The honors continue to pile up for alumnus Richie Guerin. Earlier this year, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. On Jan. 31, at the Iona-Manhattan men’s basketball game, his No. 14 jersey will be the first jersey retired in program history.

The 1954 graduate was one of the most prolific Gaels. He netted 1,375 points and posted a mark of 19.6 points per game. He left Iona with the school record for career points and most points in a single game (40). He was inducted into the Iona Hall of Fame in 2000.

“When you look at the history of Iona basketball, Richie Guerin really stands out as the first great Gael,” Brian Beyrer, the Associate Athletics Director for Athletic Communications, said. “After his Iona Hall of Fame career, he became one of the top Knicks of the decade in the 60’s, and then obviously this past summer, being elected into the Naismith Hall of Fame, it’s a great honor for us to be able to have him come back and recognize him for his time here at Iona.”

He played for the New York Knicks for seven seasons and led the team in scoring three times. In 1962, he averaged a career-high 29.5 points per game.

“He’s such a big part of our program and a part of the New York area,” men’s basketball head coach Tim Cluess said. “Having been a hall of famer with the Knicks and now [to] come back to be here and have his jersey retired here, it’s a great honor for the school to have him here.”

After his time with the Knicks, Guerin went to the St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks, where he served as a player and coach. He won the 1968 NBA Coach of the Year Award. In 1970, he became the full-time head coach of the Hawks; he posted a 327-291 record in eight seasons as head coach.

“Clearly by being inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame class of 2013, I think it speaks volumes about his professional career,” Director of Athletics Rick Cole said. “He was one of the gentlemen that laid the foundation of our program. You want to talk about a man of just incredible character and integrity from the time he stepped on this campus and all he’s done after; he’s a tremendous representative of our institution. It’s incredibly appropriate that he’s the first number retired as we celebrate our legacy and his legacy.”

Guerin is the first of a long line of successful men’s basketball players. Other Gael greats include Jeff Ruland, Steve Burtt Sr., Steve Burtt Jr., Scott Machado and Lamont “Momo” Jones.

“I guess he originally is Iona basketball from the start,” Cluess said. “Then you have people who followed him, like the Jeff Rulands of the world, but Richie’s name goes back a long time in New York basketball; it’s great that we have someone of that quality who was one of our players here and hopefully will open doors for many more in the future.”

The Iona-Manhattan game will be a rematch of last year’s Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship game. The two teams were picked first and second in the MAAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll. It is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPNU.

With the retirement of his jersey, Guerin will forever be enshrined in the annals of Iona basketball.