College basketball: Takeaways from Iona's weekend, Pitino on transfer portal 'free agency'
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NEW ROCHELLE - With more player empowerment from NIL and new NCAA transfer rules that no longer require athletes to sit out a year upon transferring for the first time, there's no doubt that the college basketball landscape has changed tremendously.
While the pros and cons continue to be discussed as players, fans and coaches adjust to the impact these changes have had, conferences like the MAAC have always been transfer-heavy.
Iona head coach Rick Pitino is ready to possibly embrace the transfer portal even more, especially as his team deals with injuries to key players, limited depth, and youth.
"We're really, really injured, really short-handed, and really banged up," Pitino said. "I told my staff this. I made a mistake, because as I watched Siena with like 10 upperclassmen, I have five freshmen, one became ineligible and that was a mistake. I was building for the future. You can't build for the future anymore.
"It's free agency. It's the (transfer) portal, and you've got to have juniors and seniors, so I made a mistake. I didn't expect Quinn Slazinski to go down. I didn't expect Walter (Clayton Jr.) to go down, I didn't expect Berrick (JeanLouis) to go down for three weeks, but it's a lesson learned. It's new times, I understand it, and there will be no more freshmen recruiting except for one or two a year."
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The ailments, combined with the wide gap in overall experience, plus strong play by Siena, proved to play a role in Iona's 70-53 loss to Siena on Friday night.
The MAAC-leading Saints dismantled the Gaels in the second half, outscoring them, 37-17, to win the game.
Siena's senior trio of Michael Baer (18 points, 12 rebounds), Andrew Piatek (18 points) and Jackson Stormo (17 points) led the way.
For Iona, Nelly Junior Joseph had 15 points and nine boards. Berrick JeanLouis added 13 points and three blocks. Walter Clayton Jr. chipped in 10 points.
On Sunday, the Gaels overcame a disastrous start against Quinnipiac. They trailed by as high as 18 points, before dominating the second half to win, 78-72.
Clayton led the Gaels with 17 points and six rebounds. Junior Joseph added 15 points and 11 rebounds. Daniss Jenkins had 15 points, six boards and six assists, while Cruz Davis had 13 points.
"We were down, we got embarrassed (by Siena) and stuff like that simply can't happen," Clayton said. "Our focus immediately went to the Quinnipiac game, we had to get our revenge. We know they're a good team, so it was kind of down this weekend, but we got it back."
Some takeaways from the Gaels' weekend:
Iona's injury bug isn't getting better
Players like JeanLouis and Clayton have returned after missing a few games, but Quinn Slazinski, who was on pace for a career-best season after averaging 11.3 points over seven games, and Michael Jefferson (bone bruise) seem to be long term.
Pitino shared that Slazinski is done for the season, but still has one more year of eligibility remaining. He does not have an exact time table on Jefferson, who has not played since Jan. 1, noting his bone bruise injury is "taking longer than expected."
Freshman Keither Florence was also recently diagnosed with COVID-19 and will be out.
Gaels fight the good fight
After a disappointing road trip at Siena, it looked like Iona was going to fold after a tough first half against Quinnipiac back home.
The Bobcats built a 45-28 lead, until Iona stormed back with increased urgency on both ends of the floor.
In the second half, the Gaels limited Quinnipiac to just 6-of-27 shooting (22.2%) and forced 12 turnovers.
Offensively, Iona racked up 50 second-half points as a team, shooting 46.2% on the floor after the break. They got a balanced effort, with four different players scoring in double figures, but also bench boost from first-year Iona player Anton Brookshire, who went on a personal 7-0 run to help fuel the comeback.
"I think this shows how resilient the whole team is," Iona forward Osborn Shema said. "Coach was talking about fighting the good fight, and even though we were down, it doesn't mean we have to give up. We never gave up, this is who we are."
Iona's ability to adjust is something to watch for
The Gaels' promising start hit numerous speed bumps after various injuries and setbacks following the new year. This is the third weekend in a row where they split MAAC games.
Iona remains in the hunt, but depth will be a key factor in the postseason, when it's do or die for the opportunity to go to the NCAA Tournament. The Gaels have shown glimpses where others are ready to rise to the occasion, but also moments where they've fallen short due to lack of experience on the bench.
"Right now, we're playing with a lot of heart," Pitino said. "Obviously, you saw it with Siena. We had to substitute and I think our freshmen are going to be good players down the line, but outside of Cruz (Davis), they are not ready to play."
Defense remains a calling card for the Gaels, especially if they can channel a similar effort from the second half of the Quinnipiac game against future opponents.
"If we don't play shutout defense, awesome defense, then for us, it'll be very difficult to win," Pitino said. "That was indicative of the first half. ... Second half, we started pressing more and I've been handcuffed a little bit because of all the injuries with pressing, and I had to wait more for the latter stages of the second half to do it, but it was a gutsy performance.
"Down 18, I told them possession by possession wins this game. This was an incredible comeback."
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Rick Pitino on transfer portal 'free agency,' Iona basketball takeaways
