FALL IS QUICK AND HARD FOR IONA.Byline: BRIAN DOHN COLLEGE BASKETBALL College basketball most often refers to the American basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA. History
Jeff Ruland Jeffrey Alan Ruland (born December 16 1958 in Bay Shore, New York) is the former head coach of the Iona Gaels men's college basketball team and current head coach of the NBA Development League's Albuquerque Thunderbirds. signed with an agent after his junior season at Iona, then wound up playing a season in Spain before reaching the NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= . Once in the NBA, he averaged 17.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, but his career ended when he was 28 because of a knee injury. Ruland also brings up a marriage that crumbled. His wife, Maureen, battled alcoholism. They divorced, but Ruland proudly states Maureen will celebrate five years of sobriety Feb. 25. So as the Gaels' losses added up this season, Ruland maintained his sense of humor Noun 1. sense of humor - the trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous; "she didn't appreciate my humor"; "you can't survive in the army without a sense of humor" sense of humour, humor, humour . And his grip on reality. When Iona became the last Division I team to win its first game this season with its 69-57 victory over visiting Rider on Saturday, moving the Gaels to 1-22, players jumped up and down and hugged on the court as if they had just advanced to the NCAA Tournament NCAA Tournament can mean: Men's Sports
"I just yelled at them in the locker room because they were celebrating on the court," Ruland said. "We celebrate championships like that, not regular-season wins." The affable Ruland continued to spit out the one-liners during the losing streak, and his positive outlook remained so, but one thing wrankled him: the media. Iona, which plays in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC, pronounced "mack") is a college athletic conference which operates in the northeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I-AA for football and Division I for all other sports. , is located just outside of Manhattan, in Westchester County's New Rochelle. Not only did Ruland not like the fact the New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of media referred to the losing streak as a 23-gamer, since Iona lost to Final Four participant LSU LSU Louisiana State University LSU Large Subunit LSU La Salle University (Philadelphia, PA) LSU La Sierra University LSU Link State Update (OSPF) LSU Learning Support Unit last March in the NCAA Tournament, but reporters were also showing up in big numbers. Normally, two or three reporters show up at Iona's home games. For the win against Rider, six television stations, four newspapers, one online site and Sports Illustrated were in attendance, according to a school spokesperson. "It mystified mys·ti·fy tr.v. mys·ti·fied, mys·ti·fy·ing, mys·ti·fies 1. To confuse or puzzle mentally. See Synonyms at puzzle. 2. To make obscure or mysterious. me that we got that much coverage," Ruland said. "We had a top win last season, the most road wins in the country, and we were leading LSU at the half, and we didn't get that kind of coverage." Ruland has coached three 20-win teams in his first eight seasons at Iona and taken the Gaels to the NCAA Tournament three times. Even during the losing streak, it is not like the Gaels stopped playing hard. In the past three weeks, Iona lost three games in overtime, and two by one point. Part of Iona's problems were because of injuries and academic woes. The Gaels lost their top three scorers -- who combined to score 53 points per game -- from last season's NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association squad, then were dealt another blow before the season started when one of its top reserves from last season, Kenny Jackson, was ruled academically ineligible. Then forward/center Gary Springer suffered torn knee ligaments before the season and guard Kyle Camper broke his foot three games into the season. Two other players have missed significant time with injuries, and St. John's transfer Dexter Gray was ruled academically ineligible after playing four games. "It's like the movie, 'The Perfect Storm,'" Ruland said. "You draw strength from a lot of areas. You don't get out of it with the 'Woe is me' approach." The good news is that when Iona ended its losing streak, Ruland started five freshmen. "Next season," Ruland said, "we'll be right back where we were last season." Bottleneck woes: How tight is it at the top of the Pacific-10 Conference standings? Just ask Oregon. The Ducks arrived in Los Angeles last week tied for first place, with a chance to seize control of the conference. After losses at UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX and USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. , the Ducks (19-4, 7-4 Pac-10) left L.A. in fifth place. "One way or another, that's how quickly it can change," Oregon coach Ernie Kent told The Register-Guard in Eugene, Ore. "I'm not saying we're out of anything. Let's keep it all in perspective and not panic. We're 19-4 and we're right there. We just need to regroup re·group v. re·grouped, re·group·ing, re·groups v.tr. To arrange in a new grouping. v.intr. 1. To come back together in a tactical formation, as after a dispersal in a retreat. . The standings have got a lot more movement left." Bay blues: The situation at Santa Clara, the school that produced Steve Nash, has a certain sense of volatility to it. The Broncos are 17-7, and tied for first in the West Coast Conference at 7-2, but that didn't stop coach Dick Davey from announcing his resignation after the season. Reports from the Bay Area said Davey was forced out, and insiders said the administration is getting ready to pump more dollars into the program and wanted new coaching blood. Santa Clara hasn't had a winning record since 2000-01. It's even more curious that Davey resigned after a 74-71 loss to Loyola Marymount on Jan. 27, which ended a three-game winning streak. Among the names being thrown around as a possible successor are former Stanford and Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are a professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. The team plays in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Franchise history Philadelphia Warriors coach Mike Montgomery, and former UCLA coach Steve Lavin. brian.dohn@dailynews.com (818) 713-3607 CAPTION(S): 2 photos, 5 boxes Photo: (1) Iona's John Kelly, right, looks to pass under pressure from Maryland's Will Bowers during a recent game. The Gaels just won their first game this season. Gail Burton/Associated Press (2) Michigan State coach Tom Izzo reacts to a call by officials Jan. 27 at Ohio State. Terry Gilliam/Associated Press Box: (1) Daily News/CBS 2/KCAL 9 SPORTS CENTRAL POWER RANKINGS - Brian Dohn (2) THEY SAID IT (3) KEY STAT (4) RUMOR MILL (5) SCOUTING THE FIELD (6) THIS WEEK'S BEST BET |
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