Iona going to the dance

[Wags]

Iona accepts nearly 90% of applicants which is horrible, might as well be a community college at that point. Have to wonder how good Cluess would do as a coach if the school had real admissions standards and wasn't able to accept every transfer that comes along. A lot of players at Iona probably get can't in anywhere else,

Although Hofstra has been called the "Harvard of Hempstead," let's not pretend its admission standards affect its men's basketball program that much. Hofstra gets its fair share of transfers too, and I don't see a large portion of the basketball team joining the many other Hofstra student athletes when they're honored for getting 3.0's.

I also wonder what kind of "admission standards" were set for the six guys who were arrested during the same season (not that long ago). Or were they pretty much coddled and easily pushed through because they could play basketball? Not assuming, but a reasonable question. And and course there were the pot-related suspensions for Apodaca and Gibson going back much further. Maybe they did what was required of them to get in to Hofstra, or maybe they only had to meet "other standards" so they could play basketball. We should remember those things before we puff out our chest about Hofstra relative to a school like Iona.

Cluess also has a lot of connections in this area. I'm sure he could have recruited just fine at Hofstra without "admission standards" getting in his way. Oh, and since he played at Hofstra, I'm pretty sure he would have LOVED to coach there, not to mention that with that background, it would've been easy to market him as the new coach back then.

So now we've heard that Iona supposedly broke the bank for Cluess when they first signed him (which they didn't) and that Iona gets players Hofstra couldn't have with Cluess because of higher admission standards at Hofstra. I mean, at some point, while we can defend the program to outsiders with pride (yes, pun intended), we internally can't ALWAYS be apoogists for the program. It's OKAY to be honest with ourselves about results, to offer constructive, honest criticism, to admit (and not continually excuse) some past wrongs and to not defend EVERY thing the program does. That's the only real way to make true progress instead of repeating the same disappointing results.

[bobe13]

Wags-best analysis I have seen in a long time. I believe you are right on.

[Pride97]

Wags - was thinking the same thing about all the Iona comments. Every time something goes well for them, this board explodes with admissions standards. It's getting old to hang our hat on that. He has turned them into a team that can make the dance every year, and unfortunately Hofstra isn't that. Give credit where credit is due and stop with all the excuses.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[HUSID80]

So what is the point of this thread? That we should have hired Cluess? Ok that's fine but the fact remains that once he re-upped with Iona he had an onerous buyout, one that Hofstra was not willing to pay, and I don't blame them. And if you think that there is not much difference between Iona's admissions for basketball and Hofstra's you are dead wrong. I know for a FACT that there were several kids they admitted who were not admissible at Hofstra...not an excuse just a FACT...Hofstra and Iona are two VERY different programs, two VERY different schools and we compete in VERY different conferences, point of information for this year; the CAA is ranked 13th and the MAAC is ranked 22nd...look for Iona to get a play-in game this year.

If you look at Iona's roster, which I did, there are at least five transfers from other D I colleges and several junior college transfers...very different approach to recruiting, which by the way is primarily up to assistant coach Jared Grasso and not Cluess. Oh and, as for recruiting and contacts on LI go, there are NO players from LI on the Iona roster....the closest is Washington, who is originally from Jamaica Queens.

I do not begrudge Iona and Cluess for their successes, but frankly it has NOTHING to do with Hofstra and our program...for God's sakes they won't even play us!

[Polito]

I mean, at some point, while we can defend the program to outsiders with pride (yes, pun intended), we internally can't ALWAYS be apologists for the program. It's OKAY to be honest with ourselves about results, to offer constructive, honest criticism, to admit (and not continually excuse) some past wrongs and to not defend EVERY thing the program does. That's the only real way to make true progress instead of repeating the same disappointing results.

And that right there is a beautiful summary of every single one of my long-winded posts!!

I come from a much more passionate and admittedly boisterous place, and I'm not apologizing for that, but that sentiment is everything I have been saying.

And that is also exactly why I continue to make noise about ST and Lax - we cannot sit here and accept crap without a fight guys - c'mon, especially not us.

We're the only ones who make noise - that carries a responsibility. I understand we also need to have a careful approach, and it's tough when emotions are high, I am as guilty as anyone, but we ALSO have a responsibility to ensure that the fan/community voice is heard when necessary.

And with mens hoops and mens lax, it is ABSOLUTELY necessary. The underachieving CANNOT be, and IS NOT, acceptable - and that needs to be made known. Loudly.

[bobe13]

Iona was featured on cbs last night with coach and one of his players. Probably gor a full 10 minutes airtime although news was pushed back until almost midnight.Big recruiting tool for Cluess and Iona.

[HUSID80]

Make the Dance and get press...tried and true formula.

[Jojogunne]

Jordan Washington will get his big moment on Friday:

https://www.zagsblog.com/2017/03/14/ion ... ournament/

[HUSID80]

Jordan Washington will get his big moment on Friday:

https://www.zagsblog.com/2017/03/14/ion ... ournament/

Yup, he fits their recruiting and roster profile...same with our old friend Jimmy Hall, also dancing.

[Polito]

A few very key takeaways here:

1) Happy to see a young man right his way. Best of luck to him.
2) HU is still not in a position to take shots on players like this with troubled pasts. It's just the way it is after being burned so badly and so publicly, and it isn't changing anytime soon. The majority of Iona's roster are not even options for HU, or many other programs for that matter, regardless of admissions.
3) Make no mistake, this article PROVES that the standards at Iona are VASTLY different than many other institutions, not just HU. Does it get old hearing and referring to that? Yes. But that doesn't make it any less true. It is not an excuse. It is a fact of life. Iona to their credit has done an outstanding job maximizing their ability to take in talent regardless of grades or background, keeping them on a decent track (though not all stay out of trouble for them, and that is also a FACT), and winning. No, HU is not Harvard, but let's be fair here and state that there are VERY few D1's out there who can do what Iona can with admissions - they are a second chance place. It's frustrating at times, but hey, kudos to them. It is what it is. I don't think it's illegal, but there is no question whatsoever that the requirements are very different. And knowing this is the case, and will continue to be, HU simply needs to go out there and find the best strategy that will work for HU to win at a high clip and make NCAATs.
4) If it isn't Speedy, should Grasso get a serious look to be the successor to Mihalich??? Asking knowing full well the same question about Cluess's ability to win at a tougher admission location holds just as true for Grasso... could he recruit and win when he can't land a roster full of second-chance guys?? Maybe he hasn't yet bolted to a bigger opportunity (and bigger $) for that reason??

[Wags]

Wags - was thinking the same thing about all the Iona comments. Every time something goes well for them, this board explodes with admissions standards. It's getting old to hang our hat on that. He has turned them into a team that can make the dance every year, and unfortunately Hofstra isn't that. Give credit where credit is due and stop with all the excuses.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Makes me laugh when I hear that, especially after -- as I mentioned earlier in the thread -- we went through our own scandals among a third of our roster in a single season not that many years ago. I'm glad Hofstra took the stance it did and kicked those players off the team. They deserved it and I applaud Hofstra for quickly cleaning up the program after that. But suppose Hofstra gave them all second chances and Hofstra went to the NCAA tourney with those guys that year. I am positive that every person on here would have been talking about how proud we were of those guys righting themselves and finally getting HU back to The Dance again and not one person here would be saying how ashamed they are of what those guys did (especially the four involved in the thefts).

So this whole Iona thing suddenly seems a lot different when you put it in that perspective, doesn't it?

I'm all for upholding our standards as much as possible (who wouldn't be?), but let's be honest here... give us Iona's roster and coaching, and if that had been enough to win the CAA this year, and if we had the 12 seed against Virginia instead of UNCW, would ANYONE on this board have been uttering a single word about admissions standards or would all of our attention been focused on how great it was to finally reach the tourney out of the CAA for the first time and what it might have taken from a basketball standpoint to upset Virginia?

It's just pure jealousy on this board with Iona, nothing more. And it looks weak. We've seen the same with Stony Brook, anytime they've had a modicum of success. Well, forget all of that! When others comparable to you do better than you, it's time to look in the mirror and give an honest assessment of what it takes to match or exceed what they're doing. Making excuses for why they achieved what you didn't is a loser's mentality that accomplishes absolutely nothing for getting where you want to go ultimately go. And while I respect everyone here (truly a bunch of great guys) and I respect everyone's insight and opinion, that type of mentality needs stop (in my opinion). It does nothing for us other than look like sour grapes. No one respects fans of teams that don't win who complain about others who do. The great fans that come to this board are much better than that and should be above that stuff.

[The Shadow]

I agree with Wags. The HU programs only control themselves, become better. Leave being jealous to other fan groups. We as fans can become better.

[HUSID80]

Wags - was thinking the same thing about all the Iona comments. Every time something goes well for them, this board explodes with admissions standards. It's getting old to hang our hat on that. He has turned them into a team that can make the dance every year, and unfortunately Hofstra isn't that. Give credit where credit is due and stop with all the excuses.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Makes me laugh when I hear that, especially after -- as I mentioned earlier in the thread -- we went through our own scandals among a third of our roster in a single season not that many years ago. I'm glad Hofstra took the stance it did and kicked those players off the team. They deserved it and I applaud Hofstra for quickly cleaning up the program after that. But suppose Hofstra gave them all second chances and Hofstra went to the NCAA tourney with those guys that year. I am positive that every person on here would have been talking about how proud we were of those guys righting themselves and finally getting HU back to The Dance again and not one person here would be saying how ashamed they are of what those guys did (especially the four involved in the thefts).

So this whole Iona thing suddenly seems a lot different when you put it in that perspective, doesn't it?

I'm all for upholding our standards as much as possible (who wouldn't be?), but let's be honest here... give us Iona's roster and coaching, and if that had been enough to win the CAA this year, and if we had the 12 seed against Virginia instead of UNCW, would ANYONE on this board have been uttering a single word about admissions standards or would all of our attention been focused on how great it was to finally reach the tourney out of the CAA for the first time and what it might have taken from a basketball standpoint to upset Virginia?

It's just pure jealousy on this board with Iona, nothing more. And it looks weak. We've seen the same with Stony Brook, anytime they've had a modicum of success. Well, forget all of that! When others comparable to you do better than you, it's time to look in the mirror and give an honest assessment of what it takes to match or exceed what they're doing. Making excuses for why they achieved what you didn't is a loser's mentality that accomplishes absolutely nothing for getting where you want to go ultimately go. And while I respect everyone here (truly a bunch of great guys) and I respect everyone's insight and opinion, that type of mentality needs stop (in my opinion). It does nothing for us other than look like sour grapes. No one respects fans of teams that don't win who complain about others who do. The great fans that come to this board are much better than that and should be above that stuff.

Wags from my perspective there is nothing about Iona to be jealous about. By any measure there is nothing that Iona offers as an institution that anyone from Hofstra should be jealous of; academics, repuation, campus, facilities, and yes, even our overall athletics program....There is nothing I would trade with Iona for...sorry, no jealousy here.

[Wags]

Wags - was thinking the same thing about all the Iona comments. Every time something goes well for them, this board explodes with admissions standards. It's getting old to hang our hat on that. He has turned them into a team that can make the dance every year, and unfortunately Hofstra isn't that. Give credit where credit is due and stop with all the excuses.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Makes me laugh when I hear that, especially after -- as I mentioned earlier in the thread -- we went through our own scandals among a third of our roster in a single season not that many years ago. I'm glad Hofstra took the stance it did and kicked those players off the team. They deserved it and I applaud Hofstra for quickly cleaning up the program after that. But suppose Hofstra gave them all second chances and Hofstra went to the NCAA tourney with those guys that year. I am positive that every person on here would have been talking about how proud we were of those guys righting themselves and finally getting HU back to The Dance again and not one person here would be saying how ashamed they are of what those guys did (especially the four involved in the thefts).

So this whole Iona thing suddenly seems a lot different when you put it in that perspective, doesn't it?

I'm all for upholding our standards as much as possible (who wouldn't be?), but let's be honest here... give us Iona's roster and coaching, and if that had been enough to win the CAA this year, and if we had the 12 seed against Virginia instead of UNCW, would ANYONE on this board have been uttering a single word about admissions standards or would all of our attention been focused on how great it was to finally reach the tourney out of the CAA for the first time and what it might have taken from a basketball standpoint to upset Virginia?

It's just pure jealousy on this board with Iona, nothing more. And it looks weak. We've seen the same with Stony Brook, anytime they've had a modicum of success. Well, forget all of that! When others comparable to you do better than you, it's time to look in the mirror and give an honest assessment of what it takes to match or exceed what they're doing. Making excuses for why they achieved what you didn't is a loser's mentality that accomplishes absolutely nothing for getting where you want to go ultimately go. And while I respect everyone here (truly a bunch of great guys) and I respect everyone's insight and opinion, that type of mentality needs stop (in my opinion). It does nothing for us other than look like sour grapes. No one respects fans of teams that don't win who complain about others who do. The great fans that come to this board are much better than that and should be above that stuff.

Wags from my perspective there is nothing about Iona to be jealous about. By any measure there is nothing that Iona offers as an institution that anyone from Hofstra should be jealous of; academics, repuation, campus, facilities, and yes, even our overall athletics program....There is nothing I would trade with Iona for...sorry, no jealousy here.

If there's no jealousy, why isn't Iona ever mentioned here except in March, after each time they make the NCAAT?

All of those other things you mentioned, sure. But what you left it out among that list is that there's no disputing that regardless of how some of us view them achieving it, Iona has repeatedly accomplished (reaching several NCAATs) what we would have liked to see to Hofstra accomplish.

[HUSID80]

I'll mention them again in the summer when our schedule comes out and they refuse to play us.

[Wags]

I'll mention them again in the summer when our schedule comes out and they refuse to play us.

They're the ones getting to NCAA tournaments, not us. So the benefit from that matchup is mostly ours, not theirs. Maybe that's why they refuse?

[HofstraHockey]

The only thing I will say about CAA vs AE or MAAC, whoever comes out of the CAA is capable of making a run. Maybe not VCU/Mason level, but those other two are play in game or one and done material virtually every season.

Unrelated, since I don't think it's happening at the Coliseum, the new Islanders place, should that ever happen, will be a great place for an annual local CBB tournament.

[Polito]

CAA is definitely a tougher, more battle tested ground, and the winner typically deserves an 11 or 12 seed which helps produce favorable matchups for upsets and runs. I think that's a very fair assessment.

The CAA should be vying for 2 bids on a regular basis, but that will prove difficult with the VA 3 long gone. May not happen again quite frankly, esp if the league ends up changing members again, in or out.

I am not a fan of Iona, can't stand the talking out of both sides of their mouth about playing HU, but there is NO denying their hoops success and they deserve kudos for their accomplishment considering the size and quality of the school - I'd say every community college on 4 acres with a couple thousand students in America would take this in a heartbeat - no really, it is pretty amazing though.

2010–11 / 25–12 / CIT Runner–Up
2011–12 / 25–8 / NCAA First Four
2012–13 / 20–14 / NCAA Second Round
2013–14 / 22–11 / NIT First Round
2014–15 / 26–9 / NIT First Round
2015–16 / 22–11 / NCAA First Round
2016–17 / 22–12 / NCAA First Round

Yeeeeaahh, if JM produced/es that half my threads don't exist! He could scream like a chimpanzee and be tolerated for it. He would actually EARN his extension and the right to coach here until he hangs it up. He hasn't come close yet.

Granted they haven't had a lot of dance success yet, although they have 1 more win than HU does , the odds are eventually just by continually having a shot something will click for them.

I am absolutely jealous of those post season results, and would go bananas to have literally HALF that at HU in the same timeframe.

[Wags]

2010–11 / 25–12 / CIT Runner–Up
2011–12 / 25–8 / NCAA First Four
2012–13 / 20–14 / NCAA Second Round
2013–14 / 22–11 / NIT First Round
2014–15 / 26–9 / NIT First Round
2015–16 / 22–11 / NCAA First Round
2016–17 / 22–12 / NCAA First Round

I am absolutely jealous of those post season results, and would go bananas to have literally HALF that at HU in the same timeframe.

Hofstra by comparison:

2010–11 / 22–12 / CBI First Round
2011–12 / 10-22
2012–13 / 7-25
2013–14 / 10-23
2014–15 / 20-14 / CBI First Round
2015–16 / 24–10 / NIT First Round
2016–17 / 15–17

Iona: seven 20-win seasons, 4 NCAAT's, 2 NIT's since Cluess left C.W. Post.
Hofstra: three 20-win seasons, 0 NCAAT's, 1 NIT in the same time frame.

There IS no comparison. We're one of the last programs in the area who should be condemning anyone else's success.

[Polito]

We may all find out real soon just how good Grasso AND Cluess are as JG is gaining momentum for a HC job - potentially LIU Brooklyn or Quinnipiac to start...

This would be VERY interesting to see those two separated and how that plays out. Me thinks one of them will suffer.

LIU-B would be a real good fit for Grasso IMO. Can't imagine him playing against Iona at QU.

And for those who find this interesting, QU is reported as being willing to go up to the $800k range !! I mean that is sick dough for the MAAC. For ANY mid really.

QU looks to be making a major sports focus and investment. Good for them. Wish HU would catch up and stop getting left in the dust.