For the first time in almost two decades, the Iona University men’s basketball team will face Fordham University, the Gaels announced June 5 as their schedule for next season continues to take shape.
The two colleges, although separated only by half an hour along Bronx River Parkway, haven’t faced each other since the 2006-07 season. That changes this fall as the teams have agreed to meet in each of the next two seasons for a home-and-home series, beginning Nov. 14 in New Rochelle.
The non-conference opponents reconnecting is due in part to the relationship of their first-year head coaches. Iona’s Dan Geriot and Mike Magpayo (Fordham) worked together as assistant coaches at Campbell University in the 2014-15 season.
“The New York Metro area has a lot of great basketball teams and it’s great whenever they can get together and play against each other,” said Brian Beyrer, Iona’s sports information director. “It’s great for the fans, too, because they can get to see their team play not just at home but at a nearby venue on the road.”
What once was a neighborly rivalry dated back to 1942, with the teams squaring off 63 times. Fordham has a one-game edge in their head-to-head historically, including 70-54 win in the last matchup on Dec. 3, 2006. Iona eked out a 71-70 win when they met a year earlier.
The teams were scheduled to face each other in November 2020, but the game was nixed as the start of the season was delayed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Rams have struggled since a breakthrough 25-8 campaign three years ago, compiling a .378 win percentage the last two seasons, including going 3-15 in their Atlantic 10 games last winter. The Gaels last season went 17-17 overall and lost in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference final.
Iona is also scheduled to play in the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands in November, opening against Akron. They also will face Hofstra on Nov. 7, and their early-season schedule includes Princeton and Bryant. In another marquee matchup, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, the Gaels will face St. John’s at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 13. Iona didn’t confirm or deny the report.
Since Geriot was hired, as well as new Iona general manager Craig Moore, the Gaels have been busy reshaping their roster and staff.
Iona University men’s basketball and its busy offseason
Stephen Haynes covers baseball for The Journal News/lohud.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: College basketball: Iona scheduled to face Fordham for the first time since 2006
Reporting by Stephen Haynes, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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