The Iona Gaels men's basketball team represents

Iona University Iona University is a private Roman Catholic university with a main campus in New Rochelle, New York. It was founded in 1940 by the Congregation of Christian Brothers and occupies a campus of in New Rochelle and a campus of in Bronxville, New ...

New Rochelle New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state of ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Division I competition. The school's team competes in the

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC, ) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I. Of its current 11 full members, 10 are located in three states of the northeastern United States: Connecticut, New Jersey, and ...

(MAAC) and plays home games in

Hynes Athletic Center The Hynes Athletics Center is a 2,578-seat multi-purpose arena in New Rochelle, New York. It was built in 1974 and is home to the Iona College (New York), Iona College Iona Gaels, Gaels basketball and volleyball teams. In 2005, the building was ...

. On March 14, 2020, the Gaels hired

Rick Pitino Richard Andrew Pitino (born September 18, 1952) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach for Iona College. He was also the head coach of Greece's senior national team. He has been the head coach of several teams in NCAA D ...

as their head coach.

History

Iona University has been competing in Division I basketball since the school's inception in 1940. Iona is also one of the founding members of the

, which began play in men's basketball with the 1981–82 season. The Gaels have compiled the most victories of any MAAC team since the founding of the conference and have won a league record thirteen MAAC tourney titles (1982, 1984, 1985, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021). They have appeared in the NCAA tournament in 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021, with the first two of those appearances coming as a member of the Metropolitan Conference and in 2012 as an at-large selection out of the MAAC. The Gaels have also been to 7 NITs, in 1982, 1983, 1996, 1997, 2014, 2015 and 2022. In 2011, the Gaels made it to the final game of the CIT post-season tournament, losing at home to Santa Clara. Since the 1978-79 season, the Gaels have won 20 games or more in 23 seasons.

Postseason

NCAA tournament results

The Gaels have appeared in 15 NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 1–15. Iona's only NCAA Tournament victory to date, which took place in 1980, was vacated by the NCAA due to their star Center, Jeff Ruland, having signed a contract with an agent for professional representation a few months prior. Thus, NCAA record books attribute to them an 0-15 record in NCAA tournament games. The Gaels first five losses in NCAA tournament play were by a combined 11 points, including a heartbreaking buzzer-beater by Syracuse University in 1998. + Indicates Final Four participant.

NIT results

The Gaels have appeared in the

National Invitation Tournament The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York City ...

(NIT) seven times. Their combined record is 1–7.

CIT results

The Gaels have appeared in the

CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament The CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) was an American men's college basketball postseason tournament founded by Collegeinsider.com. The tournament was oriented toward schools that did not get selected for the NCAA Division I men's ...

(CIT) one time. Their record is 3–1

Victories over ranked opponents

* Nov. 30, 1979: Iona 78, #14

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

52 (Bucker Field House) * Feb. 21, 1980: Iona 77, #2

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

60 (

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

) * Dec. 27, 2002: Iona 65, #22

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

56 (

) * Nov. 26, 2005: Iona 89, #23 Iowa State 72 (

Ames, Iowa Ames () is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States, located approximately north of Des Moines in central Iowa. It is best known as the home of Iowa State University (ISU), with leading agriculture, design, engineering, and veterinary medici ...

) * Nov. 25, 2021: Iona 72, #10

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

68 (HP Fieldhouse, Orlando, FL)

Gaels in the NBA

Richie Guerin Richard Vincent Guerin (born May 29, 1932) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played with the National Basketball Association's (NBA) New York Knicks from 1956 to 1963 and was a player-coach of the St. Louis/Atla ...

(Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, 2013) *

Jeff Ruland Jeffrey George Ruland (born December 16, 1958) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He is the former head coach of the Iona Gaels men's basketball team and the UDC Firebirds men's college basketball team. Early life an ...

(1984 All-Star Selection) * Steve Burtt, Sr. * Sean Green * Scott Machado

References

1. About the MAAC https://maacsports.com/sports/2017/6/20/GEN_0620175706.aspx 2. https://icgaels.com/facilities/hynes-athletics-center/14 3. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/28902504/rick-pitino-returns-college-basketball-iona-coach 4. Logo Library https://icgaels.com/sports/2017/6/26/logo-library.aspx 5. What is a Gael? https://icgaels.com/sports/2007/2/23/what-is-a-gael.aspx

External links

* {{Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men's basketball navbox