Nelly Junior Joseph one of Iona basketball鈥檚 best in upcoming season
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — The Iona College men鈥檚 basketball team has a roster that the rest of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference is dreading to play when the season starts. But the one that stands out the most for the Gaels this season is Nelly Junior Joseph.
The Gaels were picked by conference coaches as the most likely to win the championship this season, with a total of 121 votes, 30 more than second-place Saint Peter鈥檚. Iona鈥檚 recent history in the conference, combined with the leadership of head coach Rick Pitino, are sure to be reasons but that鈥檚 not all there is. On the court, the biggest threat to the MAAC is Junior Joseph, as he was selected to the Preseason All-MAAC first team. He was awarded the MAAC Rookie of the Year award in the 2020-21 season, so it鈥檚 understandable that teams this year are focusing on him as a major problem for them on the court.
Junior Joseph came to Iona just last year in 2020, straight from the NBA Academy Africa in Senegal. Since 2016, the NBA have set up academies across the world, from Australia to Africa. The Nigerian has been in the program since October 2018. He鈥檚 played for the NBA Academy鈥檚 select team in the 2018 and 2019 Tarkanian Classics and has competed against other squads from Australia, China, India and Mexico. He also competed in the 2018 Academy Games in Canberra, Australia and the 2019 Academy Games in Atlanta.
During his time at Iona so far, the rookie has made quite the impact under Pitino. Junior Joseph played in all 18 games in the 2020-21 season, starting 16 of them. He had a total of 498 minutes, the third-most in the team behind Isaiah Ross and Berrick JeanLouis.
He led the team in field goals with a 59.6 field goal percentage. His specialty was inside of the arc and Pitino made sure that he stayed there throughout the season. Junior Joseph had only one 3-point attempt all season; he missed it as well. He was alright at the free-throw line, with a 63.8 free throw percentage, but that didn鈥檛 stop him from scoring a bunch for the Gaels. He had 199 points over 18 games with an average of 11.1 points per game, the third best in the team behind Ross and Asante Gist.
Junior Joseph isn鈥檛 lacking in the defense department either. He led his team with 84 defensive rebounds last season and had a total of 11 steals. He also led the team in blocks with 29 and had 41 turnovers, the third most in the team.
Despite being on a team that won the MAAC Championship four times in a row from the 2015-16 season to the 2018-19 season, Junior Joseph still stood out extensively. His talent was a major piece in the 2020-21 team that won the MAAC Championship. The only two out-shining him last season were Ross and Gist. Now that they have graduated, it鈥檚 up to Junior Joseph to help lead his team to more championships.
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