By Joe Budzelek
On Friday night, a late second-half surge led by Dejour Reaves and James “Biggie” Patterson sparked Iona’s first win of the season after the Gaels defeated the Vermont Catamounts 62-to-59.
In the post-game, Iona head coach Tobin Anderson was asked whether last night’s victory was a “must-win” situation: “I didn’t feel that way,” said Anderson, “I want to win and you need a win for validation. Winning validates what you are doing. I’ve been doing this a long time and watching practice, I know that we’re a good team, we just haven’t played that well yet. But these guys, they need to feel a little juice from having success, but it’s my fault for the schedule playing these tough games [early on].”
Entering the game, both Vermont and Iona started the year impressively in their season openers – Vermont defeated UAB in Birmingham, last year’s AAC Tournament championships, while Iona was narrowly defeated when they visited heavily favored Princeton Tigers – but both teams struggled in their next two games, particularly in a shooting funk as the teams collectively shot under 40% from the field and 30% from three.
Making only one-third of their field goal attempts in the first half, the Iona Gaels’ cold spell continued as the Vermont Catamounts entered halftime with a 31-to-22 lead as Vermont’s TJ Long and TJ Hurley were dominating the scoring thanks to their precise perimeter shooting.
Five minutes into the second half, a flagrant foul by Iona’s Jalen Barr set up a fifteen-point deficit, Iona’s largest of the night, but soon after, a Kernan Bundy three-pointer was quickly followed with Iona forcing a turnover against Vermont, which started a sequence of key plays shifting the momentum to Iona’s favor. A minute after Bundy’s three, freshman guard Adam Njie Jr. hit an exclamation three that was also soon followed up with another forced turnover, cutting Vermont’s lead to six.
With seven minutes to go, St. Thomas Aquinas transfer James “Biggie” Patterson began to cap off a career night as the junior forward hit his second three of the game and then immediately picked-six the next basket following his pressure from the press. “Coaches have been on us to play hard the whole time,” said Patterson, “So once I hit that three, it was time to get on defense. Even though I hit a big shot, I had to make a big stop on the other end.”
After averaging year 24 points-per-game in his last season at STAC – which was Tobin Anderson’s last coaching stop before moving up to the D1 level at FDU – Patterson struggled to score in his first three games, totaling twenty points on 8-for-25 shooting, but Patterson exploded for 18 points – 11 in the second half – last night. “The past three games, I was kind of in my head a lot, just trying not to mess up and make mistakes,” added Patterson, “But then coaches were talking to me and said just play your game. The way we play, we will make mistakes, so just do what you do and we recruited you do be a dog. So today, I had all the confidence in the world. Every good play I made or every bad play, coaches were like ‘hey, next play, let’s keep it going.”
Senior guard DeJour Reaves has been Iona’ steady scorer throughout the season as he is the only Gael to hit double-digits in points in every game. Finishing last night with a season high 22 points, Reaves was a key calming presence at the end of game, scoring eight points in the game’s final five minutes.
“It’s all about confidence,” said Reaves, “The coaches have helped us a lot, especially through these last three games when we were struggling, so they encourage us to keep our heads up.”
Overall, the team looked completely different in the second half. The plucky energy and effort has never been an issue, but the flow on offense and the connection on defense was much more apparent throughout the game’s final fifteen minutes.
When asked about the team’s improved movement and synergy on offense, Patterson said “the coaches have been heavy on ball movement and getting the guys cutting. We watched a lot of film throughout the last three games and we were just stagnant. So now, [Coach Anderson] put in motion plays to keep us moving.”
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| Iona freshman guard Adam Njie Jr. starts up a possession in the second half in front of a near-capacity Hynes Center crowd. |
Motion offense has been a staple of Anderson’s offensive schemes and the added flow perplexed the typically stout Vermont defense by opening up space for Reaves and Njie Jr. to penetrate and facilitate close to the basket. “[Reaves and Njie Jr.] have to make plays for us, they’re our best two playmakers,” said Anderson, “Teams will guard us by playing off our guys who can’t shoot. Vermont’s smart and they’re really well coached: there was no room to drive, but we got to get movement and we’re learning how to play when good teams guard us.” Most notably, 2024 America East All-Conference First Team selection Shamir Bogues is one of the most tenacious defenders in the Northeast, so the fact that both Reaves and Patterson were able to shine is a testament to the team’s improvement.
Naturally, last night’s win has injected some swagger in the locker room and the team’s spirits, both from the players and the coaching staff, has gotten a boost. “We know more about our team right now then some teams that are 3-1,” says Anderson, “We found out stuff about us losing – what’s working well, how we play together – and overall, it’s going to help us.”
The reality is that, in a one-bid league like the MAAC, the record from non-conference play has nothing to do with a team’s ability to reach the postseason and the team’s next matchups against West Virginia and Cornell will continue to stretch the comfort level of the Gaels.
Also, the team will continue to get healthy. Flagler (D2) transfer Jalen Barr made his season debut and showcased his gritty, veteran play that earned him two-time honors as the Peach Belt Conference Defender of the Year. The veteran guard played key minutes for the Gaels down the stretch. Saint Joseph’s transfer Christian Winborne is scheduled to return next month and Anderson pegged him as the team’s most impressive guard during summer workouts. Overall, with freshmen Jacob Hogarth, Jojo Wallace and Justin Menard all taking a seat last night, this also previews more of the rotations Iona are more likely to feature in close games.
More importantly, last night’s win was a glimpse into what this Iona Gaels team can become. It will take time and the patience of Gael Nation, but this team is certainly looking more cohesive now then last year’s group did at this time.
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