The Adventure Begins: Iona College Gives Basketball Team Send Off to NCAA Tournament

Written By: Robert Cox

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Iona College (20-13), for the second year in a row, send farewell to its men’s basketball team, as the Gaels headed off to Dayton, OH for Round 1 of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

The #15 seed Gaels has the daunting challenge of facing #2 Ohio State (26-7) which was picked yesterday by President Obama to round his Final Four NCAA bracket.

Team Captain Seam Armand sees the game as an opportunity.

“Now it’s for my school, for New Rochelle, the City, my teammates, coaching staff and everything I’m just trying to make everybody proud,” said Armand.

Gaels Head Coach Tim Cluess had no illusions about facing the Big 10 powerhouse ranked #7 nationally

“We’re going to go out and give the Buckeyes all we can give them and hope for a victory,” said Cluess.

Armand acknowledged it was going to be a tough game.

“It’s not going to be easy,” said Armand.

“Whoever’s hot that day can win a game,” he added. “It doesn’t matter what you did all season, about your school’s history, its about who’s better for those forty minutes.”

For Lamont “Momo” Jones, he expects to be a part of March Madness.

“This is my third time in a row,” said Jones, who transferred from Arizona before his junior year.

“We just got to go out there and do our part,” said Jones.