Kosy Akametu embraces uptick as next man up, continues to evolve for Iona

Kosy Akametu (13) has become more integral for Iona as Gaels restructure backcourt due to injury to Keshawn Williams. (Photo by Wendell Cruz/Imagn Images)

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — Iona’s supporting cast will need to take on an increased importance moving forward as the Gaels now navigate the remainder of the season without one of their veteran leaders.

Fifth-year senior guard Keshawn Williams tore his ACL in Sunday’s loss at Marist, and will miss the rest of his final collegiate campaign. The absence in the backcourt further underscores the next-man-up mentality on a Gaels team that has received all-star-caliber production from point guard CJ Anthony and forward Lamin Sabally.

One of Iona’s role players took a step toward filling Williams’ void Friday, and in the process, furthered his own growth in a season that becomes more revelatory with each possession.

Kosy Akametu made one of the biggest impacts in the Gaels’ 71-53 win over Niagara, tallying 12 points and 12 rebounds, five of which came on the offensive glass. The junior wing also added three assists and three steals without a turnover, but humbly deflected his individual contributions to instead promote the greater good.

“I’m not really looking at my own performance,” he conceded. “I know I’ll obviously get self-absorbed, but I just came out there and trusted my teammates. We went out there with the mindset of going out together, whether we win or lose together. So it was more just having my teammates trust me, and me trusting my teammates.”

Trust has been perhaps the most intangible, yet most conspicuous, component of this year’s composition of Iona basketball. Through an 11-6 start, multiple players have spoken intimately and glowingly of the trust they have with one another, as well as head coach Dan Geriot. And after each game ends, it seems as though the belief becomes a balloon of sorts that expands as it is inflated.

Friday was no exception.

“It’s still growing,” Akametu said of the trust factor. “The coaches, my teammates, they’ve still been very patient with me, and I’m truly grateful for that. That patience has been key for me to continue to gain my confidence back, and be back on that court and just play the game that I love.”

“I’m a patient man, that’s for sure,” Geriot joked when informed of Akametu’s comments minutes before. “You’ve gotta be able to fail correctly and then, right in the moment, get some of those habits of failing incorrectly out. He’s had some bad days where he leaves and I’m joyful. I’m enjoying it because I’m like, ‘oh, this kid’s really close to spinning this deal and getting his career going,’ and he’s leaving like, ‘can I play basketball?’”

“To me, that’s the process. That’s what we’re after. That’s what we recruited these guys for. You can’t get there on June 15, you can’t get there on November 1, you can’t get there on December 1, January 1. He’s gotta keep processing this, going through it, and then we’ll continue to build with him.”

Akametu missed time in the non-conference season with an injury suffered in the first round of the Paradise Jam against Akron, and Geriot was quick to highlight the importance of the Santa Clara transfer in the Gaels’ lineup. The coach has spoken about wanting to integrate him into the offense more pointedly, and his effort against Niagara is the first major step in that journey.

“He has to participate in what the team was doing, but he’s also the outlier at times that can just take off with his instincts,” Geriot said. “So for me, that’s where I felt good about that. That’s a real good game for him process-wise for where we’re going and what we need. I love it. I thought his process was so good.”

“That kid, he just comes to work every damn day, and that’s something that I know I can trust him in, that work ethic and in our routine. He follows that, lives it and loves it, so I think we’re benefiting from that.”