When Rick Pitino was hired to coach Iona College last March, some national sportswriters made Iona sound like a small college basketball school. Yet, Iona fans know that since Jim Valvano began elevating the program in the late 1970s, the Gaels have been a mid-major power with 14 NCAA Tournaments and 6 NIT Tournaments. They have dominated their conference – the MAAC – winning its tournament 12 times and regular season title 11 times.
But here’s my favorite stat – check out this ranking for most current consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, where Iona ranks 9th with 4 straight: 2016, 2017, 2018 & 2019 under its prior excellent coach Tim Cluess:
- Kansas 30
- Duke 24
- Michigan State 22
- Gonzaga 21
- North Carolina & Cincinnati 9
- Villanova 7
- Kentucky & Virginia 6
- Purdue 5
- Iona, Michigan & Seton Hall 4
Iona College basketball can be very proud to make this ranking with many of the best college basketball programs in the nation!