NEW ROCHELLE — For the second year in a row, the Iona men’s basketball program and coach Tobin Anderson were forced to hit the reset button.
Unlike last summer, however, the Gaels are fielding a completely new lineup. Last year they had forward Osborn Shema as the only holdover from the Rick Pitino era, but this year there are no returning players from the 16-17 season.
Iona made a public introduction to its 15 new players with an open workout on campus Tuesday night.
“I think we did a really good job and time will tell, obviously,” Anderson said of rebuilding the roster in his second year with the Gaels. “We can talk all we want in August, but what happens in winter will make a difference. We had to get to that point and build that culture. I was demoralized that night (when Iona lost 77-60 to rival Manhattan). I wasn’t demoralized when the guys were leaving.
“If you don’t want to be here and do what we have to do to be successful, we better go somewhere else and we’ll find guys who want to be here. All these guys want to be here and they all want to compete. They’re all here for the right reasons and I feel really good about it.”
Iona said goodbye to its last remaining player of the 2023-24 season on March 22 when then-freshman guard Jean Aranguren opted to transfer, leaving the Gaels’ roster completely empty.
Anderson and his team have worked hard to replenish the ranks ever since. The new team completed its 38th summer practice on Tuesday night.
“It’s just reality, this is where we are right now, you have to manage it, accept it, you can’t complain and you have to find a way to be successful in this era,” said Anderson, referring to the changing recruiting landscape that it also impacted other schools in the MAAC and similar level conferences. “It’s not that easy. You used to plan things 2-4 years in advance.
“We didn’t try to build an all-star roster. We tried to do a better job of building a team and finding guys who could help us win in a lot of different ways. We went back to our roots as far as defense, who could play our rhythm, our tempo. We love gym rats, guys who have a chip on their shoulders.
List reconstruction
Iona’s 2024-25 roster features a wide mix of promising freshmen through to experienced transfers of all ages who have played at the Division I level or found success at the Division II or junior college ranks.
“I wouldn’t say this is a new team, honestly to me it feels like I’ve known these guys for 2 or 3 years,” said forward Clarence Rupert, who previously played at Saint Peter’s and Southern Illinois. “We all hang out with each other every day. We get here 20-30 minutes before practice and laugh with each other in the locker room until about 10 o’clock at night. … This team gets along, we all come together . together and I feel like we’re going to backtrack and cause some problems.”
Freshmen:
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#1 Jacob Hogarth, 6-9, 210, F
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#2 Adam Njie, 6-3, 175, G
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#12 Josh Michigan, 6-4, 195, G
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#23 Jojo Wallace, 6-3, 175, G
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#24 Justin Menard, 6-3, 175, G
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#31 Connor Horan, 6-8, 230, F
Second year students:
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#10 Comeh Emuobor, 6-5, 205, G
Juniors:
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#0 James ‘Biggie’ Patterson, 6-7, 200, G/F
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#7 Luke Jungers, 6-9, 175, F
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#8 Christian Winborne, 6-2, 185, G
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#25 Kernan Bundy, 6-3, 190, G
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#32 Yaphet Moundi, 6-8, 205, Jr.
Elderly:
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#3 Dejour Reaves, 6-0, 170, G
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#4 Clarence Rupert, 6-8, 240, F
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#33 Jalen Barr, 6-4, 185, G/F
First impressions
Improving defense and rebounding has been a major point of emphasis in the Gaels’ 38 offseason practices.
Iona showed a glimpse of that defensive intensity and fast-paced style in limited scrimmages on Tuesday. Scoring wasn’t easy, especially early in the evening.
“It’s still a work in progress, but because my game is defense, I love the defense we’re playing right now,” said senior Jalen Barr, a two-time Division II Defensive Player of the Year at Flagler College. “Offensively, it’s still a work in progress. We didn’t touch on it much during the summer sessions. We’re still learning that part, but everything looks good in my eyes. It’s a great start.”
With the basketball team situated for the summer on a largely empty campus, developing chemistry has been key.
The coaching staff organized trips, boat trips around New York City, golf outings, softball games, and other activities to break up the routine.
On the court, it has been anything but light.
“I’ve never had a team where all 15 players were straight dogs,” said senior Dejour Reaves, who transferred from Northern Colorado. “We got here, we fought, blood everywhere, every day on the court. After that, it’s just love.”
There is still a lot of work ahead, but coaches and players are optimistic for a better season.
They feel a solid foundation is developing but have been cautiously optimistic.
Last year, the Gaels went 10-10 in MAAC play. After an up-and-down regular season, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the MAAC Tournament and finished the year with a 16-17 record.
No one is getting ahead of themselves yet.
“Just communication, that’s what’s going to bring it all together,” Reaves said. “We say it all the time: just take 1% a day. You don’t need to go from 1% to 50%, just one step at a time. You don’t need to take a big leap.”
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
This article originally appeared in the Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Tobin Anderson and Iona men’s basketball optimistic after roster rebuild
