The Iona Men’s and Women’s basketball programs headlined Maroon Madness to kick off Homecoming Weekend on Oct. 22nd.

The stands were full of Iona students, as well as faculty, parents and alumni. As always, it was a great night for Iona College. Iona had several events that night, including a tug-of war between the Crew team.

The high point of the night was when the basketball teams were introduced. All of the fans were up on their feet applauding each player that was announced, as T-shirts were thrown into the stands.

The amount of talent on the floor at one time was massive. After the teams were announced, the women’s basketball team, as well as senior manager for the team, Eric Alston Jr., performed a five-song dance piece.

The performance drew in the crowd as each person stood-up in excitement.

On the other side, the men’s team did some lay-ups and a few drills. This was strategically placed before the night met its peak.

An announcement was made that sophomore Ra’Shad James had a few dunks to show Iona. The Hynes Athletic Center shook when James threw the ball about 10 feet in the air in front of him, let the it bounce, grabbed it, put it between his legs, and then dunked the ball with authority.

It was definitely the highlight of the night. Students, faculty and alumni may have this dunk printed in their memories for years to come.

Maroon Madness allowed the Iona community to get a little taste of what is in store for this year for both teams. Women’s basketball coach, Anthony Bozzella, and men’s Head Coach Tim Clauss, were very appreciative as the night came to a close by saying farewell and thank you to the students for coming.

Both teams should be up-tempo and exciting to watch this year. They both can potentially do a lot of damage in the MAAC this year and will compete very hard to try to make it to the NCAA tournament in March.

The men’s team will open on the road this year in the World Vision Classic. The event is being held in Cleveland, Ohio. There the Gaels will compete against non-conference opponents, Kent State, Cleveland State and Bryant.

  The women’s team also open their season on the road in the Preseason WNIT at Charlotte, N.C. Their first scheduled game is against Charlotte University. If the Gaels pick up a victory they will move on to play another opponent.

 The first home game for the Iona women will be on Nov. 27 as the Gaels host the Iona Thanksgiving Classic. The Maroon and Gold invited Toledo University, Brown and UMBC to participate in the two-day event. The Gaels are set to play Brown in their first game and Toledo in their second.

  The men’s home opener is on Nov. 18 as they host Richmond University, in what should be a great non-conference match-up for the Gaels. The wait is almost over as Iona basketball quickly approaches with high hopes and expectations.