Opinion ID: 1302107
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Discontent

Text: After the successes of Ruland's first three years in charge, the men's basketball program began to suffer poorer fortunes. The parties dispute the extent of the downturn, but it is clear that the college had serious cause for concern about the team's on-court results and its off-court activities. On the court, the team went from an impressive win-loss tally of 74-50 for the period of 1997 to 2001, to a lackluster record of 41-47 for 2001 to 2004. In stark contrast with the preceding seasons, the Gaels failed to make it to the NCAA tournament in 2002, 2003, or 2004. The team came under fire from the media and from fans for its inconsistent performances. In 2003-2004, the team finished seventh out of ten in the MAAC, and had a record of 11-18. The program also exhibited problems off the court. In late 2001, several players were discovered to have defrauded the college by buying books with book vouchers and selling the books for cash. Poor academic performance led to the dismissal of two starting players after the 2002-2003 season; two more were suspended for the same reason during the course of the 2003-2004 season. And in late 2003, the NCAA informed the college that it was investigating possible rules infractions by Iona men's basketball players and coaches. Ruland and O'Driscoll, but not Holcomb or Chiles, were interviewed in connection with that investigation. On June 25, 2004, Brother Liguori was quoted in a local newspaper as saying that he was not a happy camper. From his vantage point, the men's basketball program seem[ed] to be going from bad to worse.