I believe I can continue the successful tradition of your basketball program. I will strive to continue to build on past success, and as your Head Coach, will expect the basketball program to become one of the top major programs in the country with the ability to regularly contend for League Championship and participate in the NCAA Tournament on a consistent basis. I will expect our student-athletes to graduate and be a positive reflection of this institution and I expect the program to have the highest level of integrity and respectability.

I will bring a lifetime of basketball achievement to your school. As a high school All-American, I was recruited by 300 schools and chose Iona over Kentucky, Indiana and Wake Forest. As a player at Iona, under Jim Valvano, we achieved great success, was ranked has high as 6th in the country and had wins over nationally ranked teams such as Louisville, Kansas and St. John’s. As an NBA player, I was First Team All Rookie in 1982, a two time NBA All-Star and lead the Washington Bullets to 4 Playoff appearances and as a coach, I am only one of two head coaches in the 25 year history of the MAAC with 3 Championships and 3 NCAA Appearances in the last seven years. With this level of achievement, I will bring instant National attention and credibility.

Upon retiring from the NBA in 1992, I became an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers under Fred Carter. In 1995, I was hired as an assistant coach at Iona College under the newly hired head coach, Tim Welsh, who is currently the head basketball coach at Providence College. In the 10 years prior to my joining the staff, Iona’s record was 133 - 152 (47%), had 6 losing seasons in the last 9 years, no MAAC Championships or NCAA Appearances and was 7-20 and 10-15 in the last two years prior to me returning to Iona. In my three seasons as an assistant, I was instrumental in working with Tim Welsh in rebuilding the Iona basketball program. The overall record during that time was 70-22 (76%). We captured three straight MAAC regular season titles, made an appearance in the 1998 NCAA Tournament and were selected for the 1996 and 1997 NIT tournaments:

1995-1996 Record 21-8 and NIT appearance
1996-1997 Record 22-8 with NIT appearance
1997-1998 Record 27-6 with NCAA appearance

I was hired as the head coach of Iona College in 1998. Since that time, Iona has won three MAAC Championships and made three NCAA appearances and has two wins over Top 25 teams – North Carolina in 2004 and Iowa State in 2005. This past season, 2005-06, Iona dominated each opponent in the MAAC Tournament and won a trip to the NCAA:

1st Round Iona 80 Niagara 54
2nd Round Iona 100 Marist 84
Championship Iona 80 St. Peter’s 61

At Iona, I helped rebuild a program that is now winning on a consistent basis. My 2005-2006 starting team had two Academic All-Americans. Steve Burtt was ESPN THE MAGAZINE Academic All-American, Second Team, the 2006 ALL-MAAC First Team - Tournament MVP and a 2,000 point scorer. Marvin McCullough was a Three-Time MAAC All-Academic Selection and Team Captain.

Throughout my career as an athlete, coach and person, I have earned the respect of high school coaches and players, college colleagues, NBA coaches, players and administrators. My reputation will afford me the ability to assemble a top notch coaching staff, recruit the top student-athletes , demand excellence, hard work and toughness of my players and lead our student-athletes to compete at the highest level.

I have also exemplified tremendous loyalty throughout my career and life. I have spent 15 years at Iona College as an All American student athlete, graduate, assistant coach and head coach. It is with my sincerest desire to end my career as the Head Basketball Coach at a Division 1 school like yours. It offers me the ability to coach in a sport that has been a big part of my life, with the potential to be a consistent top contender in League Championship and the ability to regularly take a team to the NCAA Tournament.