Takeaways from Iona's exhibition game

Tim Cluess addressed Iona's exhibition game Tuesday by saying he was largely encouraged in big picture on a night where Gaels raised $3,000 to aid hurricane relief efforts. (Photo by The Journal News)

NEW ROCHELLE, NY -- For the 24 minutes and 20 seconds in which Iona and Army West Point were able to play their impromptu exhibition contest Tuesday night, the Gaels' strengths and weaknesses were on full display inside the Hynes Athletics Center.

For starters, Iona's vaunted offense came out in full force through the opening minutes, scoring 23 points before what would normally be the 16-minute media timeout in the first half, only to see the defensive efforts compromised in allowing the visiting Black Knights to shoot 59 percent from the floor in their abbreviated 63-61 lead that turned into a de facto victory after the game was halted moments after halftime due to a slippery floor that was only aggravated by the oppressive humidity both in and out of the building. The main objective of the night was met, though, in the form of $3,000 raised by the Iona athletic department, with all proceeds from Tuesday's affair donated to assisting in relief efforts in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico as each area continues the recovery process from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.

In between, there were several observations, which will be highlighted in no particular order as Iona prepares for their season opener in Albany on November 10:

1) Rickey McGill took the first step toward potential first team All-MAAC recognition.

Each of the Gaels' three point guards to play for Tim Cluess before the junior from Spring Valley (Scott Machado, Momo Jones, and A.J. English) eventually added a first team all-conference honor to their resumes before leaving New Rochelle, with Machado and Jones being named Player of the Year in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference before calling it a career at the collegiate level. McGill had an understated 15 points in 20 minutes, but complemented his production with five assists and three steals as he assumes the mantle of premier point guard in the MAAC following the graduation of Monmouth's Justin Robinson.

Named to the preseason second team shortly before Tuesday's contest tipped off, McGill was quick to downplay the accolade, calling it "just another award" while declaring himself more focused on his team and helping Iona become only the third program in league history to win three consecutive conference tournaments. And as an extension of Cluess on the floor, he was quick to praise the work ethic of his teammates as they seek history this season.

"From last year, I feel like this group works harder than last year's team," McGill candidly admitted. "This team wants to learn so we can have everything ready for games like this. They just come out and work hard."

2) Zach Lewis provided a memorable first impression in an Iona uniform.

The more educated supporters among the Iona fan base will certainly recognize the fifth-year senior from his time at Canisius, where he was an All-Rookie selection and third team All-MAAC talent as a sophomore before transferring to UMass for his junior season. In just 22 minutes of action, Lewis torched the nets to lead all scorers with 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting, which included within its totals makes on six of eight three-point field goal attempts; but more importantly, earned high praise from his new coach, who saw his potential firsthand for two years from the opposing bench.

"If I could pencil him in for 27 points in 22 minutes anytime, I would do that," Cluess quipped. "Zach brings some leadership to our team. I think he just fits the way that we play. I think he's enjoying playing with the freedom that we have here. He gets up and down the floor, he shoots, he drives it. I think he's better getting to the basket than what we've had here since probably A.J. graduated, and he gets to the foul line as well, he makes plays for guys. He's becoming, in our estimation, a better all-around player."

3) Injury updates on some of the Gaels' role players:

Deyshonee Much, a preseason second team all-conference member, missed the contest due to a foot injury, but he is expected to be 100 percent in ample time before the November 10 season opener at Albany. Schadrac Casimir played 17 minutes as he continues to recuperate from three hip surgeries over two years, but is admittedly still not all the way there in his rehabilitation.

"In practice, he has been progressing fairly well," said Cluess of Casimir's road back. "I think now is a big step from practice to a game. He's gotta have the confidence to go out and just play, and play with a little more abandon than what he's playing with right now. He looked like he went out tentative out there, and he hadn't been doing that a lot in practice. I'm hoping to see him -- over the next couple of games and into the early part of the year -- start to put his game into a little bit of another gear and get back some of that freshman year confidence."

In addition, fifth-year senior TK Edogi played sparingly after battling illness over the past few days, something Cluess acknowledged when he admitted he did not know if he would be able to suit up. Freshman Gavin Kensmil did not dress, as he is nursing a fracture in his foot and is in a walking boot.

4) E.J. Crawford taking on more of an interior game?

The hero of last March's MAAC championship game spent most of his time on the floor as somewhat of a paint presence, something the Gaels are desperately lacking after the graduations of both all-league forward Jordan Washington and valuable reserve Taylor Bessick, and even though he is only 6-foot-5, Crawford does present mismatch opportunities in Iona's athletic attack, which predicates itself on floor spacing.

"I'm hoping for him to start to become a more physical player than he was as a freshman," Cluess said of his reigning All-Rookie Swiss Army knife. "I think he can still knock down shots, but I think he's got to rebound better. We can't have him going out getting one rebound in 15 minutes of playing time. That's an area that, in fairness to him in practice, he had been doing a better job at that. He's got to battle more in there. We don't have a Jordan Washington who is going to grab a lot of those rebounds."