The Iona Gaels have found their next head basketball coach.
Instead of looking in college, the school went to the NBA to find their man.
Iona Hires Dan Geriot
According to the team’s social media page, former NBA assistant coach Dan Geriot will be the new head basketball coach.
🚨𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐆𝐀𝐄𝐋 𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍!🚨
Iona University welcomes Dan Geriot, the 16th head coach in program history!!
Coach Geriot spent the last 10 seasons on an NBA staff with the @PelicansNBA & @cavs. #GaelNation 🏀 #MAACHoops
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🔗 https://t.co/1aQgHU54uN pic.twitter.com/YJJT2DYhXS— Iona Men’s Basketball (@IonaGaelsMBB) March 20, 2025
The 36-year-old Geriot was in his 10th NBA season as an assistant coach (nine seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, one with the New Orleans Pelicans). He played college basketball at Richmond from 2006-11 and broke into coaching in the college ranks with Princeton and Campbell.
While with the Cavaliers this season, he has helped them reach an overall record of 56-13. As one of the top teams in the NBA, regardless of conference, they have a great chance to win an NBA title.
If they were to do just that, Geriot would receive a championship ring for his contributions to the team as an assistant.
The Gaels Needed a Change In Leadership
Under the stewardship of head coach Tobin Anderson over the last two seasons, the Gaels were simply not playing at the same level that they were with former head coach Rick Pitino.
After making the NCAA Tournament twice under Pitino, the Gaels have gone a combined 33-34 across the last two seasons. This is why the school decided to part ways with Anderson.
Geriot now knows what the standard will be as a head coach at a mid-major program. Coaching a team to a .500 record will not be good enough in the eyes of the athletic department, especially after the last coach was fired after just two years.
Among players likely returning next season, freshman guard Adam Njie averaged 12.4 points per game and 1.7 steals per game, both good for second and third on the team behind stat-leading senior guard Dejour Reaves. If Geriot can build around a player like Njie, he might be able to lead a quality program into the future.
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But as a first-time head coach at 36 years of age, he deserves to be cut a little slack heading into the 2025 regular season.
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