Iona vs. Duke highlights difference in recruiting philosophy between done-and-one and one-and-done

By ADAM ZAGORIA

PITTSBURGH — When Zach Lewis opted to transfer after graduating from UMass a year ago, he chose Iona for both academic and athletic reasons.

On the academic front, he’s now in Iona’s sports communication and media program and is “getting a Master’s for free basically, which is perfect,” he said here Wednesday.

On the athletic front, he was friendly with Jon Severe, the former Fordham player who spent last season at Iona, and made the NCAA Tournament. Lewis has essentially replicated Severe’s experience by also making the NCAA Tournament as the Gaels won their third straight MAAC Tournament title.

Iona has two grad transfers on its roster now as well as a junior college transfer (Roland Griffin), and has had about half a dozen grad transfers in the last eight years under head coach Tim Cluess. They’ve also had additional players who transferred but weren’t grad students.

As the No. 15-seeded Gaels (20-13) get set to play No. 2 Duke (26-7) in a Midwest Region first-round matchup here Thursday, their recruiting philosophies underscore their different approaches to building a team.