Iona Scouting Report

[Huskyforlife]

Defense.

Note that Iona has one of the worst PPP allowed for Post-ups in the country.

Well this feels important lol.

 

[Kolumbo]

slick rick is going down.

Kind of a sad this happens to a program like St. Peter's. Shaheen left and 8 kids transferred.

Saint Peter's, one year later

Eight players transferred after last March's stunning run. None of them made it back to the tournament this year.

www.axios.com

 

[Marat]

If we get the defensive rebounds they will not be pressing. So it is in our best interest to control the boards. I watched their game against St Louis and their game from last year in the NIT and they are not close to a Big East team.

I heard they mostly press after made baskets, so yes use our defensive rebounding skills to limit those opportunities.

 

[MTBingNinja]

I've watched Iona live this year more than UConn (3x vs 1x), so it was nice writing today's preview more from my eyes than the statsheet. Enjoy!

Iona: 27-7
KenPom Rating: 74
NET ranking: 58th
No Quad 1 or 2 wins
Currently on a 14 game winning streak (3rd longest in the nation)​

Best win:

• 12/6/22 84-62 over Saint Louis

Worst Loss:

• 1/8/23 81-58 to Quinnipiac

OFFENSE: 79th in KenPom efficiency:​

• 28th in tempo (16 seconds/possession)
• 28th in turnover rate (15.3%)
• 70th in offensive rebounding rate
• 78th best 3P% (36.0%)
  • But just 32.1% of their shots are from three (313rd lowest rate)
• 106th in A/FGM (53.3%)
• 156th in 2p% (50.8%)
• 131st in FT% (73.1%)
• 261th in FTA/FGA (29.0%)

DEFENSE: 67th in KenPom efficiency​

• 4th in the nation in longest average possession length (18.8 seconds)
• 4th in block rate (14.7%)
• 8th in opp. 3p% (29.2%)
  • Also 89th in lowest 34.6 3PA/FGA (34.6%)
• 44th in turnover rate (21.0%)
• 51st in opp. 2p% (47.0%)
• 96th in opp. FT% (70.2%)
• 172nd in A/FGM (50.6%)
• 183rd FTA/FGA (31.3%)
• 272nd in defensive rebounding rate

In the last two seasons of Pitino’s three years at Iona, he has embraced more of a point guard by-committee offense rather than having “the guy” at point guard (which was Asante Gist in his first season at the helm).

Last season, AAC grad transfers Tyson Jolly and Elijah Joiner fit that mold while this year returning sophomore Walter Clayton Jr. and Pacific transfer Daniss Jenkins (combined 32.5 ppg, 8.1 apg) have been the stalwarts in the backcourt.

Their defense is all about their full-court press with 7’0 220 senior Osborn Shema guarding the inbounder with his seemingly limitless length and quick enough footwork to stay with guards in one-on-one situations. I’ve gotten to see him play live four times now, all just feet away from the baseline, and it’s a real joy to watch him do his thing on defense.

As seen below, their full court press starts with Shema (#55) and then at least two guards inside the foul line maximizing traps and using the corners as “extra defenders”.

Personally, I think the best method of attacking their press is having a taller, smart and mistake-limiting forward like Karaban (team’s third lowest TO rate) help beat the press with Hawkins (team’s lowest TO rate) and another guard (Newton, Alleyne, Calcaterra) and then have Jackson (team’s second highest TO rate) as the athletic and lengthy recipient to receive the passes to get as out of the backcourt and lead the transition to our halfcourt offense. Diarra leads the team in TO rate (a whopping 29.6), so I wouldn’t expect minutes for him unless there’s foul trouble

Iona’s success starts with their All-MAAC trio of Clayton Jr., Junior Joseph (first team) and Daniss Jenkins (second team, but should be first team IMO). Assuming Pitino leaves this season, all three are high-major caliber players in my book.

As mentioned earlier Clayton Jr. and Jenkins share the PG duties with Clayton the more capable guard of creating his own offense. At Pacific, Jenkins was a poor 3P shooter (24% in two seasons), but improved his shot after a year of JUCO, with the 3P shot now a strength in his arsenal. Both are legit three-level scorers and are relatively efficient considering both have 25%+ possession usage. Of course, some of that is derived from playing in the MAAC, though.

Their backcourt mate is fifth-year firework wing JeanLouis. He reminds me a lot of Andre Jackson: the team’s glue guy who plays with unending energy, can defend four positions, usually has one or two highlight dunks per game, but is not a strong shooter. Unlike Jackson, JeanLouis is not counted on as a facilitator, so naturally, his TO rates are lower and actually the lowest on Iona’s roster.

That being said, I’d put our worst defensive guard on JeanLouis and then I love the idea of Jackson shadowing Dannis Jenkins with Newton on Clayton: if these two are stymied then Iona will be neutralized in the halfcourt as Iona loves playing in transition of turnovers caused by their press.

Toying with a three-point shot as a sophomore, Nelly Junior Joseph has smartly removed that shot from his game, but is very capable shooting and facilitating offense from the elbow. Out of all the players from Iona, I see NJJ as the guy Pitino will bring with him to his next job: he’s a true two-way forward/big who plays with a great motor in spite of his 240 frame. Honestly, a lack of a three-point shot is his only weakness: he has good footwork, physicality, decent passer, high BBIQ. He’s special.

As mentioned earlier, Osborn Shema is the team’s key on defense. Insane length, high-major athleticism and he’s bulked up from 190 to 220 allowing him to handle the physicality of the MAAC. He’s a true rim-running stretch forward with pretty form. Like many out of Africa, Shema was a soccer player and didn’t start playing basketball until he was 16, so his coachability and work ethic has really taken him far.

I don’t believe Iona has played a single game this season with all of their players healthy, so with starting PF Quinn Slazinski out for the year and key rotation Cruz Davis possibly also out, Pitino has had less success in the full court press with a smaller than expected rotation of nine players with a handful of minutes of Silas Sunday at the 5 to give a quick blow to Iona’s bigs.

Anton Brookshire (a transfer from Missouri) and Michael Jefferson (a three-year recruit from the 2021 class who played one year of JUCO) are their best bench pieces. Brookshire will be a future MAAC star, but for now, he’s a low-mistake combo-guard who does most of his work on the perimeter. Jefferson reminds me a bit of Karaban: a smart, offensive-savvy forward who will probably be a very good starter in the future, but for now, he keeps his game simple and helps facilitate the offense with his high BBIQ, court vision and passing. Both are two of Iona’s weaker defensive players.

Earning a scholarship after three-seasons as a walk-on, senior Parker Weiss is the team’s Chris Arcidiacono: a hard-working, team-first guard who doesn’t need the ball in his hands but usually does the smart thing: a secondary pass to set up a big play, only shoots when it’s the best available shot.
The one player in the rotation who I’m not that familiar with is freshman forward Sadiku Ibine Ayo (he played just 8 minutes in just one of the games I’ve watched live). Starting the year on the injured list, Ayo stepped up when PT was available after injuries to Slazinski and Jefferson. Profiled as a strong and physical two-way wing, his defense development is well ahead of his offense.

KenPom’s prediction: UConn wins 77-68.

If you'd like more original reading material, below is pieces from my blog:

Iona 22-23 Season Preview
Predicting the 22-23 MAAC Champs
Faced With Injuries, Pitino is Reimagining Iona's Identity

LET'S GO UCONN!!!

Best ongoing legit thread on The Boneyard. You’re well respected in the BY community. Never any haters that I recall. True gold Hey Adrien!!!!

 

[Excalibur]

This is a game that we should win, but the fact that they press (something we haven’t handled well) and have one of the five greatest college basketball coaches of all time on the sideline has to be a concern.

Others have said it, but we need to defend. Keep them from scoring and the press is a non-issue. If they do score, I would prefer that we get the ball inbounds as soon as possible. Don’t wait and let them set up the defense. This was the adjustment that a well-known former coach made in 1996 after getting throttled at Georgetown.

 

[husky429]

Defense.

Note that Iona has one of the worst PPP allowed for Post-ups in the country.

First thing I noticed when I saw this on Reddit. Not that we needed any more excuse to dump the ball to Sanogo and let him break some ribs, but this feels like the kind of game that he could drop 30 if we can efficiently break the press. I don't see a single player on their roster who could handle his physicality in the post.

 

[Jimdish255]

We're going to win this game with rebounds and in transition. The Iona press is an added bonus because we can use the reps given our late game blunders in situations like inbounding and breaking over half court. Would love to see a gave with ZERO turnovers in the back court. Make it happen Dan!
Our region is pretty wide open with a lot of interesting matchups.

 

[gsmooth]

First thing I noticed when I saw this on Reddit. Not that we needed any more excuse to dump the ball to Sanogo and let him break some ribs, but this feels like the kind of game that he could drop 30 if we can efficiently break the press. I don't see a single player on their roster who could handle his physicality in the post.

This is what I alluded in more detail in my 2nd paragraph in post #14 in this thread. Shenma had his troubles with muscular bruising post up types whether it was him getting sealed in the post of getting beaten or sealed off for offensive rebounds.

I could see Pitino deciding to pack the paint and concede the 3 pt shot like Nova did to UConn in the first game at Hartford. If that happens the UConn players shouldn't feel more pressure to make the 3 pointers but instead have the mindset of being eager to add to their individual point total when the open shot presents itself-don't overthink it.

 

[Umami Zen]

Take care of the rock

 

[caw]

Defense.

Note that Iona has one of the worst PPP allowed for Post-ups in the country.

Eye test agrees with this, they jump on every head fake. I imagine Pitino is trying to get them not to do that.

 

[FLDawg16]

It doesn’t have much to do with the scouting report but Newton being able to actually get foul calls on his drives will open up the game tremendously both for him and kickouts

 

[FfldCntyFan]

My game play would be to push the ball when we can, when we can't, don't be afraid to launch threes but do so only with a couple of our players in rebound position. We should get a ton of putbacks so even if the threes aren't falling we should be in good shape.

 

[RedOrange]

I've watched Iona live this year more than UConn (3x vs 1x), so it was nice writing today's preview more from my eyes than the statsheet. Enjoy!

Iona: 27-7
KenPom Rating: 74
NET ranking: 58th
No Quad 1 or 2 wins
Currently on a 14 game winning streak (3rd longest in the nation)​

Best win:

• 12/6/22 84-62 over Saint Louis

Worst Loss:

• 1/8/23 81-58 to Quinnipiac

OFFENSE: 79th in KenPom efficiency:​

• 28th in tempo (16 seconds/possession)
• 28th in turnover rate (15.3%)
• 70th in offensive rebounding rate
• 78th best 3P% (36.0%)
  • But just 32.1% of their shots are from three (313rd lowest rate)
• 106th in A/FGM (53.3%)
• 156th in 2p% (50.8%)
• 131st in FT% (73.1%)
• 261th in FTA/FGA (29.0%)

DEFENSE: 67th in KenPom efficiency​

• 4th in the nation in longest average possession length (18.8 seconds)
• 4th in block rate (14.7%)
• 8th in opp. 3p% (29.2%)
  • Also 89th in lowest 34.6 3PA/FGA (34.6%)
• 44th in turnover rate (21.0%)
• 51st in opp. 2p% (47.0%)
• 96th in opp. FT% (70.2%)
• 172nd in A/FGM (50.6%)
• 183rd FTA/FGA (31.3%)
• 272nd in defensive rebounding rate

In the last two seasons of Pitino’s three years at Iona, he has embraced more of a point guard by-committee offense rather than having “the guy” at point guard (which was Asante Gist in his first season at the helm).

Last season, AAC grad transfers Tyson Jolly and Elijah Joiner fit that mold while this year returning sophomore Walter Clayton Jr. and Pacific transfer Daniss Jenkins (combined 32.5 ppg, 8.1 apg) have been the stalwarts in the backcourt.

Their defense is all about their full-court press with 7’0 220 senior Osborn Shema guarding the inbounder with his seemingly limitless length and quick enough footwork to stay with guards in one-on-one situations. I’ve gotten to see him play live four times now, all just feet away from the baseline, and it’s a real joy to watch him do his thing on defense.

As seen below, their full court press starts with Shema (#55) and then at least two guards inside the foul line maximizing traps and using the corners as “extra defenders”.

Personally, I think the best method of attacking their press is having a taller, smart and mistake-limiting forward like Karaban (team’s third lowest TO rate) help beat the press with Hawkins (team’s lowest TO rate) and another guard (Newton, Alleyne, Calcaterra) and then have Jackson (team’s second highest TO rate) as the athletic and lengthy recipient to receive the passes to get as out of the backcourt and lead the transition to our halfcourt offense. Diarra leads the team in TO rate (a whopping 29.6), so I wouldn’t expect minutes for him unless there’s foul trouble

Iona’s success starts with their All-MAAC trio of Clayton Jr., Junior Joseph (first team) and Daniss Jenkins (second team, but should be first team IMO). Assuming Pitino leaves this season, all three are high-major caliber players in my book.

As mentioned earlier Clayton Jr. and Jenkins share the PG duties with Clayton the more capable guard of creating his own offense. At Pacific, Jenkins was a poor 3P shooter (24% in two seasons), but improved his shot after a year of JUCO, with the 3P shot now a strength in his arsenal. Both are legit three-level scorers and are relatively efficient considering both have 25%+ possession usage. Of course, some of that is derived from playing in the MAAC, though.

Their backcourt mate is fifth-year firework wing JeanLouis. He reminds me a lot of Andre Jackson: the team’s glue guy who plays with unending energy, can defend four positions, usually has one or two highlight dunks per game, but is not a strong shooter. Unlike Jackson, JeanLouis is not counted on as a facilitator, so naturally, his TO rates are lower and actually the lowest on Iona’s roster.

That being said, I’d put our worst defensive guard on JeanLouis and then I love the idea of Jackson shadowing Dannis Jenkins with Newton on Clayton: if these two are stymied then Iona will be neutralized in the halfcourt as Iona loves playing in transition of turnovers caused by their press.

Toying with a three-point shot as a sophomore, Nelly Junior Joseph has smartly removed that shot from his game, but is very capable shooting and facilitating offense from the elbow. Out of all the players from Iona, I see NJJ as the guy Pitino will bring with him to his next job: he’s a true two-way forward/big who plays with a great motor in spite of his 240 frame. Honestly, a lack of a three-point shot is his only weakness: he has good footwork, physicality, decent passer, high BBIQ. He’s special.

As mentioned earlier, Osborn Shema is the team’s key on defense. Insane length, high-major athleticism and he’s bulked up from 190 to 220 allowing him to handle the physicality of the MAAC. He’s a true rim-running stretch forward with pretty form. Like many out of Africa, Shema was a soccer player and didn’t start playing basketball until he was 16, so his coachability and work ethic has really taken him far.

I don’t believe Iona has played a single game this season with all of their players healthy, so with starting PF Quinn Slazinski out for the year and key rotation Cruz Davis possibly also out, Pitino has had less success in the full court press with a smaller than expected rotation of nine players with a handful of minutes of Silas Sunday at the 5 to give a quick blow to Iona’s bigs.

Anton Brookshire (a transfer from Missouri) and Michael Jefferson (a three-year recruit from the 2021 class who played one year of JUCO) are their best bench pieces. Brookshire will be a future MAAC star, but for now, he’s a low-mistake combo-guard who does most of his work on the perimeter. Jefferson reminds me a bit of Karaban: a smart, offensive-savvy forward who will probably be a very good starter in the future, but for now, he keeps his game simple and helps facilitate the offense with his high BBIQ, court vision and passing. Both are two of Iona’s weaker defensive players.

Earning a scholarship after three-seasons as a walk-on, senior Parker Weiss is the team’s Chris Arcidiacono: a hard-working, team-first guard who doesn’t need the ball in his hands but usually does the smart thing: a secondary pass to set up a big play, only shoots when it’s the best available shot.
The one player in the rotation who I’m not that familiar with is freshman forward Sadiku Ibine Ayo (he played just 8 minutes in just one of the games I’ve watched live). Starting the year on the injured list, Ayo stepped up when PT was available after injuries to Slazinski and Jefferson. Profiled as a strong and physical two-way wing, his defense development is well ahead of his offense.

KenPom’s prediction: UConn wins 77-68.

If you'd like more original reading material, below is pieces from my blog:

Iona 22-23 Season Preview
Predicting the 22-23 MAAC Champs
Faced With Injuries, Pitino is Reimagining Iona's Identity

LET'S GO UCONN!!!

Congrats to all UConn fans on your great season. I'm known as the UConn good luck charm, though I'm a Syracuse fan. I sometimes sit next to Coach Hurley's lookalike in the stands. Always have a good time. Was at the Uconn vs Cuse football game this sesaon as well. Good luck to you guys in the tournament. Excellent recap above also!

 

[Mike Honcho]

Really good thread on Twitter with some videos about Iona

 

[Ripper32]

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

I'll piggy back on this with some more stuff. Shot charts:
UConn offense vs. Iona defense.

Iona offense vs. UConn defense.

Both defenses excel at guarding the paint and perimeter while allowing some midrange shots. UConn is a lot more adept at finishing in the paint, so we should be a test for Iona's strong interior D.

Time to go to bed when my first thought is that these shot charts look nice, full, round breasts.

 

[Ripper32]

 

[Ripper32]

Goodman is joking that Hurley is hiding under his bed, dreading Pitino. He also said that Pitino should reject SJU and take the Miami job after Larranaga retires next year. Coral Gables > Utopia Parkway.

 

[Scrutineer]

Some advanced stats for their starters:

They have a very clear offensive top 3. Their PG Jenkins rates out as their best player in large part to his superior defense (and still good offense). Clayton and Junior Joseph rate out as superior offensively, but not as important defensively. Jenkins would rate out to be our 7th best player by RAPM, but he's the 5th best player from all low major teams.

Some nuggets from watching an hour of extended highlights and analytical play style inference about each player:

Scoring PG - Daniss Jenkins - Takes more mid-range jumpers and floaters than anyone on our team and actually hits them at a decent rate. He probably does that because he's a very poor finisher at the rim. Expect him to pull up, especially when Clingan is in the game. Because of this, he shoots a lot less FTs than a lead guard normally does. His assist rate is pretty strong, but not outstanding, on par with Newton. Protects the ball pretty well. Takes more off the dribble 3's by rate than anyone on our team (we're a heavy catch and shoot team).

Combo Guard - Walter Clayton - Has the best box score stats on the team and conference POTY. Sniper from beyond the arc, would be 2nd on our team in 3pt makes. Leads his conference in PRPG! (essentially efficiency adjusted by volume), around Trey Alexander-level. Good secondary playmaker and really takes care of the ball. Has the highest steal rate on the team. Very smooth handle with a bit of burst. Okay but not great finishing in the paint (and was pretty bad at the rim against top comp). One of the best FT shooters in the country.

Wing Forward - Berrick JeanLouis - About as large a role on offense as Karaban, but totally different player. Can't shoot. Physically reminds me of Sir'Jabari Rice of NMSU and now Texas. Good but not all world bounce, wiry but strong. Despite being a slasher-type, he doesn't really draw fouls, because he scores a lot of his points in transition. Based on reputation among their fans, I thought his Def-RAPM would be higher, but he does have a decent block rate.

Stretch Power Forward - Osborn Shema - Limited role in the offense. Spreads the court and takes 1/3 of his shots from 3 as a 7 footer, and also takes some midrange jumpers. Decent offensive rebounder when he's not at the arc. Only 220 lbs and vulnerable to get pushed around on the boards on the defensive end or to get out of position going for a block. Good, not great rim protector. Against good teams this year he was a bit of a turnover machine, but fine in the larger sample.

Center - Nelly Junior Joseph - He's shorter than Shema at 6'9ish, but operates much more like a traditional below the rim center. Has some faceup game and also a pivot post game, but almost everything ends up at the rim. A bit like a hybrid of Sanogo and RI Hurley guy Cyril Langevine. Part of their big 3, but is the one who played significantly worse against top 100 teams. For the season, he was a very strong rebounder and drew more fouls than anyone on the Huskies did this year, but did both significantly worse against better comp, especially in regards to drawing fouls and defensive rebounds (actually still got offensive rebounds at an elite clip). He protects the rim about as well as Shema, which gives them good coverage independent of defensive matchups.

Bench:
Their bench is pretty replacement level and doesn't get a ton of minutes. Michael Jefferson is a wing and can't shoot or finish. He's in for energy plays and some rebounding. Sadiku Ibine Ayo is similarly an athletic wing type, but with a bit more skill, although also can't really shoot. Anton Brookshire is a jitterbug guard that's a bit more involved in the offense as mostly a volume 3pt shooter.

Most intriguing matchup - They feature the same stretch 7' footer paired with bruising energy offensive rebounding PF/C of Xavier (Nunge/Hunter) that gave us a ton of trouble this year. But Shema is a lot worse in the post than Nunge, so I'd be interested in inverting our guys and having Karaban guard Shema and Sanogo take Junior Joseph. Might also be interesting to use double bigs in this matchup.

There's also no real natural player for Jackson to guard, since their guards are quick types, JeanLouis isn't impactful, and their 4 is more of a center. I assume he'll either take JeanLouis and play a bit of free safety or try to stick with one of the guards and let Hawkins rest a bit on D.

So what you're saying is we don't have a chance.
Quick guards who handle the ball well plus a couple good bigs, all playing loosely because they have nothing to lose. No pressure on them so one or two of the subs will have their career games.
Whereas our guys will be tight as a drum because they've never won an NCAA game.
Good Grief. I think I'll dvr the game so I don't get nerved up......

 

[Huskyforlife]

@RobDauster can you get ahold of your YouTube channel? I swear half the time your video titles and thumbnails are irrelevant to what’s being discussed in the video. You shouldn’t have to clickbait this hard.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Davis hasn’t played since 2/10, so would be a boost for Iona’s depth (their biggest bugaboo this year has been injuries affecting depth).

Davis is a freshman and an Oregon State decommit who averaged 6.7 ppg in 19.3 mpg. More of a penetrating guard and offense creator than a shooter.

Once held offers from Houston, TCU and Georgetown.

 

[tomtom80]

Sorry not completely on topic, but….

how to watch Iona loose on FUBO tv? I don’t see the game listed

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Sorry not completely on topic, but….

how to watch Iona loose on FUBO tv? I don’t see the game listed

You can't.

I switched from Fubo to Direct TV Stream yesterday to be able to watch the Turner networks and then get ready for Yankees.

 

[jibsey]

We play with swagger, confidence and loose and we will win.

 

[tomtom80]

You can't.

I switched from Fubo to Direct TV Stream yesterday to be able to watch the Turner networks and then get ready for Yankees.

Thanks, that sucks. Time to head to a bar, so not a total loss

 

[auror]

Davis hasn’t played since 2/10, so would be a boost for Iona’s depth (their biggest bugaboo this year has been injuries affecting depth).

Davis is a freshman and an Oregon State decommit who averaged 6.7 ppg in 19.3 mpg. More of a penetrating guard and offense creator than a shooter.

Once held offers from Houston, TCU and Georgetown.

He's got some athleticism and quickness, but cant shoot and is a bit prone to turnovers.

 

[KingAG]

Watching their conference tourney championship game, they aren’t impressive defensively in the half court. Ball and body movement will get us EASY buckets. The game is going to come down to not allowing them to score and set up that pressure. Push off of misses, and when settled in the half court apply constant ball and body movement. And we shouldn’t have too much of an issue.

Update: also run their guards of the 3 point line. Donovan might be huge in this game.

 

[Dove]

Great post, @Hey Adrien!

So, why are fans nervous?

 

[AdamaNation]

He's got some athleticism and quickness, but cant shoot and is a bit prone to turnovers.

Which means he’s the guy to triple team once we notice he gets 5 points in 10 minutes. It’s always this guy.

 

[CL82]

F it, thanks to you I just emailed Kimani!

I'm not expecting it to be even opened or read, but no harm no foul!

Hey, worst case scenario, he doesn’t read it, best case scenario he’s impressed and you get a job on staff.