Iona College head coach Rick Pitino was named 2021-22 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year, as voted on by the league’s 11 head coaches.

In just his second season at the helm of the Gaels, the Hall of Fame coach and his Iona squad posted a league-best 17-3 record and 25-6 overall mark, securing the No. 1 overall seed in the MAAC Championship field for the first time since 2018-19. The Gaels won their MAAC-leading 11th Regular Season title and the team’s 80.6 win-loss percentage this season was the 17th best percentage in the country.

Under the leadership of Pitino, Iona has been a force to reckon with throughout the year, ending the regular season as MAAC leaders in 11 different categories. Offensively, the Gaels paced the MAAC in scoring offense, scoring margin, assists, assists per game, assists to turnover ratio, field goal percentage, and free throw attempts. On the defensive side of the ball, Iona was the conference leader in blocks, blocks per game, three-point field goal defense, and total rebounds.

Along with Pitino, two of his players earned end of season hardware, with the graduate combo of Tyson Jolly and Dylan van Eyck being named as MAAC Player of the Year and Sixth Player of the Year, respectively. He also coached a quartet of all-league players in 2021-22, with Jolly and Nelly Junior Joseph garnering First Team honors, Elijah Joiner being named to the Second Team, and Walter Clayton Jr. making the All-Rookie Team.

Pitino becomes Iona’s seventh overall Coach of the Year and it is the program’s first since Tim Cluess won it in 2018-19.

https://maacsports.com/news/2022/3/6/rick-pitino-named-maac-mens-basketball-coach-of-the-year.aspx