Iona basketball has lost its mind by hiring Pitino

Iona has lost its mind. MAAC HOOPS IS NOT THAT DEEP. I grew up following the MAAC because Loyola(Baltimore) was in that league . Loyola left it a few years ago for the Patriot League, and one reason given was that the Patriot was a better Lacrosse league.
It was exciting when  Coach Patsos  took the Greyhound to the Dance in March 2012 .
If Pitino manages to stay in the NCAA and not receive the 15-year penalty, he'll be looking a for a big time job ASAP.
I'll come back from time to time to see how Slick Rick is doing.

March 16

 ....and it gets better: " #RobertLaPenta , top Iona booster, formerly partnered with Pitino in ownership of racehorses.

March 24

  Pitino wants Iona to Play Kentucky, but he won't Play Louisville . He's still tight with Calipari.

May 5, 2020

And the hits keep coming: Louisville received a notice of allegations from the NCAA that included one Level I allegation and three Level II allegations, including one against former Louisville and current Iona head coach Rick Pitino. Pitino was hit with a Level I allegation, which includes charges against former assistant coaches Jordan Fair and Kenny Johnson, involve the $100,000 offer that was made to former signee Brian Bowen Jr in 2017

May 13, 2020

Fallout continues:  Lasalle let Kenny Johnson, an Asst Coach and  a key figure in the NCAA's infractions case against Louisville , go.

Jan 21,2021

I'm revisiting Iona(5-3, 3-1 MAAC) since the Gaels recently played two Baltimore  city schools  that play in the MEAC. They beat Coppin St but lost to Morgan St. Iona's other losses are in conference to Fairfield and a blowout loss to Seton Hall (Big East)

#ISAIAHROSS is the Gaels leading scorer at 22.2 PPG

Feb 21, 2021

Iona shut down its regular season on Feb 21 due to Covid, but the Gaels, who are 6-3 in MAAC  play, are expected to return for the MAACT, which begins on March 8 in Atlantic City. Crazy season!

March 10

Isaiah Ross had 15 points as ninth-seeded Iona easily defeated eighth-seeded Quinnipiac 72-48 in a rd1 MAACT game.

March 21, 2021

At halftime of the Bama/Iona game, Barkley kept telling  the rest of the TBS panel that Bama will increase its one point lead and win by 12 or 14, and they kept telling him Pittino will find a way to win. Bama went on an 11-0 run late in the second half and won 68-55. Isaiah Ross scored 19 points for Iona and Herb Jones scored 20 for the Tide.

May 19, 2021

Pittino may have left Louisville , but the basketball program still has issues. #DinoGaudio, a former assistant coach for Chris Mack, was  federally charged for an attempt to extort  the Louisville program for 17 months of salary. He threatened to inform members of the media of alleged NCAA violations.

Also,  the NCAA case against Pittino is still being adjudicated through the Independent Accountability Resolution Process.

Nov 26, 2021

Wow, Pitino took Iona to Bama and won by curtailing their 3 -point shooting

Jan 26, 2022

Slick Rick is probably smiling this morning. Iona is undefeated in conference play and 17-3 overall including its upset win @  Bama earlier this season. Louisville is working on buying out Coach Mack who is facing some turbulence including players not buying in, etc. Furthermore, Louisville hasn't replaced its school President since since Neeli Bendapudi left for Penn State.

Feb  18, 2022

Pitino again denied knowledge of a $100,000 payment via Adidas made to Bowen to lead him to Louisville, and denied  knowing his accuser Merl Code, who's going to jail for nine months on corruption charges. NIL has made this kind of activity legal.

March 4, 2022

Pitino denied interest in the Terps job and his Iona(24-6, 16-3 CONF) squad went out and lost Manhattan(15-14, 8-12 CONF) in MAAC play. I doubt if Maryland was going roll the dice that much.

March 10, 2022

 I don't think Pitino is dancing this season. Rider 72 Iona 71 in the MAACT. Win over Bama earlier in the season won't be enough.

March 17, 2022

Iona gave FLA a he!! of an NIT game  but lost 79-74. NELLY JUNIOR JOSEPH scored 18 for the Gaels. Pittino   understands how to play SEC teams.

March 18, 2022

St Peters, who won the MAACT, Pitino's conference, knocked off Kentucky.

April 16, 2022

Pitinos arrange a home/home series. Iona travels to The Pit @ New Mexico during the 2022/23 season, and the Lobos will travel to New York during the 2023-24 season.  Lobos were terrible last season in the MWC so I'm guessing Dad's Iona squad wins on the road next season.

Dec 23, 2022

I was wrong on my April 16th hunch: Dad's team Iona lost at The Pit to his son's Lobos 82-74 on Dec 18.  Then Dad had a double-digit lead in Hawaii against SMU(AAC) and lost.

March 20, 2023

Wow, Pitino gets the St John's gig after taking Iona to to the Dance two out of three seasons. ST Peters got the MAAC ticket in 2022. I guess Iona got something out of his time there and weren't as crazy as I thought in my original post. Slick Rick has a daunting task with the Johnnies who have been to just three Dances since 2002.

Jan 20, 2024

After Pitino IONA 8-9 3-3(MAAC), Griffins beat Canisius 70- 58 last night. Meanwhile, the Johnnies are 4-3 in the Big East. Losses to UConn, Creighton, and Seton Hall

Iona's HC is Tobin Anderson who took FDU to the Dance last spring.

Coaching hoop moves or not, post Madness

Is it  the $$$ tempting  #chrismack to consider  leaving a solid hoops program at Xavier (BIg East) for the Louisville swamp?
#TubbySmith had Memphis close to a Dance ticket and he's gone as theyre chasing Penny Hardaway to take over.
#umbc doesn't have a lot of money but I suspect Odom stays.
#hurley sounds like he'll stay at URI.  A10 is a solid hoops conference Why would he take the #Pitt job?
Can #nevada keep the #Mussbus in it's garage?
Pitino Jr Gophers were bad. Is he out?
Pearl is in deep  crap again? Is he out at Auburn
Crean took the #georgia job? Not sure if that's a great fit.
Is Depaul thinking Moser, the Loyola Chicago HC should come on over?

March 22,2018

#padgett out! I thought he did a decent job. Is #utahst  his next stop? Pitt doesn't have enough issues. and now the #seanmiller rumors

March 23, 2018

#coloradost  raids the MVC and hires #Medved, who spent six seasons as an Asst at CSU and was 17-17 at #Drake last season.
Moser's stock rises

march 24 update.

 #markgottfried has had high & lows at Bama and NC St and has landed at Cal  St Northridge(Big West). Lorenzo Romar from St Louis to Washington with a one year pit stop as an assistant at  Zona is back at Pepperdine(WCC).   CUSA news: Dusty May  from Florida assistant to FAU.  Ron Sanchez from UVA assistant to Charlotte.   South Alabama  hired Nicholls State (2018 Southland co-champs) head coach Richie Riley.

march 25: 

#loyolachicago is in the F4. I bet Chicago sportswriters are typing : Wake up DePaul U.
#mtsu hires #McDevitt  who has won at least 20 games in three consecutive seasons at UNC Asheville  which includes trips to the NCAA tournament in 2016, the CIT in 2017 and the NIT this  season.

March 27

#uta (Sunbelt) needs a reality check after firing #scottcross who won 72 games over the past three seasons, including a Sun Belt regular-season title in 2016-17. #UMBC (America East) keeps Odom

March 28

Besides 4M a season for 7 years, Mack must've received assurances that #Louisville isn't facingmore penalties. Pitt hires #Jeffcapel, whose last HC stint at Oklahoma didn't go well.  Tubby Smith takes over at his alma mater High Point  of the Big South.
March 29 : Is Xavier looking at #Moser of Loyola Chicago. How about #UIC, another Chicago team in the #CIT final
April 5: #ECU  hired #JoeDooley of Florida Gulf Coast as its hoops head coach. It's Dooley's second stint at ECU and he faces a tough gig with a team that finished next to last in AAC.
April 9 : Not a big surprise- #lasalle (A10) is expected hire #AshleyHoward , a Villanova Asst, as Head Coach
april 13: #rodneyterry left fresno st for the #utep job. Hutson left the san diego st to take over at Fresno

April 16, 2018

#Patsos resigned from #sienna (MAAC) on April 13 after reports of allegations that he verbally abused a team manager. He left Loyola of Baltimore five years ago because they moved from the #MAAC  to the Patriot League, which was stronger in lacrosse and weaker in hoops. He has been a fiery coach with mixed results on the courts.  Apparently ,Belein's son   has a good chance at the job.

april 20, 2018

#fiu hasn't hired a hoops coach.Is this the curse of #isiahthomas

april 22, 2018

UNC Asheville hired #MikeMorrell , an assistant on Shaka Smart's staffs with Texas (2015-18) and Virginia Commonwealth (2011-15). Morrell knows the area from his VCU. I look forward to the High Point game when he faces Tubby in the Big South regular season.
Shaheen Holloway, a #setonhall, asst, has been named St Peters men's basketball coach.

april 26, 2018

Loyola-Chicago reached a new contract agreement with #Moser that will extend his deal through 2026 with what the Chicago Tribune called a big raise” on his $420,000 per year salary, 
Here's why from Moser : "I am a Catholic kid from Chicago who played in the Missouri Valley Conference,” . He played at Creighton when it was in the MVC.

May 3, 2018

#siena (MAAC)  keeps raiding MD schools for head coaches. They hired #JamionChristian of Mt St Mary's (MD) to replace Patsos, who was hired away from Loyola U in Baltimore MD a few years ago.

may 6, 2018

Cool scheduling : Rematch of the Sweet 16 thriller , Nevade/Loyola-Chicago, headlines the 2018 edition of the annual #mwc #mvc  Challenge. Medved, the new Colorado State coach,  will host #SIU. .

may 15, 2018

Donations up 660% for Loyola -Chicago. The school hasn't tallied the increase in licensing revenue.

may 19, 2018

#CUSA : #FIU hired  #jeremyballard, a long time assistant at  several schools Colgate, as well as Tulsa, Virginia Commonwealth, Illinois State, Pitt and VCU  to his first head coach gig. On a side note to the NCAA , please don't expand March Madness to 72 teams.

may 21, 2018

And now the Houston Cougars (AAC) may need a head coach. Orlando Magic are reportedly targeting Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson  who has had assistant jobs with the Bucks and Rockets

june 3, 2018

Detroit, Delaware State and Chicago State have been without a permanent person in charge of their basketall programs since mid-March 2018. On a side note, we used to pay to park on someones grass near #delawarest  and walk a mile to to Dover Downs Nascar race. 

June 6

#mikedavis is the new HC at Detroit-Mercy.  He's been around: Indiana, UAB , Texas Southern. He took Texas Southern  to four NCAA tournament appearances in six seasons

june 12

It took awhile for the local Baltimore papers to get the news via public records that #UMBC coach #RyanOdom will make $425,000 per season through 2023 -a 200K boost  as part of his new contract agreed to in March, which also  includes $75,000 for appearances and a number of incentives for postseason appearances.

June 14

Will a lot of NBA flavor work at #memphisU ? Hardaway adds #sammitchell , a former NBA Head coach and assistant  to his staff where he joins former NBA player Mike Miller.

June 17

#mtsu new HC  #McDevitt  had a brutal week David Simmons  (17.9 PPG)  and Tyrik Dixon intend to transfer while Antwain Johnson and  Davion Thomas were dismissed. from the team

june 26, 2018

#JohnnyJones who  went 90-72 in five seasons at #LSU, is taking over at #TexasSouthern. You may recall that he was the HC who didn't qualify for the NCAA tournament with a team that featured Ben Simmons.