Elijah Joiner rediscovers his love for basketball as his new coach falls for simple charm of Iona

Elijah Joiner has put his past behind him, soaring to new heights and uplifting himself and his teammates at Iona. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — In one corner stands a four-year player, broken in some ways, humbled in others. He, like so many others both in and out of his chosen profession, has fought battles within himself to remain where he is, scarred but still standing.

In another corner stands a legend of the coaching ranks, the only man in history to win national championships at multiple schools. Ostracized and cast aside after scandals left his reputation sullied and turned an immortal into a pariah, he was tossed a life preserver to once again do what he loves and end his storied career his way, on his terms.

Both player and coach crossed paths in the spring, uniting to go to war together. Bound by a common desire, their connection was forged by a rekindling of what attracted them to the same walk of life.

Elijah Joiner came to Iona from Chicago by way of the University of Tulsa, and at an emotional crossroads having grown up without his father around to watch him develop from boy to man, as Broderick Joiner was stationed in Iraq during a tour of duty in the United States Army. The two reunited when the elder Joiner returned stateside, and shared a memorable moment in 2020, when Elijah’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer helped Tulsa defeat Wichita State.

“When you’re in college, it’s a lot of mental health that goes along with things, and I’m a big believer in mental health,” Elijah said of his life experiences and the brightened outlook he has had since signing with Iona, where he runs the Gaels’ offense as the point guard and primary ball handler. “A lot of people don’t understand it from the outside looking in, so sometimes that can be something that can hold you back from something that you love, and it kind of held me back from basketball.”

“Being able to come to New York, which is a new place, meeting new people, having new teammates and just being comfortable having my own mental health right is making me fall in love with the game again, and I’m just happy that I’m able to do that. When you’re comfortable within yourself, you’re going to be comfortable doing anything that you do. I’m comfortable with my mental health and everything that I’ve been through in my life, so now I’m at the point where I’m just having fun. I’ve got a smile on my face at all times, my teammates are making me laugh, so I’m just enjoying myself out there.”

Playing point guard carries with it a grueling set of demands, which only intensify at a place like Iona under a Hall of Fame coach in Rick Pitino. That does not matter to Joiner, who is not only unfazed by the specter of being the extension of a coach with six decades worth of experience, but buoyed by effusive and overflowing confidence that has enabled him to thrive in his current situation.

“I feel like I gotta make a lot of decisions,” Joiner said of the marriage between his game and Iona’s style. “That’s a situation that I’m comfortable in. This is my fifth year and I’m a grad transfer, and Coach Pitino trusts me with the ball. Having the trust from a guy like that is only going to give you confidence, so whenever I’m out there, I’m comfortable having it.”

Rick Pitino looks on as Iona battles Hofstra. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

Rick Pitino, much like Elijah Joiner, fought through his own adversity after his acrimonious departure from the University of Louisville in 2017.

What some may consider a penance, Pitino simply calls another way to share his vast basketball knowledge and passion for the game, that being his Euroleague stint with Greek club Panathinaikos, where he coached before being lured back to the college game by Iona athletic director Matt Glovaski to replace the ailing Tim Cluess, who had to abdicate his title as head coach due to health reasons.

It took only four months for the Hall of Famer to make an impact in his new line of work, authoring perhaps one of his more impressive turnarounds by taking an Iona team limited to just 12 regular-season games by virtue of four separate COVID-19-related shutdowns — one of which was a program-record 51 days — to an improbable Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament championship and subsequent automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. But while a younger Pitino may have consumed himself more with the accolades, the current version of the longtime coach has grown to enjoy simply being around his players, finding mere joy in the little things that make the game great for people of all ages.

“This is the best attitude team,” Pitino gushed after Iona defeated Hofstra in the third game of its season. “I took Quinn (Slazinski) out of the game after he made a great move, and he was the best cheerleader on the bench. He was up like the biggest cheerleader on the court, so for me, it’s a great treat coaching these guys.”

“They’re such great people and they pull for each other so much that they all look up to Elijah. He’s the leader. Dylan (van Eyck) is a leader, we’ve got great leadership out there. My whole postgame speech was how lucky I am as a coach, after 40-some-odd years, to coach you guys because of your attitude. You don’t see this today in most kids, and then Quinn did this: After I told them how proud of them I was, he said, ‘Guys, you see the stat sheet?’ And he ripped it in half. We don’t care about that. We care about winning.”

Winning off the court carries as much value to Pitino as his team’s victories on the hardwood, and his presence in the locker room and as an influence for better or worse has helped him view every place he has been as a triumph of sorts, his coda to an historic tenure included.

“The one thing I’ve done throughout my lifetime is I consider every job between the lines a great job. I thought Panathinaikos in Greece was a great job. People would ask me, ‘Why do you think it’s a great job?’ I said, ‘that’s where I’m at.’ And I consider this an awesome job, because that’s where I’m at. I tell recruits all the time, you don’t have to worry about me leaving. I’m here because I’m from New York, and I wanted to end my career in New York. It just so happens that it’s Iona College, and I'm very lucky to have this job.”