Gael force

Iona finds its Rick Pitino replacement in FDU coach Tobin Anderson. Plus, St. John's keeps Soriano, Wichita State makes a move and more.

Author

Sean Paul
March 22, 2023

There are no quiet days during coaching carousel season. Yesterday, two notable positions were filled — one of which was a guy who just stopped by the TODAY Show. So let's start there.

1. Iona turns to America's Cinderella coach

St. John's introduced Rick Pitino as its new leader on Tuesday — he came ready, too — and Iona wasted zero time replacing the legendary coach. It brought in Tobin Anderson from Fairleigh Dickinson, whom you may have heard, just beat No. 1 seed Purdue in the Round of 64.

This isn't some flash-in-the-pan hire, either. Sure, Anderson quickly rebuilt FDU, flipping a four-win team to a 21-win squad with two NCAA Tournament victories in his lone season on campus. But he's been a head coach at the D-III and D-II levels for more than 20 years, most recently winning 77 percent of his games at St. Thomas Aquinas College.

Simply put, he's won consistently, and Iona recognized it. (No hard feelings from FDU, either.)

Is it going to be easy to replace a Hall of Fame coach and ensure there isn't a drop-off at the MAAC's premier program? The Gaels will likely lose their backcourt, and all-conference forward Nelly Junior Joseph, so he'll have to hit the portal. The good news is he'll play a similar style to Pitino, emphasizing defense and hard work.

Iona courted Anderson three years ago before Pitino ultimately landed the job. This time around, Anderson has a year of D-I experience, plus an incredible amount of viral clips to help recruit.

2. Joel Soriano will stay at St. John's after all

When St. John's fired Mike Anderson, All-Big East forward Joel Soriano wasn't happy and indicated he'd enter the transfer portal.

Now? He likes what he sees.

He'll be a fine match with Rick Pitino.

Pitino said during his introductory press conference that "a lot" of the current roster "probably won't be back" next season, but that didn't include Soriano. Instead, he named him captain and is already priming the double-double machine for a monster year.

“I met with Soriano last night. I said, 'you’re a very good basketball player, but you’re gonna become a great basketball player. We’re gonna bring you to a level that you don’t even think you could get to.’ He’s the guy I gotta build around.”

Even if Pitino doesn't turn Soriano into a sure-fire NBA prospect, he'll certainly be a productive player who will challenge for Big East Player of the Year if there's even a slight uptick from his averages of 15.2 ppg and 11.9 rpg this season.

When a coach of Pitino’s caliber says he wants to build around YOU, then it's worthwhile to come back to school for one final season. Say what you want about Pitino's past, but he doesn't lie about his expectations of players. He believes Soriano could be special next year.

The rebuild alongside Soriano will be fascinating. Many expect Iona guards Walter Clayton Jr. and Daniss Jenkins to follow Pitino to St. John's, providing more depth alongside Posh Alexender (if Posh stays). Beyond that, expect the Johnnies to be a program linked to just about every good player in the portal.

3. Wichita State turns to a proven winner

Iona wasn't the only school that turned to a coach with an NCAA Tournament on his resume.

Several names were floated for the Wichita State job, seen as a good spot to build a consistent winner. And with Mills, they can become that.

He was 106-84 in six seasons at Oral Roberts, including a Sweet 16 run two years ago as a 15-seed and 30 wins this last season when the Golden Eagles were one of the premier mid-majors in the country.

I can’t help but notice the disappointment from some Wichita State fans, though. Don't be. This a great hire. Mills took Oral Roberts to multiple NCAA Tournaments, boasted a top-30 offensive in America (twice), and he’s a branch in the Scott Drew coaching tree — and just look at Jerome Tang’s accomplishments at Kansas State this season.

Wichita State has an opportunity to stake its claim as a consistent contender to win the American with Houston and UCF departing for the Big 12. This is a chance to establish the Shockers as the team to beat, right from the jump. This isn't settling. This is building.

4. A big return in the Big South

Asheville, NC, is lovely this time of year. It just got a little happier, too.

It's great news for UNC Asheville that Pember is returning. The Bulldogs won 27 games behind the do-it-all big man, but he struggled in their loss to UCLA in the Big Dance, scoring just 13 points in 37 minutes.

Now, he gets a chance to lead Asheville back to the tourney and work on his game for the pros.

Next, the Asheville staff must find a replacement for sharpshooter Tajion Jones, who exhausted his eligibility this season. I still expect Asheville to sit atop the Big South regardless of who replaces Jones, but its work in the portal is something to keep an eye on as the off-season rolls on.

(For an in-depth look at Pember's story, you can read our own Riley Davis' feature here.)

5. Impact players finding new locations

Portal season has already ramped up, so let's take a peek at where some impactful players have landed.

Tulsa: Eric Konkol wanted to shake off the stench of a five-win outing in his first season on campus, and adding former Louisiana Tech players Cobe Williams and Keaston Willis will enhance Tulsa’s talent level.

Williams flashes a Pat Beverly-type skill set, featuring a hard-nosed defensive skill set. He can get in your grill defensively and slow down the best guards in the AAC. Additionally, Williams displayed an improved offensive game in 2022-23, averaging 18.8 points and 4.1 dimes in his final season with LA Tech.

Willis, meanwhile, provides elite shooting, knocking down 295 of his 794 shots from deep (37 percent in two seasons at LA Tech and two at Incarnate Word.) So in one week of the offseason, Konkol brings in a point guard and a sniper to improve his roster.

McNeese State: Twenty-four hours after landing the job, Will Wade brought in two former highly-touted recruits, Mike Saunders (Utah) and Zach Harvey (UCSB). Saunders' speed and ability to score give him a chance to contend for Southland Player of the Year right away.

Harvey, on the other hand, is a talented scoring threat when on the court, but nagging injuries have kept hampered him. He was a top-100 recruit who, similarly to Saunders, started at Cincinnati, but Harvey has played just 43 total games in four seasons. These are the type of risks you have to take in smaller conferences to build a winning culture.

Wake Forest: Another year, another Steve Forbes portal guard addition. This time, it’s Boopie Miller from Central Michigan. Forbes went after experienced grad transfer guards in his first two seasons on campus, adding Alondes Williams and Tyree Appleby in consecutive seasons. Now he brings in Miller, who has three years to play.

Miller played just three games as a sophomore before an injury forced him to a medical redshirt, but he averaged over 18 points in those games. The 6-0 guard is an explosive player who has a deep shooting range, he might not fit on a high-major team. Will his height be a negative? Can he be a good enough facilitator to make Wake Forest a winning team? And most importantly, will the scoring translate? I think the last question is the one I can answer yes to comfortably.

Monmouth: The Hawks' transition from the MAAC to CAA was a tough one. They won just seven games and posted one of the worst 3-point shooting percentages in the sport (28 percent.) Bringing in Xander Rice from Bucknell is a major addition. Rice is a veteran point guard with a terrific feel for the game and is an exceptional shooter from beyond the arc. The New Jersey native averaged 14 points, 3.8 assists and shot 37 percent from deep for the Bison. Rice has all-conference potential as the focal point of Monmouth’s offense.

Oakland: Greg Kampe went the portal route in hopes of finding a suitable replacement for outgoing program legend Jalen Moore. Yesterday, he brought in Tone Hunter from Long Beach State to fill the point guard void. Hunter stands just 6-1 and 160 pounds, but he's lightning fast and creates good looks for himself and other Oakland players. If Hunter can shoot the ball more consistently, I love the addition for Oakland.

NIT cinderella?

Mark Madsen has led Utah Valley to a pair of upset wins over New Mexico and Colorado in the first two rounds of the NIT — and now the Wolverines host an NIT game against Cincinnati in Orem. Although it's not the NCAA Tournament, hosting a postseason game for a WAC team is a monumental moment for the program. (9 pm, ESPN2)

  • Utah Valley (27-8) vs. Cincinnati (23-12), 9 pm ET, ESPN2

  • Vanderbilt (22-14) vs. UAB (27-9), 7 pm ET, ESPN2

Is change due at Purdue?

Who better to ask about what Purdue should do next than Robbie Hummel? (OK, Matt Painter would probably be the best person to ask, but he's probably already doing that. We'll check in with him later this summer.) Here's his take.

Links for LA residents adjusting to a teacher's strike.

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