Iona's Rick Pitino
AP
This was August. Lengthy earlier than the video games began to rely, greater than a month earlier than preseason practices even started.
The Iona males’s basketball group was in Greece, beginning a 12-day worldwide tour with the primary of 5 exhibition video games. And head coach Rick Pitino was treating each possession as if the Gaels’ season trusted it. He was throughout his new gamers as quickly because the ball was tipped.
“He was simply yelling,” Elijah Joiner recalled with fun. “I didn’t even know what he was yelling about.”
Joiner jokes about it now. It was his official introduction into his new life enjoying for the legendary coach.
“He coaches each recreation prefer it’s the nationwide championship,” the purpose guard mentioned. “It modifications your mindset as a participant. Nothing may be taken without any consideration.”
After guiding Iona to the NCAA Match final 12 months regardless of a season-fracturing 51-day COVID-19 pause, and almost upsetting second-seeded Alabama within the opening spherical, Pitino has raised the bar in Yr 2. The Gaels knocked off Alabama in a rematch, carried out effectively in opposition to a non-conference schedule ranked thirty ninth within the nation and are excellent by means of nearly half of their Metro Atlantic Athletic Convention schedule. The Gaels (17-3, 9-0) personal 9 wins away from house (tied for probably the most within the nation) and have a NET rating of 54. There's even discuss that they might run the desk within the MAAC, and be part of the 1989-90 La Salle group as the one faculties with an ideal season within the convention’s 41-year historical past. That might put them in place to obtain an at-large bid to the NCAA Match in the event that they don’t win the MAAC Match.
“Our coaches assume we are able to and as a group we predict we are able to as effectively,” Joiner mentioned.
Added Joiner’s backcourt mate, Tyson Jolly: “I got here right here to assist Iona dominate the MAAC.”
Iona set itself up after final season ended by touchdown three starters — Joiner (Tulsa), Jolly (SMU) and Quinn Slazinski (Louisville) — within the switch portal. Joiner, the group’s vocal chief, was the primary domino to fall.
Joiner wasn’t conscious that Iona was now being coached by a Corridor of Famer when the varsity expressed curiosity. He despatched his highschool coach, Mike Oliver, a textual content message asking if he must be within the MAAC program.
“THAT’S RICK PITINO,” Oliver wrote again in all caps. “OF COURSE.”
After committing, Joiner spoke to Jolly on the cellphone. The 2 had confronted one another a couple of instances within the American Athletic Convention, and had mutual respect for each other. Jolly, who appreciated the thought of teaming with Joiner and enjoying for Pitino, quickly joined the Gaels. Then got here Slazinski, a proficient wing ahead. They added to a robust core of holdovers, led by reigning MAAC Rookie of the Yr Nelly Junior Joseph, a bodily ahead who this season is averaging 13.6 factors and team-highs of 8.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks.
The Gaels have extra expertise, improved depth and power-conference measurement. They're ranked 56th within the nation in defensive effectivity and lead the MAAC in blocked pictures (6.3), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.27) and scoring margin (7.9). Pitino’s favourite qualities are this group’s versatility and expertise. The Gaels can grind you out and run-and-gun. The roster is previous for school — 5 key gamers are at the very least 22 years of age.
“It’s a mature group, so it’s enjoyable,” Pitino mentioned. “I like my group.”
All of it begins with the demanding coach, who hasn’t let up in any respect on the age of 69. He’ll textual content his teaching employees in the course of the evening about areas by which the group can enhance whereas he’s watching a West Coast recreation. After the upset win over Alabama on Thanksgiving Day, earlier than his group had even eaten its postgame meal, he was telling his gamers they might’ve gained by extra had they boxed out higher. The day after video games, there's a movie session the employees calls “The Good, The Unhealthy and The Ugly.” Following Iona’s 17-point win over Siena on Tuesday, Pitino counted 25 Good clips and 39 Unhealthy ones.
“We will come off a 30-point win and he’ll act like we simply received beat by 30 and we haven’t gained a recreation all 12 months,” Jolly, the group’s main scorer at 14.9 factors per recreation, mentioned. “Even if you assume you’re doing all the pieces proper, even if you assume you’re doing all the pieces he advised you, he needs extra. You all the time must take your recreation to a different stage.”
Pitino all the time backs up his criticism by telling his gamers it’s about March. He has huge objectives for this group and this program, and he refuses to settle. He needs Iona to sooner or later change into the Gonzaga of the East Coast, a mantra he has repeated since his arrival. He believes this group can win video games within the NCAA Match with the suitable draw — video games, not a recreation.
“Perceive why I’m teaching you so laborious,” he tells them.
Two bracketologists, Brad Wachtel of Information and Bracks and Dave Ommen of Bracketville, imagine Iona might be in at-large territory if the Gaels go undefeated within the MAAC. The final time the convention earned two NCAA berths was in 2012, one among solely two events that has occurred in MAAC historical past. So long as Iona doesn’t lose multiple or two league video games the remainder of the best way, the Gaels ought to at the very least find yourself with a extra favorable matchup than a MAAC group would historically obtain. Proper now, Iona is projected as a 12-seed, in line with Bracket Matrix, which averages out 93 event projections.
“They’re positively going to get a seed higher than the everyday MAAC group will get,” Wachtel mentioned.
This clearly isn’t your typical MAAC group. Iona clearly doesn’t have a typical MAAC coach. And the gamers don’t have the expectations of a typical MAAC program.
“We,” senior ahead Dylan van Eyck mentioned, “wish to make historical past.”
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