The college basketball offseason is here, and we decided to have some fun over the next few months, ranking ALL 364 teams in D1. Number 136 is Iona basketball.
Before you say we’re crazy – or that all of this is up for debate, let’s go over the very intricate process of how we came to this conclusion. We took a very statistical approach – with the help of Chat GPT – taking into consideration everything from March Madness wins and finishes, to AP Poll appearances, to conference players of the year. And then, a good friend of ours, Scott Blanchard, took our approach to the MAX.
Click here to visit the FIRST article, which explains how the formula works!
Here’s the breakdown of Iona basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 0
- Final Fours: 0
- Elite Eights: 0
- Sweet 16s: 0
- NCAA wins: 1
- Bids: 16
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 15.8
- Bids per season: 0.22
- AP Polls: 1
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 0
- NBA players drafted & played: 5
- Conference Players of the Year: 10
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 13
- Conference tournament titles: 14
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 0
Overall scoop on Iona basketball
The series has really brought us to a bunch of MAC and MAAC teams, with Iona basketball as the latest to join the party.
The Gaels have been one of the destination programs for coaches looking to make the next step forward. From Jim Valvano to Kevin Willard to Rick Pitino, countless notable names have graced the sidelines in New Rochelle, N.Y.
But the best to do it for Iona was actually Tim Cluess. From 2010 through 2019, Cluess went 199-108 and brought Iona nine straight winning seasons. In his first season, the Gaels went 25-12. In the following eight, they either won the MAAC regular season title or the MAAC Tournament, winding up with six NCAA Tournament appearances. In 2012, they even got an at-large bid to the big dance. Unfortunately, none of his teams ever won a game in March Madness, but you could almost always bet on them getting there.
After Cluess, Pitino really put the Gaels on the national map. The Hall of Fame head coach went 64-22 in three seasons, with two trips to the NCAA Tournament. He, of course, left for St. John’s. And since then, the program has dipped a bit, but did go 18-14 last season under first-year head coach Dan Geriot.
But even before the Cluess/Pitino era, coaches were always doing well at Iona. Kevin Willard spent three seasons in town, and a 21-10 record in year three helped him land the job at Seton Hall. Jeff Ruland was very up and down, leading them to the NCAA Tournament three times, but also going 2-28 in his final season in 2006-07. Tim Welsh had three straight 20-win campaigns and won the MAAC regular season all three times, helping him land a job at Providence. From 1980-86, Pat Kennedy went 124-60, also dominating the MAAC and setting up a head coaching gig at Florida State. And the legendary Jim Valvano won 95 games in just five seasons, capped off by a 29-5 record in 1979-80, which included the program’s first and only win in the NCAA Tournament. The Gaels took down 11-seed Holy Cross before losing to 3-seed Georgetown in a close contest. Valvano would famously coach at NC State after this season. And Ruland was the star player of the squad.
Speaking about stars, there was one in particular long before these teams. Future New York Knicks player Richie Guerin played for Iona in the 1950s. He is in the Basketball Hall of Fame after being named an All-Star six times and scoring almost 15,000 points in his career.
It should also be noted that Walter Clayton Jr. starred for the Gaels before heading to Florida and winning the 2025 National Championship with the Gators. For decades, Iona has churned out great players, great coaches, and a great winning culture!