EDISON, NJ - The Iona College men's basketball team, the five-time defending MAAC tournament champions, were selected to finish first in the 2021-22 Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Gaels received all 11 first-place votes as the unanimous favorites for the upcoming season. In addition to the poll, sophomore Nelly Junior Joseph was selected to the Preseason All-MAAC First Team.
 
Led by second-year Hall of Fame head coach Rick Pitino, the Maroon & Gold were chosen to repeat as league champions following last season's unprecedented run to the tournament title, and the program's MAAC-leading 13th championship. The Gaels won four games in five days and became the first No. 9 seed to win the conference tournament and the second team to win four games in route to the league trophy. Iona seeks its sixth straight tournament title in 2022.
 
Junior Joseph enters his second season with the Gaels after a MAAC Rookie of the Year campaign in 2020-21. He is Iona's top returning scorer and rebounder at 11.1 points and 7.5 boards per game. Junior Joseph shot nearly 60.0% from the field and led the team with 29 blocks in 18 games played.
 
Among the top returners joining Junior Joseph on the Gaels this season are graduate Berrick JeanLouis, sophomore Ryan Myers and graduate Dylan van Eyck. JeanLouis is the lone returner that started all 18 games last season. He led the team with 40 steals, second with 22 blocks, and third with 5.4 rebounds and 37.0 3FG%. Myers was one of the top rookies in the MAAC last season. His 43.2% 3FG% was tops among Iona performers and league freshmen. Van Eyck ranked No. 2 on the team averaging 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists to go along with 7.1 points per game.
 
The Maroon & Gold's top returners are joined by a trio of talented transfers from high-major programs. Former Tulsa standout Eljiah Joiner, former SMU guard Tyson Jolly and former Louisville forward Quinn Slazinski will all make an immediate impact on the Gaels success this season.
 
In the coaches' poll, Iona was followed by Saint Peter's with 91 points. Marist, Monmouth, Rider rounded out the top five, were all within a mere point of each other in the poll, earning 75, 74, and 73 points respectively to round out the top five spots. The remainder of the poll featured Fairfield, Manhattan, Siena, Quinnipiac, Niagara and Canisius in sixth through 11th.
 
The Gaels open the season with an exhibition matchup vs. Adelphi on Saturday, October 30. The season opener takes place a week later on November 9, as Iona hosts
Appalachian State. Individual game, mini-plan and season ticket packages are available now on ICGaelsTickets.com. For schedule information visit ICGaels.com/mbb.

MAAC PRESEASON COACHES' POLL

No.	School	Votes
1.)	Iona (11)	121
2.)	Saint Peter's	91
3.)	Marist	75
4.)	Monmouth	74
5.)	Rider	73
6.)	Fairfield	62
7.)	Manhattan	58
8.)	Siena	54
9.)	Quinnipiac	53
10.)	Niagara	39
11.)	Canisius	26

Preseason All-MAAC Teams

Preseason All-MAAC First Team
Player	Position	Year	School
Nelly Junior Joseph	Forward	So.	Iona
George Papas	Guard	Gr.	Monmouth
Marcus Hammond	Guard	Sr.	Niagara
Dwight Murray Jr.	Guard	Sr.	Rider
KC Ndefo	Forward	Sr.	Saint Peter's
Preseason All-MAAC Second Team
Player	Position	Year	School
Warren Wiliams	Forward	Sr.	Manhattan
Kevin Marfo	Forward	Gr.	Quinnipiac
Jacob Rigoni	Forward	Gr.	Quinnipiac
Dimencio Vaughn	Forward	Gr.	Rider
Daryl Banks III	Guard	Jr.	Saint Peter's
Preseason All-MAAC Third Team
Player	Position	Year	School
Malek Green	Forward	Sr.	Canisius
Jake Wojcik	Guard	Sr.	Fairfield
Ant Nelson	Guard	Sr.	Manhattan
Ricardo Wright	Guard	So.	Marist
Shavar Reynolds Jr.	Guard	Gr.	Monmouth