Iona Basketball

The Iona Gaels (2-1) showed Sunday afternoon at the 5-Hour Energy Puerto Rico Tip Off that they can make an impact on the national scene this year with a dominating 89-63 win over Maryland.

Lamont "Momo" Jones, the transfer from Arizona, led Iona in scoring with 22 points on 8-of-14 from the field. He commented afterwards about the defensive approach coach Tim Cluess wanted the Gaels to demonstrate against the ACC foe, 

“Coach wanted us to pressure them.”

Mike Glover, the preseason MAAC Player of the year, had a big game with 19 points, 10 of which were in the first half.  The senior power forward completed his double-double with 10 rebounds. He commented about the importance of this game:

"Our bond is always strong on the floor.  We wanted to leave this tournament 2-1, after the Purdue game.  We’re pretty much humble about this win, but tomorrow we have to go back and work on a few things."   

Iona senior point guard Scott Machado had another superlative game with 15 points and 15 assists.  Machado had an incredible 41 assists in the three-game tournament, he is leading the country in assists.  Last year Machado averaged 7.6 per game.  He commented after the game, "You just have to have focus to play these games.  You have to come to every game wanting to win.”

After an early Maryland lead, Iona took the lead for good on the day 15-14 on a jumper by junior Kyle Smyth.  Later in the half Machado made two free throws to give the Gaels a 10-point lead at 35-25.  Just before the end of the half Terrel Stoglin made a three-point play to bring the Terrapins within three at 37-34. Iona made 11 points on fast breaks in the half according to the ESPN broadcast.

In the second, Iona came out aggressively with an 8-2 run culminating in a signature Mike Glover dunk to give the Gaels a 45-36 lead.  A James Padgett layup got Maryland back within seven at 56-49. Iona then went on another 12-0 run to take a 68-49 lead.  Iona showed endurance by outscoring the Terrapins 52-29 in the second half of the last of the contest in the three games in four day tournament.

Head Coach Tim Cluess has brought an uptempo offense to Iona but often talks about the importance of defensive play; after wards he expressed dissatisfaction with his team's defense in the second half of the first two games but was pleased by Sunday's performance:  

"I'm excited about how hard our team played in the second half holding them to 29 points. I thought we grew up and came back with a great effort and obviously, it was an ACC team so it was great for us.  We were hoping to make a statement that we are a good team.  The team had a hard practice and then they bonded in Old San Juan.”

Maryland Coach Mark Turgeon was complimentary in comments about Iona after the game:

"Iona's a great team, potentially a top 25 team or better as this season goes along.  They are not going to lose many games. Great guards, big guys, press well, do a lot of goods things.  They are a heck of a basketball team."

In the first round of the tournament Thursday, the Gaels lost to Purdue of the Big Ten on a last second shot 91-90.  Then in the second round on Friday, the Gaels defeated Western Michigan from the Mid-Admerica Conference, which is another mid-major. 

Finishing the event by defeating an Atlantic Coast Conference team is quite a day that will look good on their resume all season long.  Every pregame show will start by saying, "this is an Iona team which beat Maryland in San Juan". This is Iona's first win against an ACC school since defeating North Carolina at Madison Square Garden on December 27, 2002.

The Gaels will come home to play Wednesday night against the St. Joseph's Hawks of the Atlantic Ten at the Hynes Center.  The Gaels will only play eight home games this year at the Hynes Center in New Rochelle with one home game moved to Madison Square Garden against Siena on January 3rd.

Quotes in this are provided by Tim Simmons of the Tournament Host Committee Staff.

Ken Kraetzer covers Iona basketball and West Point football for WVOX radio in New Rochelle, New York and Sons of the American Legion Press.

Iona has won its first game of the season Friday afternoon by defeating Western Michigan 94-88 at the 5-Hour Energy Puerto Rico Tip Off in San Juan.

The Gaels, now 1-1 on the year, were led by senior forward Kyle Smyth who finished the afternoon with 24 points and seven rebounds. Smyth connected on seven three-point shots of 13 attempts. He was eight of 14 from the floor on the day.

Senior point guard Scott Machado had another strong game with 17 points and 15 assists. The assist total equals Machado's career best set against Albany in 2009. 

Smyth commented about the strong play of his teammate, “Scott Machado, definitely impressive, not the first time I’ve seen it. He’s trying to find the hot hand, to assist and it is great to play with him. It’s not just about the shots."

For the second game in a row, Iona scored 90 or more points and all five Iona starters finished with double-digit scoring. Junior Ra'Shad James contributed 14 points, junior Taaj Ridley had 13 and senior Mike Glover added 12 points. Glover was a perfect five of five from the field. Former Arizona player Lamont Jones had 10 points for the Gaels.

"I was really happy for like 20 minutes with our defense. Scott Machado just gets everyone involved and Kyle Smyth hitting shots from the bleachers," commented Iona Coach Tim Cluess after the game. 

The second-year Iona mentor added, "We were playing small at times tonight. It was good defensively, but not so good offensively. We will work on a few things that went poorly today."

Commenting on the early season play of his team Cluess added, "I give my guys a decent amount of freedom, and we have to learn to make good decisions. It’s my job to get them better in the decision making and we know it’s a process and we are working on that.”

The Gaels will now play Maryland of the Atlantic Coast Conference at 2 p.m. EST Sunday, a game which can be seen on ESPNU.

Ken Kraetzer covers Iona basketball for WVOX 1460 in New Rochelle, New York. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

Wow, a great game between Purdue and Iona College Thursday afternoon in the first round of the 5-hour ENERGY® Puerto Rico Tip-Off.  A disappointment for the Gaels (0-1) as they lost their season opener by one, 91-90, to the Boilermakers.

Robbie Hummel of Purdue made a three-point jumper with 20 seconds left to decide the outcome.  Moments earlier, former Arizona Wildcat Lamont Jones, in his first game as a Gael, hit a jumper to give Iona a 90-88 lead.  After the Hummel shot, a final chance for the Gaels ended in a turnover.

Hummel has had serious knee injuries in past seasons. He was the high scorer in the game with 24 points on ten of 21 shooting from the floor and four of nine from beyond the three point line.  He added nine rebounds to his hot scoring hand.

“I thought they executed better than we did. We got overly sloppy at some moments of the game, that’s on me because I didn't do a good enough job apparently," commented Iona Head Coach Tim Cluess. 

Anticipating a high scoring, fast paced running game, Cluess added, "Funny thing is before the game I said we might score 90 points and they might score 100.  I think we were too busy celebrating some of our scores to defend."

The two transfers led Iona in scoring on the day with Lamont "Momo" Jones leading the Gaels with 17 points while junior college transfer Taaj Ridley had 16 points and 12 rebounds. 

Jones, a starting player on the Arizona team which reached the Elite Eight last year, was granted immediate playing privileges because his move was made based on being closer to his ailing grandmother who lives in Harlem. 

Jones commented that his Iona coaches and teammates have helped ease his transition from Arizona to the campus in New Rochelle, "It’s been pretty easy.  Our coaching staff and my teammates, they look at me as a person, not just as a basketball player."

Senior point guard Scott Machado, who averaged 7.6 assists last season, in his first outing of the season produced eleven assists and fourteen points but fouled out. Another senior, Jermel Jenkins, who can play shooting guard or small forward had 13 points.

Machado, one of the best play-makers in all of college basketball, commented about his role, “I like to give my teammates open shots and play that point guard role.”

It will be interesting to see how Head coach Tim Cluess works the back court combination of Machado and Jones.

MAAC Preseason "Player of the year" Mike Glover had 13 points and 12 rebounds, but did not reach his 18.4 scoring average from the Gaels 25-12 season last year.  Glover likes to work under the boards and score off rebounds, but this game was played at a fast tempo, up and down the court without much half court play.

All five Gael starters were in double figures scoring; both Ridley and Glover had twelve rebounds each. Off the bench, senior Randy Dezouvre had eight, and sophomore sharp-shooter Sean Armond had seven points. junior Kyle Smyth, who provides the Gaels a strong defensive presence, had two points.

Coach Tim Cluess will be looking at tightening up the defense in the Gaels' second game in the San Juan tournament.  He expressed some displeasure with his teams' defensive focus at times, commenting,

"Funny thing is before the game I said we might score 90 points and they might score 100. We had mishaps; I think we were too busy celebrating some of our scores to defend."

The Gaels (0-1) will seek their first win of the season in the tournament second round Friday as they play Western Michigan (0-2) of the Mid-American Conference at 3:30 EST.  The final game will be on Sunday and will present an opportunity to play either Maryland or Colorado in the third round game.

Ken Kraetzer covers Iona College basketball and West Point Football for WVOX 1460 AM and WVOX.com located in New Rochelle, New York.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand or through official interview materials.

College basketball excitement returned to New Rochelle, N.Y., last year with the success of the 25-12 Iona College Gaels, which won three postseason games for the first time in their history.  How many years can you say that your college basketball season ended on March 30th on your home court playing in a championship tournament final on national television? 

Hosting the CIT Championship Game may have been a once in a lifetime event last season, although a mild disappointment in losing to Santa Clara 76-69.  For longtime Gaels fans, it was a little bit of basketball heaven.

What will further please Iona fans is that the team returns four starters from last year's successful team, and a major transfer is coming aboard.  New coach Tim Cluess brought experience and stability to the basketball team after the departure of Kevin Willard to Seton Hall. 

Cluess is a veteran high school and college coach from Long Island and a former player at St. John's.  He brought in an up-tempo style that caught on with the players.  They outscored opponents last year by almost 10 points, 79.0 to 69.7.

Point guard Scott Machado had a great junior season leading the entire NCAA with 281 total assists.  The Queens, N.Y., native needs just five more assists to break Iona's all-time assists record of 558 held by Rory Grimes.  

Since last season new leadership has come to Iona with a new president and athletic director taking over.  Taking on the duties of president for Br. James Liguori, who retired, is Joseph E. Nyre. Nyre comes in from social service leadership positions in Illinois.  

Eugene Marshall Jr., the new athletic director, came aboard in May. He took over for Pat Lyons, who took the AD position at Seton Hall.  Marshall comes in after holding senior athletic leadership positions at Ramapo College and West Point. His daughter is on the women's basketball team.

Tim Cluess now has a year of experience with the players and the rigors of Division I basketball and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.  The Gaels have the the memory of the success they had together last spring, and they enter this season with goals to win the conference tournament and advance to the NCAA tournament, which alluded them last year.  The preseason poll announced in October at the MAAC preseason award show placed Iona as the favorite to win the MAAC basketball championship this year.

In addition to the play-making of point guard, the Gaels will receive leadership from senior forward Mike Glover, who's playing his second year at Iona after transferring from Eastern Utah.  Last year the Bronx native started all 37 games for Iona and averaged 18.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.  Taking many shots from under or over the boards, he shot 61 percent from the field on the season—sixth best in the nation. 

Glover was the first Iona player since Jeff Ruland in 1980 to average a double-double for a season.  He was named the preseason MAAC Player of the Year. 

Key returning players for the Gaels are small forward Kyle Smyth, who averaged 13.2 points a game and was known for his willingness to set picks and draw fouls.  A key factor in many games last year was senior shooting guard Jermel Jenkins, who averaged 9.2 points per game.  Sophomore guard Sean Armand had a three-point shooting percentage of over 42 percent, good for the best on the team.  Armand showed maturity in his play late in the year, which earned him increasing playing time in the seven postseason games.

Then there is Lamont Jones, the transfer from the University of Arizona.  Known as "Momo," Jones was granted a hardship waiver so that he could go to school and play closer to his Harlem home to care for his ailing grandmother.  The 6'-even, 196-pound guard averaged 9.7 points per game starting all 38 games for the Wildcats.  He had 16 points in the NCAA tournament game last March 24th in the huge Arizona upset of top-seeded Duke.      

Iona will start the 2011-2012 campaign playing in a tournament in Puerto Rico called the 5-hour ENERGY® Puerto Rico Tip-Off.  They will play the first game at 1 p.m. EST Thursday, November 17th, against Purdue, and continue with games on Friday and Sunday.  Games will be played at the 18,000-seat Coliseo de Puerto Rico, also known as the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum.

On Friday afternoon they will play either Temple or Western Michigan in either the winners or losers bracket.  The other bracket playing Friday night contains Maryland, Alabama, Wichita State and Colorado.

The championship and consolation games will be played on Sunday.  These third-round games are very important as they are against good teams from conferences across the country, and wins here help each team's résumé for NCAA tournament consideration.

All 12 games will be broadcast on either ESPN3, ESPNU or ESPN2.  Minnesota won the 2010 event, defeating West Virginia in the championship game.

My friend Tim Simmons, from the Armed Forces Bowl, and I spoke to coach Tim Cluess by conference call last week about preseason practice and Iona's participation in the "5-Hour ENERGY Puerto Rico Tip-Off."       

TIM SIMMONS:  Your team is listed as the top team in your conference this year in the preseason polls.  You have a pretty outstanding player.  Talk a little bit about that.            

COACH CLUESS:  I think Mike Glover had a great year for us last year.  He's somebody that has had some national recognition.  He's a 6'7" forward who can go inside, outside, plays very hard [and is] one of the leaders of our team.  I think he'll go a long way for us this year to keep us competitive.  I think our back quarter is what really puts us up in the elite area of our league.       

TIM SIMMONS:  Coach, I noticed that on your schedule your first regular game is the tournament.  Will you have any kind of competition prior to the Puerto Rico Tip‑Off?            

COACH CLUESS:  The only thing we have scheduled is a couple scrimmages—two Division I scrimmages we have planned in the next week and a half.  That will be the only live-action we'll have before Puerto Rico.            

TIM SIMMONS:  Do you think it's going to work to your advantage that you haven't played anybody or [is it a] disadvantage?            

COACH CLUESS:  Probably a little bit of a disadvantage.  [We] tried to get games early but didn't have any luck with it.           

TIM SIMMONS:  How different is your team this year compared to the one you had at the end of last year that lost to Santa Clara?            

COACH CLUESS:  We're a lot healthier than we were last year for the entire season, to be honest with you.  We lost key players throughout the year—had guys hampered.  I think we're a better basketball team, a deeper basketball team.  We've added some guards and other forwards that can play more up‑tempo like we like to play.  I'm looking forward to seeing the product on the court.            

TIM SIMMONS:  The format of the tournament where you play two games back to back, then you have a day off, then play, do you think that's going to work to your favor?            

COACH CLUESS:  I think it's a great way to go.  When we have our conference tournament, we play three days in a row.  To play two quality opponents the first two days, having a day to get ready for the final game helps you to regroup, see what you need to work on, gives you a chance to scout an opponent.  I think it's really good for us.            

TIM SIMMONS:  You open up against Purdue.  Have you spent any time watching them on film?            

COACH CLUESS:  Yeah, we watched a little bit of them right now.  Honestly, this early in the year we're just trying to get our own stuff in because the season gets upon you so quick.  We'll start concentrating on them as we get a week to 10 days out of the tournament.  Right now we're trying to get in shape, get our guys to understand the system.  They're a tremendous team—we know that.  We have our hands full playing against them, but we're looking forward to the challenge.            

TIM SIMMONS:  Questions for coach.             

Ken Kraetzer: How is Mike Glover doing this summer?  How do you foresee using him going into the season?           

COACH CLUESS:  I think Mike added a lot of perimeter skills to his game.  His shot has gotten a lot better.  He's putting the ball on the floor to drive it much better than he was a year ago.  [He] put on about seven to 10 pounds of muscle as well.  I think he'll be a tougher, more durable player than he was last year.  We'll use him in the inside‑out role, not strictly on the blocks anymore because he has improved that part of his game.             

Ken Kraetzer:  How is Scott Machado doing?  Do you see him having as good a season as last year?            

COACH CLUESS:  To be honest, I think Scott is a much better player this year than he was a year ago.  We asked him to drop some weight.  He lost about 12 pounds.  [He] worked on his shot as well as some quickness.  [He's] playing at a whole 'nother level.  [I'm] very proud with the effort he put into the game.            

Ken Kraetzer:  Can you tell us about Lamont Jones and how he'll work into the lineup this year?   

COACH CLUESS:  He adds leadership to our team.  We were missing [that] last year.  [We] made a deep run into the NCAA tournament last year.  I think that will be invaluable to our team to have a player who is a natural-born leader.  He is a guard that can play the 1, the 2, even some 3 for us because he is a physically strong kid—gives us more versatility in the backcourt.  I just like his competitive nature on the offensive and defensive end.             

Ken Kraetzer:  Going into your preseason, have you had to work more on offense or defense at this stage?           

COACH CLUESS:  We have about five or six new guys, so we've been doing both, to be honest with you.  I think it always starts with defense.  You put a little more time into that early on.  I think that's an area you have to be solid, especially coming to Puerto Rico, against all heavy hitters there.  If we don't come out working hard on that end, it could be not so pretty.             

COACH CLUESS:  It helps build your program.  It helps you make a statement that you're a legitimate team at that level.  It also helps your recruiting.  Anytime you can play these types of teams, you can show you can go out and play against anyone.  You are going to learn your weaknesses very quickly when you play against high‑level opponents.  That's what I like about it.       

When you get through a tournament like this, look at league play, you're not going to really see teams better in the league than what you're seeing in the preseason.  If you can get your guys competing, understand what they have to do going through the rest of the year, it helps all of our teams at that level.    

Ken Kraetzer covers Iona basketball and West Point football for WVOX 1460 in New Rochelle, N.Y. Reach him on kgk914@aol.com.

Yesterday, Iona basketball found out some fantastic news. After weeks of speculation, the NCAA announced that former Arizona guard Lamont "Momo" Jones will be eligible to play for the Gaels this season.

Last season, Jones was a major contributor for an Arizona side that reached the Elite Eight, averaging 9.7 points and 2.4 assists per game for the Wildcats.

After the season ended, Jones applied to transfer away from the desert and move back to his home in New York City to play college ball.

Originally it appeared that Momo was going to apply to play for Steve Lavin and St. John's. But Jones claimed that he never was contacted by the Queens school.

A major reason why St. John's probably didn't contact Jones was due to a recent NCAA rule that prevents players from playing at a school where a former coach is employed for the first two seasons. Current Red Storm director of basketball operations Mo Hicks coached Momo at Rice High School for two years.

Jones then had a chance to join any other basketball school in the New York City area. To the surprise of many people in the basketball industry, Momo decided to transfer to Iona College in New Rochelle.

Last season, Iona had a resurgence under new coach Tim Cluess that saw the Gaels win 25 games. Iona also went on to play in the MAAC championship game, where they lost to Saint Peter's.

Because of an NCAA rule that makes student athletes sit out a year when they transfer from one Division One school to another, Iona decided to apply to get a hardship waiver to have Jones play for the Maroon and Gold this season.

The reason Jones decided to move back home to play college basketball was due to the fact that his grandmother is battling Hepatitis C. Iona decided to use Jones' grandmother's illness as grounds for a medical hardship waiver to get Jones to play this season.

After receiving the news yesterday that he will be playing this season, Jones said in a statement, "I'm grateful to the NCAA for granting the waiver which allows me to be nearer to my family."

Now that Jones will play for Iona this season, he will join an already-strong group of players for this season.

Iona already has the best player in the MAAC in Michael Glover, while others, such as Scott Machado, Kyle Smyth, Jermel Jenkins and Sean Armand, were key players for the Gaels throughout the season.

With Coach Cluess' fast-paced offense and a team that is similar to last season, the Gaels go from one of the two best teams in the MAAC alongside last year's regular season MAAC champion, Fairfield.

But now with Jones starring for the Maroon and Gold this season, Iona is on a different level than any other college basketball program in the MAAC. 

Iona can also consider itself to be one of the top mid-majors in the country and is already a side that can be the surprise team in the NCAA tournament.

To start off their season, the Gaels will travel to Puerto Rico to face Purdue on November 17, and the first home game that the Gaels will play in will come on November 23 against Saint Joseph's (PA).

For more Iona basketball news, follow me on Twitter @Andrew_Jordan

Iona was already the favorite to win the MAAC, but now the Gaels have the addition of Lamont "MoMo" Jones. Jones, originally from New York City, played his first two years of college basketball at the University of Arizona.

After a solid freshman season, Jones boosted his numbers up as a sophomore. Last year, he averaged 9.7 PPG, 2.4 APG and shot 83 percent on free throws for the Wildcats, who took a trip to the elite eight in the NCAA tournament.

Jones chose to transfer to a school closer to home due to his grandmother battling an illness. In addition to Iona, he considered transferring to Seton Hall, Hofstra, and St. John's.

Following months of waiting for a hardship waiver, Jones was finally cleared by the NCAA on October 20 to play immediately for Iona.

Jones expressed his pleasure for the situation earlier today by tweeting, "It aint nobody in the country more happier than me right now!!!"

The addition of Jones has the potential to take Iona to the next level among mid-majors. Before Jones was cleared to play, the Gaels already had a very solid backcourt with Scott Machado, Sean Armand, Kyle Smyth, and Jermel Jenkins. Plus, Iona has NBA prospect Michael Glover in the frontcourt.

With MoMo, the Gaels will have more depth and talent in the backcourt than any other team in the MAAC. They will also have arguably one of the top backcourts among all mid-majors. 

Also, Jones adds some versatility to the backcourt.

"I can see him being the point guard, I can see him playing off the ball. I think he'll be a combination of both for us during the year," Iona coach Tim Cluess told SNY.

After finishing No. 2 in the MAAC last season, Iona now has the talent to be No. 1 in the MAAC in 2011-12.

Follow Jesse Kramer on Twitter @Jesse_Kramer for more college basketball news and information.

Earlier today, Adam Zagoria tweeted that Lamont “MoMo” Jones ended his search for a new school, choosing Iona over Seton Hall, Hofstra and UMass. Jones, a Harlem, NY native who decided to transfer from Arizona to be closer to his ailing grandmother, is hopeful of obtaining a hardship waiver from the NCAA to make him eligible for 2011-12.

If the NCAA grants Jones’ request, Iona will be the indisputable favorite to win the MAAC.

Jones, a quick guard who can knife through the lane and connect from mid-range, played the point for Sean Miller’s Wildcats last season. However, Iona already has an established floor general in Scott Machado, a rising senior whose 7.5 assists per game ranked second in the nation in 2010-11.

If the NCAA declares MoMo eligible for next season, he will slide over to the 2, which, despite his size, is his natural position—he has a scorer’s mentality and will benefit from being relieved of the onus of distributing.

Iona coach Tim Cluess prefers an up-tempo offense, into which Jones, who can run and drain pull-up jumpers on the break, should fit perfectly. Machado, who routinely connected with Michael Glover on alley-oops or Kyle Smyth for corner threes in transition, can now find a slashing MoMo.

Machado and Glover were both named to the All-MAAC First Team in 2010-11, and Glover, who averaged 18.4 points and 10.1 boards last season, will likely be voted MAAC Preseason Player of the Year this fall. Because of the aforementioned duo, Iona, even without MoMo, would be one of the MAAC’s two top dogs along with Fairfield.

The Stags return Derek Needham, an All-MAAC First Team selection, as well as Ryan Olander, who made the All-MAAC Second Team. Additionally, Colin Nickerson and Maurice Barrow both displayed flashes of brilliance in 2011-12, and Boston College transfer Rakim Sanders, who averaged 11.3 points for the Eagles as a junior, will be eligible.

Fairfield will be strong in 2011-12.

However, Iona has, arguably, the conference’s two best returning players as well as its top four scorers from last season's 25-win team. If the NCAA declares MoMo Jones eligible, the Gaels will also have a talented offensive player with experience in raucous environments and the Elite Eight—we all know he didn’t shy away from the spotlight in Arizona’s Sweet 16 upset of Duke.

If Jones is eligible, Iona will be the MAAC's team to beat.

Follow @Ari_Kramer on Twitter for more MAAC Basketball.

A fixture at Iona College basketball games for the past 17 years has been President James Liguori. Brother Liguori would stand and watch the games from just inside the gym door and say hello to everyone as they walked by. 

How many times over the years did we enter the gym for games and say hello to Brother and he would ask how we were doing?  He might thoughtfully ask how a parent was getting along, or how work was going, because he was always interested and approachable. 

This summer, after four terms guiding New Rochelle, NY-based Iona, Br. James Liguori, a member of the Christian Brothers, leaves office as well as a transformed campus. The reins will be passed to Joseph E. Nyre, PhD., formerly the President of the Hope Institute for Children and Families in Springfield, Illinois. 

Br. Liguori's tenure saw the Gaels flagship men's basketball team make the NCAA tournament four times between 1998 and 2006.  The four appearances resulted in first-round losses, but the Gaels had close two-point games with Syracuse in 1998 and against Ole Miss in 2001. This past year the Gaels were 25-12, winning three post-season games and hosting the national championship game of the CIT Tournament.

Other sports have also excelled at Iona, led by the men's cross country team, which in each of the last nine years has placed in the top ten nationally at the NCAA Championships.  Women's cross country has developed into a top program, winning the last six straight Metro Atlantic Conference Championships. And women's softball has emerged as a new powerhouse, winning the MAAC championship the past two years and its first NCAA appearance this year. 

Meanwhile, Iona student athletes posted a composite 3.20 GPA in 2010 with 116 athletes on the MAAC Academic Honor Roll.

During Br. Liguori's era, the Iona campus in New Rochelle was largely transformed from a mostly commuter school to a balanced campus with residential opportunities. Across North Avenue from the main entrance is a new dormitory complex. An extensive addition to the schools indoor athletic facilities was completed in January 2006 when a new practice gym, training facilities and a rowing tank were added to the renamed Hynes Athletic Center. A new softball complex with field turf was recently built on Rice Oval.  

Across from the Hynes Center is the $12 million Robert V. LaPenta Student Union, completed in 2005 next to the neat new turf of Mazzella Field. All of the new buildings feature an attractive redbrick Georgian style. Near the campus entrance, the Ryan Library completed a $14 million expansion in 2009. All strong accomplishments for a school founded in 1940 that now serves just over 3,300 undergraduates plus graduate students. 

Recently I had a chance to chat with Br. Liguori and ask him a few points about his 17 years leading Iona:

Q: What are you most proud about the athletic program at Iona? 

A: Aside from the facility enhancements and having built an extraordinary group of coaches, the academic quality of the athletes, and the fact they are truly part of the college community, they are much more than being from one corner of the campus, they are Iona people, that is most important. 

Q: What are the challenges in building new sports facilities? 

A: Finding the money to do it, the second is is to find the right combination of donor and facility, and the third challenge in a land locked campus like Iona is to find space to to it.  

Q: What are the memorable moments that standout to you? 

A: The trips to the "Big Dance" even though we did not advance beyond the first round, we came dangerously close a couple of times of getting into the second round. Listening to people like Kyle Smyth (senior basketball player), I was just speaking to one of the basketball players who was already working to make certain to do better in the MAAC Tournament than we did this year. Those kind of things are quite stimulating.

Q: Plans after serving as President of Iona? 

A: A sabbatical, then hopefully, something after the sabbatical that remains an open question. 

We wish Br. Liguori the best in his future endeavors and will miss him not being at the door welcoming us to Iona basketball games.

Iona Notes: Many Iona alumni gathered June 5th for the annual Iona Goal Club Hall of Fame Induction golf outing and ceremony which will be held at Wykagl Country Club in New Rochelle, NY. Inducted into the Hall were: 

- Mr. Joseph A. Bernardi '58, Men's Basketball

- Ms. Alison N. Higgs '05, Women's Softball 

- Mr. Patrick G. Lyons '96, '00MS, '04MBA, Golf, Hockey, Coach, Administrator, Athletic Director 

- Mr. C. Ronald Pascale '71, Cross Country / Track & Field 

2011 Donald E. Walsh '66 Award Recipients: 

- Mr. John J. Judge '71 & Mrs. Monica L. Judge '70

Ken Kraetzer received an MBA at Iona in 1986.  He covers Iona basketball and West Point football for WVOX 1460 AM in New Rochelle.  NY 

The Iona College Gaels went outside the school to hire Eugene Marshall Jr. as their new Athletic Director, replacing Pat Lyons, who left in March to take the AD position at Seton Hall of the Big East. 

Brother James Liquori, set to retire as Iona President this summer, made the announcement today commenting, "Gene’s passion, integrity and experience in the field of athletics will serve him well as Iona College’s next Director of Athletics, I’m delighted to have Gene on board as the leader of our athletic department.”

Iona has 21 NCAA Division I athletic teams and comes off a strong season by its flagship men's basketball team, which finished 25-12 and national runner-up in the Collegeinsider.com Tournament.  

This past year saw outstanding season by the men's cross country team which finished among the top three nationally and a first-ever individual national championship.  Iona has a history of supporting programs such as crew and water polo.   The Department has worked through a difficult period in which its popular football program was dropped. 

Marshall's prior position was as acting Director of Athletics for the past year at Ramapo College in Mahwah, N.J., after previously holding the position for seven years from 1998-2005. 

In between those two stints, he worked as the Deputy Director of Athletics at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY.  

“I’m very excited for the opportunity to lead Iona’s athletic department,” said Marshall. “I look forward to helping the coaches, administrative support staff and most importantly the student-athletes continue the College’s excellent academic and athletic tradition.”

At Army, Eugene Marshall worked for Athletic Director Kevin Anderson, who left last fall for the Athletic Director's job at Maryland.  For West Point, he served as Chief Operating Officer of the Athletic Department, supervising 25 varsity teams including football, men's and women's basketball, ice hockey and lacrosse. 

Among the functions he managed for the Academy were women's athletics, sports supervisors, facilities, operations and event managers, marketing and promotions, logistics, external operations, athletic communications as well as NCAA admissions and compliance issues.

During Marshall's first tenure at Ramapo, a seven-year run as Director of Athletics starting in1998, a period of rebuilding of the athletic program led to six straight years of the total team’s win/loss record of at least 19 games over .500.

His bio reads, "In his final year at Ramapo, 11 out of the 17 Roadrunner athletic programs participated in postseason play, highlighted by an NCAA Regional victory in softball, All-America honors for members of the track and field team, and an appearance in the men's basketball NCAA Elite Eight and Sweet Sixteen." 

Eugene Marshall served as head women’s basketball coach for six seasons at Ramapo, where the teams earned an ECAC Division III Metro Tournament semifinal round appearances on three occasions. 

Noteworthy under Marshall’s leadership, the student-athlete graduation rate increased from 40% to 75%.  He was also involved in the planning and building of the Bill Bradley Sports and Recreation Center, a $25-millon state-of-the-art facility.

Prior to his arrival at Ramapo, Marshall served as athletic director and head women's basketball coach at the College of Staten Island. and prior to that he spent 11 years at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he served as director of athletics and men's basketball coach among a variety of roles.

He received his undergraduate degree in 1981 from Northeastern University, where he was a member of the Huskies' men's basketball team under current UConn Head Coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Jim Calhoun.  He later completed his master’s degree in sports leadership.   

Jim Calhoun commented on the appointment,"Gene is one of the hardest working individuals and among the classiest guys I have ever had the privilege of coaching. As a former player for me and running partner with me, I know that Gene will do a phenomenal job at Iona and everyone associated with the Gaels should be excited about him becoming a part of their community.”

Marshall has served as President of the Black Coaches Association, noted University of Minnesota coach Tubby Smith,

“I’ve been very impressed with Gene Marshall as a leader and a person. Being a member of the BCA (Black Coaches and Administrators) and him having been the president of the BCA, his leadership is outstanding and I know it will be the same at Iona College.

"Having the professional background that he has, Iona is very fortunate to get someone with such integrity, knowledge, and experience to direct its athletic department.”

A resident of Hackensack, N.J., Marhsall has a son, Jason, who is a third-year assistant coach for the women’s basketball program at West Point. His daughter, Jacqueline, is a freshman with the women’s basketball program at Iona.

Eugene Marshall will be introduced at a press conference at Iona on Wednesday, May 11, at 1 p.m.