iona Coach Tim Cluess about how an undersized Iona team can compete against a very tall and strong Nevada squad:

"We have no choice but to play small and fast as that is all we have".

 

Iona at 21-6 on the year is leading the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference with a record of 13-3.  They have signature non-conference wins over Maryland, Richmond, and Vermont.

Iona is first in the country in assists per game at 19.2 and second nationally in scoring averaging 82.9 points a game while giving up 72.5  The Gaels led by the inside play of Mike Glover are sixth in the NCAA in with a 49.4 percent shooting average.  Their opponents shoot 44.3 percent against them.

Gaels' point guard Scott Machado, from Queens, NY leads the country in play-making with a average of 9.9 assists game.  Machado had a triple double Sunday night against Marist and averages 13.3 points per game. 

He was featured this week in a Sports Illustrated article.

Under the boards, fellow senior Mike Glover from the Bronx, NY leads the team in scoring at 18.6 points a game and rebounding with 9.3.

Lamont "Momo" Jones, from Harlem, transferred to Iona from Arizona and received an NCAA hardship waiver to play right away, is the second leading scorer at 16.1 points per game 3.4 assists.   

Jones credits extra time in the gym working on his shooting as contributing to his 43 point outburst February 2nd against Canisius.  Jones is second on the team in threes, hitting at 36 percent. As an alternate, Jones will shift to his "Pull-up" jumper midway down the lane.

Sean Armand from Brooklyn NY, at the swing 3 position, had 22 points Wednesday night against Rider and is the team's best three-point shooter.  Armand has made a team leading 65 three-point shots at a remarkable 47 percent rate. 

Kyle Smyth from River Edge, NJ is a noted defense player that splits time with Armand at the 3. Smyth also has a terrific three-point shot from the corner.

At the four for Iona is the combination of senior Randy Dezouvre from Montreal, Canada and junior transfer Taaj Ridley from the Bronx, in his first year with the Gaels. 

Dezouvre has good hands with the basketball and can make clutch shots, as he did when he made the game winner at Denver in December.  Ridley averages 7.3 points per game and is third on the team after Glover and Machado with 4.3 rebounds per game.  

Iona needs Taaj Ridley to step up against Nevada's big forward line to give some additional muscle under the boards and take some pressure off of Glover inside.

Senior Jermel Jenkins from Union, NJ started at the two guard part of last season and is playing 13 minutes per game to give breathers to Machado and Jones.  When hot, Jenkins hits the three at 37% rate providing another outside threat.

The biggest challenge for Iona is on defense, they sometimes give up quick baskets when their defense is not set.  At times, they have struggled playing with a lead in the second half, most notably in the home game against Manhattan, in which they gave up a large lead.

Watch how Machado and Jones matchup against the Nevada guards Burton and Story.  They may play a lot of zone to avoid the match-ups that the 6-7 Story can create.  Then watch how the two Iona inside players, Glover and Ridley can do against the bigger Nevada forwards Hunt and Olek. 

If Iona can run the ball, they may do well, but if Nevada can control the pace and force Iona to play a lot of half court defense, the size of the advantage of the Wolf Pack could be the edge. 

Interview comment from Coach Cluess was exclusive to this article.

Ken Kraetzer covers Iona Basketball and West Point Football for Sons of the American Legion Radio on WVOX 1460 AM in New Rochelle and heard nationally on WVOX.com.  Reach Ken on kgk914@aol.com or Twitter @SAL50NYRadio.  

Iona basketball coach Tim Cluess waited a long time for a shot at coaching in Division One, coaching 14 seasons high school at St. Mary's in Manhasset Long Island, and then five years at Suffolk Community College and C.W.Post.  He won 775 of his games over that nearly 20-year stretch.

Last year, his Iona Gaels were 25-12 and reached the finals of both the post season Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament and the CollegeInsider.com event.

This year the Gaels have already won 20 games and have their sights set on winning the MAAC Tournament which starts in barely two weeks in Springfield, Mass., and the coveted NCAA Tournament bid which goes with that title.

Coach Cluess has a talented core of two seniors, power forward Mike Glover averaging 19 points per game and point guard Scott Machado coming off a "Triple double" performance Sunday night against Marist while continuing to lead the entire NCAA  in assists per game, currently just a shade under 10 per outing.

Joining this extraordinary pair is Lamont "Momo" Jones who was the point guard on last year's Elite Eight team but transferred close to home at Iona to be near his ailing grandmother and was granted an NCAA waiver to play right away.

Joining this big three has been a strong supporting cast of sharp shooting swing players Sean Armand and Kyle Smyth, big man Taaj Ridley, Mr. Consistent Randy Dezouvre who made the game-winning shot at Denver in December and Jermel Jenkins, a senior guard who can shoot the 3.

On Jan. 30, Iona announced that coach Cluess' contract has been extended through 2017 so he should be coaching the Gaels for years to come.

My colleague and morning host on WVOX Radio in New Rochelle, Bob Marrone and I talked with Tim Cluess about his perspective on coaching and the potential of this year's Iona team.

 Q,  Coach Cluess are you surprised at how well this team has responded this season?

A.  I am real excited about how quickly our guys have bought in and how hard they worked.  Really proud of the success they have had.  I always believe success is a reflection of how hard you have worked, so not entirely surprised.

Q.  How far do you believe this Iona team can go?

A.  We can go as far as our guards shoot the ball, so when we are having a good shooting night as a team, and Mike Glover on the inside is holding fort, we can beat anyone in the country, when we are not, we can lose to anyone in the country, so it is an interesting balance that we have.  

Q. You mentioned Mike Glover, he has been a very consistent player this year?

A. "Mike has been great because in all fairness last year we had Alejo Rodriquez playing alongside so Mike had help.  This year we have two guys (Taaj Ridley and Randy Dezouvre) a bit undersized playing in that spot alongside him.  Mike is really our big guy and he is only about 6-6 but you would think he is 6-9 because of how hard he plays and how hard he works."

I really think he has turned up his game up an notch in his last several games. He has been working hard at getting more shot attempts, his rebounding has been up, his scoring has been up.  I think he is turning up his game at the right time for us.

 Q. How important is a system versus depending on pure talent.

 A. Well I think it really has to be a balance, the talent is going to have be great if you have a system you are not comfortable with.  Coaches are creatures of habit, so if they are coaching outside their comfort zone. it is hard for them to believe what is going on out on the court.  If the players can read that, so if the players see the coaches don't believe in it, they are not going to believe in it. 

Coaches need to get players that fit their system the tweak your talent but not have to completely change it, then it becomes difficult to have success.

Q.  Scott Machado had a "Triple-Double" performance Sunday night, can you tell us about his play this season?

A.  I'm really happy that Scott got his triple double, he has worked hard all year, and has come close on several occasions this year on assists and rebounds, but not necessarily on points on those occasions.   It has only happen once before in Iona history prior, and that was a long time ago, so it was great to see him accomplish that.

Q.  "Momo" Jones had 43 points against Canisius, how has he been able to improve his game?

A.   "Momo" Jones is an explosive scorer who is still feeling his way, but has been coming on strong the last 8-10 games, where he is getting more comfortable at his role.  At Arizona he was the point guard, he transferred over to us and we play him at the off guard which was an adjustment for him.  His talent level is at a very high level.  His leadership has been great.  Being a newcomer and still being a leader has been a great addition to our team.

Q. You have had your guards working on rebounding?

A.  We had a loss prior, at Loyola, were we really got killed off the boards, so we have asked our guards to do a better job rebounding the ball for us and they did in the game versus Marist.

Q.  You have had great performances from Kyle Smyth and Sean Armand at the small forward position, can you tell us about them?

A.  Kyle Smyth and Sean Armand, those two guys have been great weapons for us shooting the ball.  When we get one or more of them shooting ball, that really gives us another option out on the court and makes us tough to guard.

Kyle Smyth defensively is a scrappy kid that anyone would like to coach.  He gets on all the loose balls and does all the little things.

Q.  At the four position how has Taaj Ridley been developing?

A.   Taaj Ridley is a new forward who is starting for us this year, who is really a wing player, that we have had to move to the forward spot because of overall lack of size.  Again it is an adjustment for him, he is not used to playing with his back to the basket or guarding a post player, so he is trying to learn that and he has done a great job putting in extra time.  I have seen progression in that area over the second half of the season.

Q.  How has Randy Dezouvre added spark at the four position, he had the game winning shot at Denver?

A.  Randy Dezouvre is a local Monroe College junior college player who is in his second year with us.  Randy is starting to bring energy and leadership to the court.  He is an undersized 3/4 player but plays with more energy then the rest of the team most of the time and gives us a shot of adrenaline.

Ken Kraetzer covers Iona basketball and West Point football for WVOX 1460 AM in New Rochelle, NY, heard nationally on WVOX.com.  Bob Marrone is the morning drive time host on WVOX.    Ken's Twitter address in @SAL50NYRadio

Scott Machado gets Iona (20-6) back on track with their 20th win of the year partly due to his triple-double to lead the Iona Gaels to a 83-74 win over Marist (9-16) on their home court in New Rochelle Sunday night. 

The win coupled with Loyola's 68-51 loss to Fairfield Sunday afternoon puts the Gaels back in a first place tie in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament.

Machado recorded 11 rebounds, 10 points and 10 assists for Iona's first triple-double since Nakiea Miller on March 5, 200 against Fairfield in the MAAC tournament. Afterwards the Iona senior from Queens, NY who has lead the entire NCAA Division One in assists per game all year said,

"It feels amazing, it is an accomplishment that I always wanted to get.  I am just thankful I was able to get it tonight, and I was able to get it before my career was over here, so just thankful and blessed."

The Gaels were coming off a disappointing loss Friday night in Baltimore at Loyola, In which they were forced to make a strong second half comeback to lose by only 87-81. 

Mike Glover had a huge night himself Sunday with 25 points with 11-19 shooting and ten rebounds. He commented afterwards,

"We just wanted to bounce back from Friday's loss at Loyola.  We did a pretty good job defensively in the second half, I am just proud of our guy's effort tonight."

 Lamont "Momo" Jones had had a hot shooting hand with 23 points making five of six on threes.

The 7 PM Sunday start was unusual, but gave the Gaels a bit more rest and time to regroup after returning from the loss in Baltimore Friday night.

Iona coach Tim Cluess put Sean Armand, who scored 25 Friday night at Loyola along with Taaj Ridley, back in the starting lineup. Both responded early with Ridley hitting two shots and Armand landing a three.

Iona is hot tonight running out to a 23-9 lead on a couple of three-point shots by Sean Armand, and the inside play of Mike Glover. Marist has a big center 6' 10" sophomore Adam Kemp who is trying to guard Glover with forward Jay Bowie cheating over to try to double cover. But Glover has great hands and seldom misses his inside shots, hitting over 65% from the floor.

Marist got back in the game 30-2 with a 12-0 run punctuated by a fast break drive by Manny Thomas drawing a foul on Machado followed by a Devin Price three-pointer. 

Marist pulls ahead in the second half 46-44 on a Chavaughn Lewis jumper. What a difference in coach Chuck Martin's team from the one Iona defeated 100-76 in January in Poughkeepsie.

With Marist taking a 54-51 lead, the Gaels start to go back inside with a Momo pull up jumper followed by a Scott Machado to pass play to Randy Dezouvre for a layup. Dezouvre the senior forward who has competed with Taaj Ridley for playing, is another Gael with good hands, making up on quickness with a dependable inside game. 

Mike Glover continues to be an inside force for the Gaels.  After Momo Jones misses a spinning pull up jumper between two defenders, Glover grabs the rebound and putts it back to give the Gaels a 64-57 lead.

Kyle Smyth and Sean Armand then hit threes to give Iona a 79-69 lead as Iona pulled away in the final minutes.

If there was a doubt in this game, Scott Machado took over with an inside drive to basket to give Iona an 81-69 lead with 2:32 left.

Iona Coach Tim Cluess said afterwards,

"I did not know how much they had in the tank, that was a very late and emotional game (Friday night), we got back really late and we had practiced yesterday. Parts of the game we played well in parts it looked like we did not have much left in us, but down the end, our guys gutted it out, and had a nice victory against a team that played with a lot of energy and and a lot of heart."

When asked about a new zone the Gaels played in which he drops back in the zone, if that helped him reach double digits in rebounds, Machado said,

"We just started that zone, since it was so new, of the people who start, I am the one who knows that spot, that's all really."

About the loss by Loyola in the afternoon that gave Iona a chance to play for first place, Lamont "Momo" Jones said,

"It was a relief to me, and a relief to our team. We just have to come out and play our game. Whether or not they won or lost, we had to come out and get this win. Fortunately they lost, so its puts us in a better position. We just have to come out and play every night".

The Gaels now prepare to play at Rider Wednesday night before taking on University of Nevada at home in the "Sears Bracketbuster" game on Saturday at 4PM.

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

His Twitter address is @SAL50NYRADIO

For the first time in six seasons, Manhattan basketball has once again become relevant. With first-year head coach Steve Masiello leading the way, the Jaspers were 17-7, 10-2 in the MAAC entering Saturday night's rivalry matchup with Iona.

Draddy Gymnasium was rocking all night long, but the Jaspers could not upset the Gaels for a second time this season, ultimately falling 85-73.

Manhattan and Iona battled back and forth in the first half, with the lead changing hands 10 times over the first 20 minutes. Both teams were fired up and came out hot to start the game.

And just in case we weren't sure whether or not the Manhattan-Iona rivalry was revived, Taaj Ridley's technical foul two minutes into the game proved that it was. After Ridley's two-handed slam opened up an 8-5 lead for Iona, the junior got in the face of Manhattan's Roberto Colonette and began the trash-talking that would last all night.

The two squads would exchange baskets for most of the first half, and then the Gaels managed to open up a 44-38 halftime lead on Momo Jones' jumper in the final two minutes.

George Beamon was the main reason Manhattan was even close through 20 minutes with 19 points, including his 1,000th point, on 7-of-8 shooting.

In the second half, Iona quickly built up a 51-38 lead on a three-pointer from Jones, a jumper from Sean Armand and a layup from the MAAC's leading scorer Mike Glover, prompting Masiello to call for a timeout.

The Jaspers made one last run out of the timeout with a layup from Donovan Kates and then three-pointers from Liam McCabe-Moran and Kidani Brutus, cutting the deficit to five points. But Manhattan would never get any closer.

Iona bumped its lead up to as many as 19 points on three free throws from Armand, and Manhattan's chances for another upset dissipated.

Disgruntled Manhattan fans exited Draddy Gymnasium with their Jaspers now standing at No. 3 in the MAAC.

Beamon led all scorers with 26 points. Iona's defense stepped up big time in the second half, keeping the ball out of the hands of the MAAC's second-best scorer as much as possible. The junior shot just 1-of-7 from the field in the second half.

Brutus was the only other Jasper to score in double figures with 12 points on four three-pointers. The co-captain also had three assists.

Despite being hindered by foul trouble, sophomore Rhamel Brown had eight points, six rebounds and two blocked shots. Additionally, freshman Emmy Andujar, who hit the game-winning basket at Iona last month, had a solid performance with seven points, five rebounds and six assists.

Glover led the Gaels with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Jones and Scott Machado each scored 18 points. Armand led Iona's bench with 14 points.

For the first time in a while, Iona truly looked like the top dog in the MAAC. The Jaspers managed to keep up with Iona in the first half, but the Gaels showed their poise by warding off a pair of second runs by the hyped-up home team.

Iona is back to controlling its own destiny for a MAAC championship, and it still has an outside shot at an at-large bid if it cannot win three games in three days at the MAAC tournament.

Manhattan will start a three-game road trip at fourth-place Fairfield on Thursday, while Iona finishes up its two-game road trip in Baltimore against Loyola (MD), where the Gaels can take complete control of first place in the MAAC for the first time since mid-January.

Lamont "Momo" Jones put on a show in New Rochelle Thursday night, scoring 43 points in Iona's 105-86 win over Canisus that will be remembered for about as long as Gael basketball will be followed. 

Jones was the point guard on the University of Arizona team that went to the NCAA Elite last spring.  He  transferred to Iona to be closer to his ailing grandmother and was granted an exemption from the NCAA so he didn't have to sit out a year as a transfer.

On the season, Jones was shooting 45 percent from the field and 34 percent on three point shots.  Against Canisius, he shot 70 percent from the field on 16-23 and 58 percent on threes, making seven of twelve.  Momo added four of five from the line.

Jones' 43 points was a record for the thirty-plus-year-old Hynes Center.  Sean Green had scored 43 in a MAAC game versus Siena in 1991.  Warren Issac scored an even 50 points versus in 1964. 

The Gaels needed a big performance from their backcourt as the game was tied 69 all with 13:44 left to play.  Iona went on a ten-point run started by a tip-in basket by Jones, followed by a three.  The game was decided by the end of the 28-11 run, capped by a Jermel Jenkins three that gave the Gaels a 17-point lead at 97-80 with 4:47 left. 

Point guard Scott Machado had  fourteen points and 14 assists, which increases his lead as the top player in Division I in assists-per-game average.  Until late in the game, Machado had but one turnover, finishing the night with two and an amazing 7-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Power forward Mike Glover was getting bounced around in the paint, but he came up with 12 points and 11 rebounds.  Iona outrebounded Canisius 35-31.

Th platoon at small forward was productive with Kyle Smyth having seven points and three assists while Sean Armand contributed eight points, including a pair of threes.

At the 4 spot, Randy Dezouvre started and had four rebounds in ten minutes.  Taaj Ridley played 22 minutes, contributing muscle under the boards by grabbing two rebounds and nailing six points on three-for-three shooting. 

Senior Jermel Jenkins filled in at both guard positions for 14 minutes and went two-for-two on his three-point shots.  

The win kept Iona (18-5) in a first-place tie with Manhattan (17-7) at 10-2 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference going into their big matchup Saturday night at the Draddy Gym in Riverdale.  The Jaspers defeated Marist Thursday night 73-51.  

For Canisius (4-18), now 1-11 in MAAC play, it was another tough fight but losing road effort.  Gaby Gelardo came off the bench to score 27 points for the Griffs, and Alshwan Hymes had 23 points.

After the game, I had a chance to speak with Iona head coach Tim Cluess, Scott Machado and the star of the evening, Lamont "Momo" Jones:  

I asked Scott Machado (SM), who had a great performance in his own right, why he and Jones played so well in this game.

SM:  "He [Jones] was hot and I was just looking for him.  He had 20 points in the first half and he had the same group coming out in the second, so I was just looking for him."

Q:  What made the difference in the second half?

SM:  "Defense."

Q:  Why were you so effective with the full-court pressure and combination of zone and man-to-man defenses?

SM:  "We were pressing them and they kept sending Belardo with the big man in the middle of the court.  Coach kept throwing different defenses at them, so we could mix it up, so we finally found out how we could get a stop in.  We found out how to get stops in, we kept continuing with that, once we got that stop, we kept on getting stops."

Q to Momo Jones (MJ):  How did you feel about your record breaking performance?

MJ:  "Felt like Superman, felt like Superman.  There are no other words to describe that.  It is a feeling that is indescribable.

"I worked hard all week with my coaching staff, just in the gym shooting, shooting, shooting, shooting, getting in the reps. 

"One of my good friends came from Queens.  Made sure I was in the gym 24 hours a day.  Six o'clock in the morning, if I had 30 minutes before class, he came in and rebounded for me.  It was a real grind, there was no sleep, no getting tired, just got to work, if you love this game, and the next level is where you want to go, you have to work. 

"I think that really helped me.  I just got in the gym and worked, and it really paid off tonight."

Q:  Did the falls to the court from driving the lane affect you?

MJ:  "A little bump or bruise, or a little knee or fall to the ground, it is part of basketball.  You got to get up and continue the forty minutes.  This was a team effort, I could not have done this without my team."

Q:  How were you and Scott Machado so effective in the backcourt tonight?

MJ:  "Scott Machado is a wonderful, wonderful point guard to have, wouldn't want to play with anyone else.  The best point guard I have ever played with in my life.  Night in and night out he finds me.  Tonight I was knocking down shots and it was a great game collectively.

"Any one of us could have had this game tonight.  Scott could have had this game.  Scott had a 30 and 15 earlier this year, Glove [Mike Glover] could come out and have a game like this.  We have three guys who can put up high numbers.  Not a lot of teams could have that. 

"Then you have guys who come off the bench. Sean Armand who is a sharp shooter, [Kyle] Smyth is a sharpshooter.  On any given night anybody can have this night.  My teammates just allowed it to be me tonight."

Q to Coach Tim Cluess (TC):  What was it like to watch Momo Jones get 43 points on the night?

TC.  "I was thinking we needed every point of them because we were not getting many stops, and the other team was on fire.  I'm glad he did that tonight.  It was not a coincidence to me.  He has really worked hard the last few days.  We remind him, every time he works hard, he has a good game."

Q:  What did you think of Scott Machado's play?

TC:  "Scott did a great job as always finding people on the floor and getting everyone involved picking his own spots as well, a terrific team leader."

Q:  Why was Canisius able to give you so many challenges?

TC:  "They made the extra pass and nailed the shot every time.  They spaced out and rotated to beat Iona's double team."

Q:  Why did Iona do well on the night?

TC:  "I think tonight was a good game for us because Momo played so well, because we shot the ball well as a team.  When we shoot well we can put up points.  When we struggle it is because we cannot put the ball in the basket."

Q to "Momo" Jones:  How did you feel about your performance and that of the team?

MJ:  "Tonight we needed to grow up as a team, collectively.  I think tonight we took a step towards that.  We didn't have the greatest first half, but we came out in the second half and played defense, and we played solid, and we played as a team.

"We came out with a win we could have lost if the chips fall in a different way or we won just by two points. But tonight we came out and we kept knocking on the door, knocking on the door.  Finally the door knocked down and we opened up the game."

Q:  Are you concerned about Iona's overall defensive play?

MJ:  "We gave up way too many points.  In the second half we should have had more stops than we did.  Point blank end of story.  We didn't play the defense Iona is capable of playing.  We won the game but we are not happy.  We go back to the lab and work on things and we need to get better, tonight was just a step towards that."

Another reporter asked Momo what his thoughts were when he was taken out of the game in the final moments:

MJ:  "About Scott Machado. Thanking him for believing in me, telling me every night that this is something that you do, this is something that we brought you here for.  So for him to find me tonight and for him beating that into my head. Calling me when I was having down practices, just to tell me to keep my head up.

"To have a coaching staff that believes in you is great.  All the thanks in the world to them.  I have coaches who stayed in the gym all night long with me for three nights, all night long.  Just night in and night out, there were no breaks, no slack, there was no 'I'm tired, can we get a rest?' 

"The coaches said, 'If this is what you want to do, and this is what you love, you are going  to work,' and they made me work.  We worked on three-point shots, pull-ups in the lane, finishing and foul shots.

"My coaching staff has done a great job in believing in me. At times we go through ups and downs, but they believe in me.  This week they showed they really cared about me.  They sat me in the gym, it was sort of like basketball 101, all over again.  I love them for that."

Momo was also asked if he had been struggling recently.

MJ:  "Had a bad game at St. Peter's (Sunday).  Before that I was having, to me and everyone else, I was having a subpar season, averaging 15 points per game.  For a player like me they don't expect that, my teammates don't expect that of me. 

"I have to give them more, because they demand more of me, so I have to demand more of myself.  Tonight was a step towards that."

Ken Kraetzer covers Iona basketball and West Point football on WVOX 1460 AM. His Twitter address is SAL50NYRadio. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

Going into this season, the status of former Arizona point guard Lamont "Momo" Jones was unknown. Jones had transferred  from Arizona to Iona College in May and had applied for a medical hardship waiver that would allow him to play for the Gaels this season.

Fortunately for Jones, his waiver was approved and he has been a major part of the Gaels record-breaking offense this season.

Even though Jones had played an outside role to the Gaels dynamic duo of Scott Machado and Michael Glover, Jones still was playing a major role in the Gaels offense and was only helping Iona achieve some of their lofty dreams.

Following a bad loss at home against Manhattan, Jones stepped up his play against Loyola, scoring 25 in a lead role for Iona's win over a Loyola side that at the time was tied with Iona on top of the MAAC.

Jones had 20-point efforts in wins against Rider and Fairfield before having a weak game against last year's MAAC champion, Saint Peters.

With last place Canisius at the Hynes Center last night, Jones completely took over. With his team putting together a weak defensive effort, Jones stepped in and put in one of the best individual efforts that has been seen at the Hynes Center in quite some time.

Jones scored 20 points, including the final six of the half for the Gaels' 51-47 halftime lead.

The beginning of the second half proved to be a continuation of the first; lots of scoring on both ends with Jones leading the show.

Yet even after the Gaels went on a 10-0 run in the second half, Momo did not let up. After coach Tim Cluess decided to leave in the Gaels' three main stars, Momo started to etch closer to the 40-point mark.

The move certainly paid off. Jones got to the 39-point mark before Taaj Ridley stole the ball from Gaby Belardo. Ridley fed the ball ahead to a streaking Jones, who laid the ball in to get to 41 points, breaking the old record of 40 points in a game at the Hynes Center by Sean Green back in March of 1991 against Siena.

The record for most points in a game for Iona is held by Warren Issac for his 50-point performance against Bates in 1964.

Jones would later make another field goal to give the Harlem native a remarkable 43 points in a game, tying Green for the second-most points in the game.

With less than a minute remaining, Jones was substituted out, causing the capacity crowd to erupt in a standing ovation chanting Momo Jones' name.

Not to be outdone, Machado once again had an outstanding game. Machado had 14 points and 14 assists with only two turnovers, only helping his NBA credentials. Michael Glover also had a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds in the win. 

With the 105-86 win, the Gaels are now 10-2 in league play and will face Manhattan tomorrow night, knowing that a win would put them into first place in the MAAC.

Follow me on Twitter @Andrew_Jordan

The Iona College Gaels got back on track this weekend with road wins Friday night at Fairfield (71-62) and Sunday at Saint Peter's (64-40).

The Gaels are 17-5 on the season and 9-2 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.  They are tied for first place with Loyola of Maryland and Manhattan College, who both won Sunday.

On Friday night, the Gaels went out to a 17-point lead with 37-15 in the first half, but let Fairfield make a second half run to narrow the gap to four points with 2:42 left.  The Gaels made five of six free throws in the last minute to hold on to the much needed win. 

Lamont Jones had 20 points on 7-14 shooting with two threes.  Scott Machado had 18 points and five assists.  Michael Glover continued his consistent performance with a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds.  Taaj Ridley coming off the bench had seven points.  Randy Desouvre started at the four position but did not score.

The Fairfield win made the Gaels feel a whole lot better after losing at Siena 65-62 on Monday night, a game in which they controlled much of the way after going out to a 20-2 lead.  Siena narrowed the deficit to ten at the half and took the lead with 2:28 left after two Rob Poole free throws.  Iona shot 34.4 percent from the field and just three of 16 on three-point shots. 

The loss wasted a 19 point, 12 rebound and four blocked shot performance of Mike Glover.  Scott Machado was held to three assists on the night.  Siena was led by O.D. Anosike, who had 17 points and 15 rebounds.   

Sunday afternoon, Saint Peter's went into the game with a disappointing 4-17 record after winning the MAAC conference and playing in the NCAA tournament last year.  Coach John Dunne again had his team come out playing a slow ball-control style that kept the Gaels from using their fast break. 

Afterwards Coach Dunne said about his strategy in playing Iona:

 "Try not to give them points in transition, don't give Glover dunks. Try your hardest to keep Machado out of the paint, and don't give Armand and Smyth open rhythm threes."

Iona went out to an early 8-2 lead over St. Peter's in Jersey City. The Gaels again started Randy Dezouvre at forward over Taaj Ridley whose offensive numbers have slipped in recent games.

Ra'Shad James and now Sean Armand have been in as Tim Cluess uses a rotation at the four. A couple of Peacock baskets have narrowed the score to 8-6 Gaels, with just under ten minutes left in the first half.

St. Peter's playing methodically and shooting well produced an eight-point run, taking a 10-8 lead on four from Darius Conley. 

Head Coach John Dunne, like he did in MAAC Championship game, has slowed the pace of the game to a crawl, forcing half-court play and using the shot clock.

The Gaels used a rotation at the three and four forward spots of Randy Dezouvre and Kyle Smyth starting, and Sean Armand, Ra'Shad James and Taaj Ridley coming off the bench.  Sean Armand scored 12 points coming off the bench on 5-11 shooting. 

After a low-scoring, slow-paced first half that ended with Iona leading 21-15, the game picked up in the second half.  Mike Glover opened with two inside scores which caused John Dunne to call time out. 

A Randy Dezouvre inside score gave Iona a 32-22 lead.  Machado followed with a three as the Gaels took over and sped up the tempo.  The Gaels went on a 11-2 run, highlighted by a dunk and a layup by Dezouvre.

With the game broken open, Scott Machado put on a show with a rebound, length of the court run, fake and layup to give Iona a 53-34 lead.  Machado followed up with fast break drive down lane, then offered "Momo" Jones an alley-oop pass, which his partner at guard layups for a 57-34 margin.  

After the game Coach Dunne said that, "You are not going to win scoring forty points."

Coach Cluess singled out Dezouvre, who had nine point and five rebounds in 21 minutes, for praise afterwards,

"Randy brought the energy that we thought he could bring.  You can see the energy that he inspires the rest of the team, gets us extra possessions, just does the dirty man things that need to be done.  I am really proud of him." 

Iona utilized a variety of defenses, Scott Machado commented, C"oach (Cluess) knows what he is doing on the defense end.  When coach sees something, he calls it, and we just do it."

Machado added about Saint Peter's ability to slow down Iona's running game:

"Once they shoot they like to send two men back so they can stop the fast break.  They were collecting offensive rebounds and we were not clearing rebounds so we could not run.  Once we started to do that in the second half we started to run."

The Fairfeld and Saint Peter's wins put the Gaels back in a first-place tie in the MAAC race for the regular season championship and in favorable seeding positions for the conference tournament the first weekend of March.  Iona will be working on beating the slow-down tactics that have lulled them to sleep in the second half of games like Manhattan and Seana.

I have to admit it is a pleasure to watch this team perform when it is playing its up-tempo style.  It will be a long time before we again see anything like the passing talent of Scott Machado and the secure hands and aggressiveness of Mike Glover under the basket.  Kyle Smyth and Sean Armand are amazing to watch when their jump shots are on.

Next year watching "Momo" Jones could be special, but veteran Iona basketball fans used to the cyclical rebuilding of a mid-major program, will be heard to say, "Remember the year that Mike Glover, Scott Machado and "Momo" Jones all played on the same Gael team?"  

Enjoy the fun while it lasts.

Ken Kraetzer is a Contributor for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

Ken covers West Point football and Iona basketball for WVOX 1460 AM and Sons of the American Legion Radio.  Follow his updates on Twitter at: SAL50NYRadio.