MAAC Check-In: Exclusive Offseason Q&A with Iona head coach Dan Geriot

[DG] Yeah, I think with the way we defended last year, we’ve realized a lot of our positive play happened when Alliou was kind of in that free, instinctual defensive role. We think Keyshawn can do that as well at a high level. I think we can protect the paint a little bit better.

I think we can protect the rim way better. I think it gives us a little bit of a difference maker as well because I think both of them can still play in kind of a transition offense setting that we’re after. So I think we’re in a pretty positive way there and I think it’s good to have them both and not just rely on one for the duration like kind of did Alliou last year.

[SF] And then obviously that’s kind of a body type that’s unique around the MAAC. I talked about it a lot with Luke McEldon last year, where guys just didn’t have the body to guard him. Was that something that you guys thought about?

[DG] Yeah, I mean I think with what we’re trying to build and going after a league championship, we want to make sure we’re, same idea as last year, versatile in a lot of different play styles. And I think these guys let us be more versatile than even we were last year. And that’s something as we’re chasing this league championship, that’s something we want to really, really dial in on, hone in on.

And I think these guys will give us that opportunity.

[SF] You had a veteran point guard last year, but he didn’t have a ton of experience playing on the floor. Kevon Vanderhorst is not that. He’s got a lot of experience. What drew you guys to him besides the experience and how important is it to have an experienced point guard?

[DG] Yeah, I think a big thing was just his maturity from the get-go. From the first Zoom, he just had a different aura about him, a different mentality that I probably have dealt with in the portal and in recruiting in general since I got here. For me, having that experience of all the different games played, all the different styles he’s going against, I think that’ll help him in the MAAC and in our non-conference schedule.

He’ll be able to feel it, experience it in our setting and in our roster build, and then be able to help us a ton in the MAAC.

[SF] Kosy Akametu, we kind of talked last year about untapped potential with him. Started to tap into that last year, but what’s the next evolution for him as a player as he kind of chases being that first-team type of guy?

[DG] Yeah, I think it’s probably his mindfulness of the game. I think the hardest part, and obviously with being a player for all those years, it’s like you have to put your trust somewhere as a player. That’s why I think his retention was so critical for his career because the trust and the foundation that he put in all the work this year can now come to fruition for him in even a better light.

So for me, that’s where it starts. His trust is here, his foundation’s here. Now it’s his mindfulness of how he’s doing it, and that’s what I think we saw in those last 10, 11 games is our style.

When he was playing in a lot of those different mismatched situations, his efficiency was through the roof, and I think the sky’s the limit for him. He was a big part of how this team was built and what we’re after, so we’ll be depending on him a lot.

[SF] You guys bring in a couple kids from Europe. Talk to me about how you went about scouting Europe and how you landed on Oliver and Panagiotis for those spots.

[DG] Yeah, I think how we scouted them was similar to last year’s Portal. How do you get that skill in decision-making and the shooting? Those guys pop for all three of those.

I think the attribute that I love the most about them, too, is their size. They aren’t coming in here as 6’1″, 6’2″. They’re 6’5″, 6’6″, and probably be listed at 6’6″, 6’7″, because a lot of those are barefoot.

So to me, I think that really showed up to me, their attributes on film and obviously in person, seeing their size and their demeanor. I think that was a big thing for me. Then mentality-wise, for Panagiotis to play for Aris, understand who he was going against every day, not get a ton of minutes played, obviously, for Aris, but when he’s doing it in practice every day, that was big for me.

And then Oliver in a complete 180, playing for Lugano and getting 30-plus minutes a night and having all this experience as a handler, failing correctly, going through it, seeing him go through it, understand when he was down, then when he was up, I think those were huge positives for us. So two different kind of European studies on what we’re after, and I think I’m excited to see how they turn out.

[SF] Case studies?

[DG] They’re European case studies for sure.

[SF] Non-shooting point guard, non-shooting big man. You guys had to go after a lot of shooting, 2 through 4. How do you feel like you did there? Feels like you did pretty well.

[DG] Yeah, I just feel like we’re going to get more catch-and-shoot opportunities. I think our paint production and our paint threats are going to cause a lot of different overhelp situations, and to me, we’ll get more catch-and-shoot opportunities. I think there’s some stuff to unlock with Jungers, Lefas, Martin Kyle, Sassella.

There’s some different stuff to unlock with our movement and how we’re playing with bigger screeners and different opportunities for them there. So I think we’ll see that, and hopefully that gives us more opportunities for catch-and-shoots.

[SF] Was that kind of a natural development in the offseason, or is that something you went after intentionally?

[DG] I think we were intentional about it because I feel like last year, obviously, Lamin did such a unique job early on, and we relied on that so much that a lot of it was pick-and-roll heavy of how we were getting our shots, and I think for me, we definitely left some food on the table. There were some movement opportunities for Toby and Jungers to do. Again, I think we got into that midseason and then got into end of season, and we knew what we knew.

We had our identity established by then, and I think that’s something that now, I think we’ll have an established identity sooner with this team, and that’s what I think we’ll see. Some of our domino effect of the season will be that.

[SF] Yeah, and you kind of mentioned it, but with your identity, you kind of had like six seasons in one last year.

[DG] That was my fault, yes.

[SF] And the fact of the matter being now that it’s not an 82-game season for you. You don’t have that much time to develop it. You can’t have that many seasons within one season. Is that now something that you will go into the offseason kind of teaching differently?

[DG] Yes, yes, yes. I think, again, the role definition started it in the recruiting process. I think that’s going to help us a lot in the summertime with the established identity, and then I think, as I’ve reflected a ton, as you know, I reflect a lot.

I think the fall was probably, as I look back upon it, we really, in a sense, copy and pasted the summer to the fall. And to me, I think we have the ability to enhance our fall. So I think our summer will establish identity, and then the fall we can really enhance it and have a deeper understanding so that once the season starts, we’re in even a better mindful approach of how we want to play, how we want to win, and then why.

[SF] Talk to me about Landry Kosmalski.

Yeah, incredible. I love Landry.

I mean, Swarthmore for all those years, and I think I was at Princeton when he got the Swarthmore job, and it was a big deal, him coming from Davidson and all that back then. And obviously all the success he had, all the empathy he has for my seat, I think helps me so much. He’s already established himself as a vital part of my life.

He knows a lot of the same people I knew from Delaware County and from the Philadelphia area. It was a no-brainer hire for us. I’m thankful he did it.

Obviously, knowing Coach Andrzejek and knowing that staff from Florida, understanding he’s close with Kevin Hovde, he’s close with John Andrzejek, and then all the Delaware County and Philadelphia connections. To me, it was a no-brainer in my mind. I’m obviously super thankful he said yes to this and said yes to our project, what we’re doing here.

And I think it’s going to pay dividends for me because having him understand, and he’s already done it with kind of our planning purposes, and my biggest thing for him is how is he going to learn and understand how I do my player development program, how I do my linking it to practices, linking it to games, how is he evaluating and really giving me that criticism of where to win in the margins, where to see it in his seat and what he’s seen.

That’s been critical for me already, and I’m excited for where we can go from it. It doesn’t hurt to have another big guy at skill to mess around with every day. I think it will do well in our evaluations and where we’re headed as well.

[SF] Did you kind of wish that you had a former head coach on your staff last year, in that sense, someone who had that level of experience?

[DG] Yeah, I think as we went through it, we tried our best to get them here. Maybe I’m projecting, but a lot of the unknowns made it a little difficult for some of them to say yes. I think now, one year under my belt, being a little more established, being a little bit more instead of a belief all the time, there’s an actual product.

I think that helped be able to get him here and get him to understand what we’re after. But yeah, I think as I reflect on it, it would have helped. I think we were all so after it.

We started out so well. We went through Christmas so well. So the belief in what we were doing was so high, and the belief in our process was so high.

I don’t think we were always thinking about the marginal victories we needed and then how to tinker with our process as we got in the conference.

[SF] On the NIL front this year versus last year, what were the biggest differences for you guys? Did you feel you had more opportunities this year?

[DG] I think in the NIL front, it was more being able to retain, which helped a ton, NIL-wise. Then I think overall, I think we had a better understanding of the market early, and I think that helped us be able to get some of these talented players that we got. I think our staff does such a good job of understanding the market.

That’s what we probably do some of our best work, is having the intel throughout the country, being able to really piggyback off other budgets, understand other budgets, understand where we’re at to be able to get the value we need at our school, our university. I think our support is incredible here. For me, being able to do that without having a crazy ask overall, NIL-wise, was really beneficial for us, and that’s why I think our team looks a little different.