Jeremiah Quigley’s burgeoning confidence and trust blossoming at right time in Iona’s ascent through MAAC

Jeremiah Quigley (3) goes up for layup in Iona’s game against Fairfield on February 2. The freshman point guard has been an integral piece in Gaels’ resurgence. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — Jeremiah Quigley was always a part of Tobin Anderson’s vision this season. The setting was just changed before the reality started playing out.

Quigley, the shifty point guard with a deceptive jumper and knack for clutch moments, had committed to play for Anderson at FDU, along with teammates Jean Aranguren and Dylan Saunders. In the wake of the Knights’ historic upset of Purdue in last March’s NCAA Tournament, Anderson replaced Rick Pitino at Iona and took the trio with him as he reconstructed a roster that was gutted by the transfer portal, retaining only one player in Osborn Shema.

Quigley dazzled in the preseason and summer practices, and after a feeling-out process where Iona  spent the non-conference season establishing an identity, appears to have found a groove as the Gaels have climbed back into the top half of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference standings.

“We knew going into it that he’d be a good player for us,” Anderson said of Quigley, a 5-foot-11 Maryland native. “He’s got no fear, makes plays, he’s not afraid to go in there. He hasn’t been consistent, but he’s getting better at that. He’s got an edge to him, a chip on his shoulder and wants to prove himself a little bit.”

“He played in one of the best leagues in Washington, D.C., in the WCAC. That’s DeMatha, Paul VI, O’Connell, he’s a Bishop McNamara guy. It’s a great high school league, so if you could play well in the WCAC, you can be a good player at a high-level college. He had games last year against Paul VI where he had 30-something points. We knew when we signed him and Jean, they were going to be high-level guards in our conference. And they’ve proven to be good guards.”

Quigley has taken the ball and run with it, so to speak, in recent weeks as Idan Tretout’s ankle injury has opened the door for Iona’s deep backcourt to see additional minutes. The freshman turned heads Friday with a career-high 20 points in the Gaels’ win over Fairfield, then backed it up less than 48 hours later with an additional 17 markers as Iona held off a late rally by Rider to secure a weekend sweep and move within a half-game of second place in the MAAC.

For Quigley, the ability to merely be himself has taken center stage in the latest arc of his development, a simple tenet reaffirmed by the trust of his coach and his teammates that he will excel no matter the situation.

“It’s meant a lot, especially coming from Tobin,” he said of the shared belief instilled in him. “He has so much confidence in me, he tells me every day, just be aggressive, just be you. And when I’m me, good things happen. I’ve just gotta get out of my head and just be myself. I like the way Tobin just lets his players play. He won’t hold you back. If you make a mistake, there’s always the next play. He just wants you to be aggressive and make plays.”

“I’ve gained a lot of confidence. Like I said, that’s Tobin putting that confidence in me, telling me to stay aggressive, keep being me, and whatever happens, happens.”

Greg Gordon, who scored 63 points across Iona’s two most recent contests with Quigley riding shotgun, has served as a mentor of sorts to his younger teammate throughout the year. The junior swingman grinned from ear to ear when assessing his point guard’s evolution, almost as if he were prouder of it than Quigley himself.

“Man, you’ve seen it!” Gordon proclaimed. “I’m happy for him. I hang out with this dude every day, so to see him from when he first got here and saying, ‘hey, I don’t know how this is gonna go for me’ and ‘I don’t know if this is the fit, I don’t know if I can do it like this,’ at some point, it was either shut up or buck up. He bucked up and he got to where he needed to be, and there’s way more room for improvement. But if there was an award for most improved (player), he’s got it.”

When asked what particular piece of Quigley’s maturation impressed him, Anderson gave an honest answer.

“Everything,” the coach deadpanned. “I just think he’s getting better and better. I don’t think he’s missed a practice. He had a shaky summer, but he kind of adjusted to things, and he’s been really good. Him and Joel Brown play well together because they can both play off each other a little bit. He’s been really good.”

Quigley’s skill set has risen in tandem with Iona as a whole, and at the most opportune of times. The Gaels are a stark contrast from how they appeared in November and December, a credit to a close-knit group finding their way and allowing its individual parts to grow equally on their own, as well as in a team setting. And if Iona has, as Gordon put it following Friday’s win over Fairfield, another ceiling to tap into, the shattering of the proverbial glass will likely have the lightning-quick rookie spearheading it.

“We always knew JQ was like that from the beginning,” Wheza Panzo observed. “He’s been playing that way since the summer. We knew he was going to break out, it was more that he has his opportunity and Coach has more trust in him. He’s just doing what he does.”