A friend forwarded me a Sports Illustrated (“SI”) post with an article dated November 27, 1978 and entitled “The Top 20.” It was the preseason ranking for the 1978-79 college basketball season, and Jim Valvano’s Iona College Gaels were ranked #9. That was a great season for the Gaels as they finished 23-6. Iona lost to Penn in the 1st Round of the NCAA Tournament 73-69. The Penn Quakers then went all the way to the Final 4, eventually losing to Magic Johnson’s Michigan St. Spartans, who beat Larry Bird’s Indiana St. squad in a legendary championship game in 1979. Below is the link to the full SI article, followed by the section on Iona in bold/maroon:
https://vault.si.com/vault/1978/11/27/the-top-20
9 IONA
“Realistically speaking,” says Iona College Forward Dave Brown, “we’re going to go all the way.” All the way to where, Dave? The ECAC playoffs? The NCAA East Regional? “ALLLLL the way!” says Brown, who is a psychology major and, obviously, a devout believer in the power of positive thinking. But just because you have never heard of Brown—or, perhaps, even his school—don’t think that he is all the way out of his head. He and the rest of the Gaels have reason for optimism, though Brown’s claim that Iona will win the NCAA title is a bit much.
With eight players returning from a team that had a 17-10 record—the most wins for the Gaels since 1958—and three good recruits, the obscure Christian Brothers institution located in New Rochelle, N.Y. should out-duel Syracuse for supremacy in the East. The most impressive of the holdovers is 6’9″ Center Jeff Ruland, likely the nation’s top freshman last season. Ruland, a 240-pound bruiser who is almost impossible to stop inside, led first-year players in scoring (22.3 points a game), rebounding (12.8 a game) and field-goal percentage (.594). But despite Ruland’s statistics, his backup, 6’10” Kevin Vesey, another sophomore, may have more natural talent. Vesey, who was recruited to play the pivot (Ruland was slotted for a forward spot) blocked a team-high 42 shots last season while playing only 10 minutes a game. His flair for the dramatic had the fans at John A. Mulcahy Campus Center chanting “Ve-sey! Ve-sey!” almost before he removed his warmup jacket, but frequently that was the high point of his performance. “When Kevin finally figures out why he is running around in short pants, he’s going to be a hell of a player,” says Coach Jim Valvano. If Vesey sees the light, Brown’s vision of a national title might not be all that outlandish.
More probably, Brown will have to content himself with fulfilling a personal goal, which is to replace Richie Guerin as Iona’s second-leading career scorer. Teaming at forward with Brown will be senior Lester George, while a pair of transfer students—Mike Palma, a deadly shooter who made the ACC all-freshman team at Wake Forest two seasons ago, and massive Alex Middleton, a 6’6″, 215-pound junior college All-America from Deer Park, N.Y.—give Valvano unusual depth.
Iona suffered six of its 10 defeats in 1977-78 by a total of 14 points, and its most glaring weakness, the lack of a steady play-making guard, was evident in most of them. Tony Iati, a 5’9″ freshman from York, Pa. who is a careful ball handler and crisp passer, could free Glenn Vickers, the Gaels’ second-leading scorer, with a 17.4 average, to concentrate on firing his jumper and filling a lane on fast breaks. If Iati matures rapidly, Kevin Hamilton, a member of the starting lineup in 1977-78, would then bring his hot shot off the bench.
With a schedule that includes a trip to Nevada-Las Vegas, rematches with Detroit and Holy Cross, and a probable confrontation with Syracuse in the final of the Carrier Classic, the Gaels would seem susceptible to burning themselves out before playoff time, but Iona’s arduous road schedule of a year ago, when it played at both Kentucky and North Carolina State, should begin paying dividends this season. The Gaels ought not be worn down or intimidated by the big-name competition this time around. And Valvano will be watching to make sure that they aren’t. “I don’t want our kids to peak too early,” he says, obviously agreeing with Brown that Iona can expect to be playing some pretty important games come March.
Thanks to high school friend Joe Blaney for forwarding me this SI article he found online.
Jim Maisano
CollegeHoopsChat@gmail.com