Iona basketball: With help from former rival, Rick Pitino's Gaels rock Ivy favorite

NEW ROCHELLE - While Iona needed nearly 12 minutes of game time Monday night to shake off the jitters, fans at the Hynes Center were far quicker to spot Steve Masiello.

The Westchester native and former Manhattan College coach, who was fired just 12 days before the Jaspers' opener, sat directly over Pitino's shoulder throughout Iona's 2022-23 season debut.

"I asked him to help me personally and to come to practice, sit behind the bench," said Pitino, who noted Masiello has attended six or seven practices already. "Obviously, he was my New York Knick ballboy. I was best friends with his dad. He was an assistant coach with me at Louisville. He knows me probably better than anyone except my son Richard. So he's a great coach."

Their surprising reunion generated plenty of buzz at the sold-out arena. So did the Gaels, who punished Ivy League favorite Penn, dominating to the finish of a 78-50 victory behind newcomer Daniss Jenkins and a core of returners who fueled a MAAC regular-season title last season.

"We had a good team last year, but this year we've got a lot of pieces," said senior Quinn Slazinski, who, with 16 points, was one of four starters in double figures. "It's a 100% Coach P's team. Every person he's hand-picked and he knows the recipe. It was a good start."

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The defense forced 18 turnovers and provided a shock of energy after a slow start that saw Penn lead 17-11 a little over 12 minutes into the contest. But once Iona turned on the press, it sparked a 36-4 surge between the end of the first half and beginning of the second.

At one point, the Gaels scored 21 straight.

"Once we went on that run, it was electric," Jenkins said. "We took the game over after that."

Jenkins, a junior point guard who transferred in from Odessa College, has been the subject of much Pitino praise this preseason. He lived up to the hype, scoring 19 points to go with six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

"It was very good to see how we came together," Jenkins said.

"We're very fortunate to have him," Pitino said. "That's what you have to do at Iona. you have to get great players that people don't realize they're great. That's a big key for us. With the NIL (name, image, likeness deals) right now, that's crucial."

Pitino also celebrated what he considers more good fortune: The chance to reconnect and support Masiello.

The two shared lunch almost immediately after Manhattan let Masiello go less than two weeks ago. Although Iona doesn't have a coaching position open to make the team's relationship with its former rival official, Pitino expects Masiello to be a fixture here all season.

"Tonight he gave me four great suggestions," Pitino said. "I'm going to lean on him because he's knows the MAAC extremely well."

Pitino, who was hired by Iona in 2020 following two years out of the college game, was cleared last week by an independent panel of any wrongdoing, bringing an end to a five-year NCAA investigation that led to his dismissal at Louisville. Although the circumstances appear to be different, Pitino said Masiello's firing triggered memories of the loneliness he suffered after losing the job.

"It's a terrible experience," Pitino said. "I don't want Steve to go through what I went through and he's not going to because he'll be part of this situation."

Josh Thomson is the Sports Editor for The Journal News, Poughkeepsie Journal and Middletown Times Herald-Record. He can be reached by e-mail at jthomson@lohud.com, on Twitter at @lohudinsider, and on Instagram at @lohudinsider.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Rick Pitino, Steve Masiello team up as Iona basketball beats Penn