Iona has fired coach Tobin Anderson after just two seasons, the school announced Monday.
The name expected to emerge as the front-runner to replace Anderson is New Orleans Pelicans assistant Dan Geriot, who has also worked in Cleveland as an assistant coach and as the head coach of the G League’s Canton Charge.
Anderson is best known as the coach who led Fairleigh Dickinson to one of the most noted upsets in NCAA history when the No. 16-seeded Knights knocked off No. 1 Purdue in 2023. It marked just the second time in NCAA history a No. 16 had defeated a No. 1 in the first round of the men’s NCAA tournament.
That victory turned Anderson into a household name and quickly earned him the head coaching job at Iona. The Gaels are coming off a 17-17 season in 2024-25, which included a spot in the MAAC league title game. He’s 33-34 in two seasons at Iona.
Iona won three straight games to end the regular season and two games in the MAAC tournament, including an upset of No. 1 seed Quinnipiac. It finished fourth in league play at 12-8 this year. In 2023-24, the Gaels went 16-17 and 10-10 in league play.
Anderson is a longtime head coach, as he coached at Division II St. Thomas Aquinas from 2013-14 to 2021-22. Fairleigh Dickinson hired him after he compiled a record of 209-62 there. He also spent 12 seasons as a Division III coach at Clarkson and Hamilton.
Anderson followed Rick Pitino, who led Iona to a pair of NCAA bids in his three seasons there. He won 52 games over his final two seasons there.
Anderson agreed to a five-year deal upon his hire, which means he’ll be owed a substantial amount with three seasons left on his contract.
Iona is regarded as the best job in the MAAC, as former coach Tim Cluess led the school to four consecutive tournaments from 2016 through 2019. The school has 16 total NCAA tournament appearances.
