Even with his Iona team starting 6-0 in MAAC play, Rick Pitino is still not satisfied with Gaels’ performance, citing high expectations. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)
MAAC Monday returns from a one-week hiatus with a closer look at Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference favorite Iona, as well as the Niagara team against whom the Gaels improved to 6-0 in league play Sunday afternoon, before refreshing the MAAC’s stat leaders and power rankings moving toward the midpoint of the conference season.
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — With a name the caliber of Rick Pitino arriving nearly two years ago, expectations naturally ramped up for an Iona team that had been no stranger to accolades over the past decade, with Pitino’s predecessor, Tim Cluess, having taken the Gaels’ program to six NCAA Tournaments in his nine years at the helm, winning five MAAC postseason championships and earning just the second at-large bid to the field of 68 in league history. However, the exact magnitude of heightened goals was never fully on display to the public eye, even as Iona emerged from a 51-day COVID pause last season to cut down the nets once more in Atlantic City.
This past weekend provided a closer glimpse.
With MAAC rival Monmouth being swept at the hands of Saint Peter’s and Marist, the Gaels took advantage of the opportunity to distance themselves from the Hawks and the rest of the pack, first powering past Manhattan in an 88-76 final Friday whose ultimate margin was closer than the game let on before running away from a scrappy Niagara unit in the second half on Sunday to score a 78-55 runaway that pushed Iona to 14-3 on the season.
“I didn’t come to Iona for mediocrity,” Pitino declared after the win over Manhattan. “I came for greatness, and greatness is every phase of the game of basketball. I’m not talking about talent, I’m talking about execution, so they executed like great players (Friday), and they shot free throws like a bad basketball team. I’m not happy with the team, I’m just not happy with the team. Not pleased at all.”
“You look at the record. I look at how you’re playing. I’ll take 10-5 or 10-6 if we’re executing, playing great, rather than that, so I don’t think we’re playing great basketball right now, and that bothers me. So where I’m at for the season right now, I’m not pleased.”
A displeased Pitino is only scary for the rest of the MAAC, and the one man who knows him more intimately than anyone else in the league confirmed that the current lack of pride in the results will only make Iona more formidable.
“It’s Rick Pitino,” Manhattan head coach Steve Masiello — Pitino’s longtime deputy at Louisville — simply stated. “I know what’s going on there. I know what those offseasons are like, I know what those preseasons are like, I know what those nights are like after a loss. That’s a serious man right there. He’s the best to ever do it.”
“It’s frustrating to know what he’s going to do, when he’s going to do it, and you still can’t stop it. But at the end of the day, he’s so meticulous with his execution and his detail that it’s really hard to stop what he does. That’s why he’s so good. A lot of people know it’s coming and it’s really hard to stop it, but that’s why he’s Rick Pitino.”
***
Niagara has held opposing teams under 70 points in 10 of its 15 games, a credit to the defensive principles and commitment to connection and cohesiveness that Greg Paulus has spent the past three years on Monteagle Ridge honing to perfection.
“We’re making progress,” Paulus admitted after Sunday’s loss. “And this will be a great opportunity for us. I’m proud of how our group is getting better, and we’ve seen that from when we came back from pauses and breaks and different things like that. We’ve just got to keep getting better, keep learning from these experiences, and hopefully we can be a little bit better in the next few days.”
What Paulus can build upon is a backcourt that has taken shape in lockstep with his front line. The progression of junior college transfer Noah Thomasson has enabled Marcus Hammond to regain his off-ball touch to lead the MAAC in scoring, with Justin Roberts providing a steady complement to the two. Up front, Jordan Cintron and Sam Iorio have used their versatility and rebounding prowess to form one of the more deceptively strong tandems in the paint.
“Noah is a guy who can put pressure on,” Paulus said, praising Thomason’s defensive skills. “He’s somebody that handles the ball, plays the one, plays the two. He’s a good decision maker with the basketball, he’s shooting the ball better and better, so for us, he’s someone that has a lot of responsibilities handling the basketball, and we’ve continued to see progress out of him.”
“We’ve seen their versatility, Jordan a little bit more putting the ball on the floor and attacking guys, he’s also shot the 3-ball. Sam’s a guy who’s probably more outside than inside, but he’s given us some size. He’s doing a great job rebounding, which is important for us, so the different combinations with him and then having Greg Kuakumensah, Touba (Traore) and Nicholas (Kratholm) coming in, each one kind of presents something different. So we’re just trying to find the right combinations at the right times.”
Scoring Leaders
1) Marcus Hammond, Niagara (17.2 PPG)
2) Jose Perez, Manhattan (16.5)
3) George Papas, Monmouth (15.5)
4) Matt Balanc, Quinnipiac (15.1)
5) Shavar Reynolds, Monmouth (15.1)
6) Tyson Jolly, Iona (14.9)
7) Ricardo Wright, Marist (14.9)
8) Jao Ituka, Marist (14.6)
9) Walker Miller, Monmouth (13.9)
10) Malek Green, Canisius (13.9)
Rebounding Leaders
1) Kevin Marfo, Quinnipiac (10.2 RPG)
2) Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona (8.6)
3) Supreme Cook, Fairfield (8.1)
4) Fousseyni Drame, Saint Peter’s (7.9)
5) Dimencio Vaughn, Rider (7.6)
6) Jackson Stormo, Siena (7.1)
7) Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson, Rider (6.8)
8) Nikkei Rutty, Monmouth (6.6)
9) Dwight Murray, Jr., Rider (6.2)
10) Malek Green, Canisius (6.2)
Assist Leaders
1) Jose Perez, Manhattan (5.3 APG)
2) Kevin Marfo, Quinnipiac (4.3)
3) Dwight Murray, Jr., Rider (4.2)
4) Ahamadou Fofana, Canisius (3.6)
5) Dylan van Eyck, Iona (3.4)
6) Caleb Green, Fairfield (2.9)
T-7) George Papas, Monmouth (2.9)
T-7) Noah Thomasson, Niagara (2.9)
9) Jacco Fritz, Canisius (2.9)
10) Elijah Joiner, Iona (2.8)
Field Goal Percentage Leaders
1) Josh Roberts, Manhattan (.662)
2) Greg Kuakumensah, Niagara (.623)
3) Dylan van Eyck, Iona (.596)
4) Warren Williams, Manhattan (.593)
5) Jordan Cintron, Niagara (.574)
6) Jao Ituka, Marist (.571)
7) Supreme Cook, Fairfield (.563)
8) Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson, Rider (.548)
9) Fousseyni Drame, Saint Peter’s (.521)
10) Jackson Stormo, Siena (.510)
Free Throw Percentage Leaders
1) Daryl Banks III, Saint Peter’s (.909)
2) Doug Edert, Saint Peter’s (.893)
3) Shavar Reynolds, Monmouth (.889)
4) Marcus Hammond, Niagara (.871)
5) George Papas, Monmouth (.857)
6) Matt Balanc, Quinnipiac (.846)
7) Dwight Murray, Jr., Rider (.844)
8) Jordan Cintron, Niagara (.842)
9) Walker Miller, Monmouth (.825)
10) Quinn Slazinski, Iona (.821)
3-Point Field Goal Percentage Leaders
1) Anthony Nelson, Manhattan (.467)
2) Samir Stewart, Manhattan (.447)
3) Colby Rogers, Siena (.441)
4) Ricardo Wright, Marist (.430)
5) Nick Hopkins, Siena (.415)
6) Walter Clayton, Jr., Iona (.409)
7) Tyson Jolly, Iona (.403)
8) Matt Balanc, Quinnipiac (.403)
9) Tyrese Williams, Quinnipiac (.400)
10) Caleb Green, Fairfield (.391)
Steal Leaders
1) Jordan Cintron, Niagara (1.9 SPG)
2) Anthony Nelson, Manhattan (1.8)
3) Elijah Buchanan, Manhattan (1.8)
4) Nick Hopkins, Siena (1.8)
5) Dimencio Vaughn, Rider (1.6)
Blocked Shot Leaders
1) KC Ndefo, Saint Peter’s (2.4 BPG)
2) Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona (1.8)
3) Jordan Jones, Marist (1.2)
4) Josh Roberts, Manhattan (1.2)
5) Berrick JeanLouis, Iona (1.1)
Power Rankings
1) Iona (14-3, 6-0 MAAC)
Last Week: 1
Last Game: Sunday 1/16 vs. Niagara (W 78-55)
Next Game: Tuesday 1/18 at Monmouth, 7 p.m.
2) Siena (6-6, 3-1 MAAC)
Last Week: 7
Last Game: Friday 1/14 at Marist (W 67-60)
Next Game: Friday 1/21 at Manhattan, 7 p.m.
3) Saint Peter’s (5-6, 3-1 MAAC)
Last Week: 8
Last Game: Sunday 1/16 at Rider (W 58-51)
Next Game: Tuesday 1/18 vs. Canisius, 2 p.m.
4) Quinnipiac (9-6, 4-3 MAAC)
Last Week: 4
Last Game: Sunday 1/16 vs. Fairfield (W 72-66)
Next Game: Wednesday 1/19 vs. Rider, 7 p.m.
5) Manhattan (9-5, 2-2 MAAC)
Last Week: 5
Last Game: Sunday 1/16 vs. Canisius (W 80-75)
Next Game: Tuesday 1/18 vs. Niagara, 7 p.m.
6) Marist (8-8, 3-4 MAAC)
Last Week: 6
Last Game: Sunday 1/16 vs. Monmouth (W 84-48)
Next Game: Sunday 1/23 vs. Fairfield, 2 p.m.
7) Monmouth (10-5, 2-2 MAAC)
Last Week: 2
Last Game: Sunday 1/16 at Marist (L 84-48)
Next Game: Tuesday 1/18 vs. Iona, 7 p.m.
8) Niagara (7-8, 2-4 MAAC)
Last Week: 11
Last Game: Sunday 1/16 at Iona (L 78-55)
Next Game: Tuesday 1/18 at Manhattan, 7 p.m.
9) Fairfield (8-9, 2-4 MAAC)
Last Week: 3
Last Game: Sunday 1/16 at Quinnipiac (L 72-66)
Next Game: Thursday 1/20 vs. Monmouth, 7:30 p.m.
10) Canisius (5-11, 1-4 MAAC)
Last Week: 9
Last Game: Sunday 1/16 at Manhattan (L 80-75)
Next Game: Tuesday 1/18 at Saint Peter’s, 2 p.m.
11) Rider (5-10, 1-4 MAAC)
Last Week: 10
Last Game: Sunday 1/16 vs. Saint Peter’s (L 58-51)
Next Game: Wednesday 1/19 at Quinnipiac, 7 p.m.
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