Iona searching for answers as non-conference play concludes

Iona’s gradual progress was expected with new system being installed, but Tobin Anderson is hoping to see more from Gaels as December comes to a close. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

At 3-6 having just passed the de facto first quarter of its season, Iona’s results have not met expectations, both inside and outside the program.

The Gaels, who replaced all but Osborn Shema from a roster that won a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship last season, are — for all intents and purposes — an entirely reconditioned outfit under new head coach Tobin Anderson. And as Anderson implements his trademark pressure defense and uptempo offensive stylings, the transition process has dragged on perhaps longer than the architect would have hoped.

“The game for us has to be faster,” Anderson assessed as Iona welcomes Saint Francis University to the Hynes Athletics Center Sunday. “We’re not a great halfcourt offensive team, that’s not our strength. We don’t shoot the ball well enough. We knew this would be a challenge, we absolutely knew it would be a challenge. Has it been more of a challenge than I thought it might be? Maybe so.”

“I’m trying to figure it out as well,” senior swingman Wheza Panzo admitted. “I think it goes into practice. We’re still establishing rhythm. Obviously, learning the press and the motion offense took some time, but I think we’re getting better every game. We just gotta keep at it.”

Like most teams learning a new system for the first time, the Gaels have endured stretches where the on-court product looks like a team whose players had just met one another minutes before taking the floor. Conversely, there are also pieces of games where the five on the hardwood display the chemistry of a championship unit. Still, says Anderson, the message of winning the day is being harped upon as the Gaels find their way.

“We’re trying to get across how important every day is,” he emphasized. “We spend more time worrying about effort, attitude and things like that, and it’s hard to get better. It’s probably typical of a team coming together, but it’s also our ninth game. There’s gotta be some progress there. We gotta get better, that’s all there is to it.”

Panzo, a transfer from Stetson, has begun to blend in as one of Iona’s most trusted outside shooters. But the fifth-year senior did not shy away from accountability in the wake of a loss this past Wednesday to Hofstra, offering that veterans like himself, Joel Brown and Idan Tretout have dropped the ball as leaders while freshman guards Jean Aranguren and Jeremiah Quigley have made more of an impact in recent games.

“It’s definitely a work in progress,” Panzo said. “I feel like it’s lacking from us older guys, including me, and our young guys have really stepped up just pushing us. We gotta be better as the older guys. It’s on us really.”

“I watched (Hofstra) and a lot of times, it’s their players talking,” Anderson revealed. “With us, it’s just me talking. My voice is way too much right now. At some point, it’s gotta become their team.”

Four more games remain in the non-conference schedule for Iona to build momentum returning to the MAAC portion of the slate, which reconvenes on January 5 at Saint Peter’s. Anderson still believes his team will hit its best stride later in the season, but stressed the need for his pupils to take ownership of the task at hand to make the common goal a joint effort.

“A player-led team goes a lot farther than a coach-led team,” he said. “At some point, our voice can’t be the loudest voice in practice, warmups, games, all that kind of stuff. There’s gotta be some changes in how we handle ourselves. If we don’t do what we’re supposed to do, we get exposed. We’ve gotta get better as a team to be able to get ready for the conference season, but we’d like to win some games along the way as well.”