When Iona faces St. John’s at Madison Square Garden, Tim Cluess will be flooded with old memories
When Tim Cluess leads his Iona Gaels
When Tim Cluess leads his Iona Gaels
BY ELLIE LIEBERMAN SACRAMENTO -- With Iona's 93-73
When Jordan Washington was arrested in September 2014 for allegedly shoplifting less than $20 in DVDs from a Walmart in Iowa, he wasn’t sure he would ever play college basketball again.
Washington was committed to Arizona State at the time, but they soon parted ways with him.
“When I had that at junior college, I honestly thought that my basketball career was over,” the 6-foot-8 Washington said Monday as his Iona Gaels, the No. 13 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament, were preparing to face No. 4 Oregon on Friday in Sacramento, Calif. “I thought nobody was ever going to take the chance on me ever again.”
But Iona head coach Tim Cluess, along with assistants Jared Grasso and Brock Erickson, are known for giving second chances to talented, troubled players. Washington, who won two New York Public Schools Athletic League Class B titles at Pathways Prep in Queens, fit that mold.
Iona is headed back to the NCAA Tournament after a dramatic overtime win in the MAAC championship game.
No. 3 Iona edged No. 4 Siena, 87-86, in extra time in Monday night’s championship game at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.
Coach Tim Cluess and the Gaels (21-12, 12-8) are headed to their fourth NCAA Tournament in six years. They won the MAAC Tournament in 2013 and ’16, beating Monmouth last year. The Gaels improved to 9-0 against Siena in the MAAC Tournament. Iona is headed to the Big Dance for the 11th time.
The Gaels had lost twice during the regular season to No. 1 seed Monmouth, but avoided the Hawks when Siena stunned them on Sunday in the semifinals.
Entering the day, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi had Iona as the 15 seed in the South playing No. 2 Kentucky.
“We’re going to try to go far this time,” Jordan Washington, who hit two foul shots with 1.6 seconds left to make it 87-83 and finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds despite foul trouble, told reporters. “That’s basically it.”
IONA HEADED BACK TO THE DANCE!
Gaels edge Siena, 87-86 in OT, to win @MAACSports and advance to #MarchMadness for second straight year. pic.twitter.com/vsolegf1Pu
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 7, 2017
Iona is headed back to the MAAC championship game — and they won’t have to face Monmouth for the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
No. 3 Iona will face No. 4 Siena in Monday night’s championship game (9 p.m., ESPN 2) after the two teams took out the top two seeds in the semifinals on Sunday.
Iona downed No. 2 Saint Peter’s, 73-65, after Siena stunned top-seeded Monmouth, 89-85, in the first semifinal at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.
Coach Tim Cluess and the Gaels will play in their fifth straight MAAC championship game and sixth in the last seven years. They won the tournament in 2013 and ’16, beating Monmouth last year.
