March 21 (UPI) -- Iona hired Tobin Anderson as its new coach, less than a week after he led 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson to an upset of No. 1 Purdue at the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, the school announced Tuesday.
"I appreciate this tremendous opportunity from [athletic director] Matt Glovaski and [president] Seamus Carey to be the next leader of one of the most storied basketball programs on the East Coast," Anderson said in a news release.
Anderson, 51, led Fairleigh Dickinson to a 21-16 record in his lone season with the Knights. The Knights beat Texas Southern Wednesday in a First Four matchup to start their tournament run.
They knocked off Purdue two days later to advance to the Round of 32. The Knights tournament run ended Sunday with a 78-70 loss to Florida Atlantic.
The Knights went 4-22 the year before Anderson was hired.
Anderson previously coached at St. Thomas Aquinas, Hamilton and Clarkson. He went 67-66 in five seasons at Clarkson. He compiled more than 400 wins in more than two decades as a coach at the Division I, II and III levels.
"Iona University represents everything my family and I were looking for in a school, a basketball program and a campus atmosphere," Anderson said. "Our goal is to build upon the tremendous tradition of Iona basketball and elevate the program to greater heights."
Anderson will replace former Iona coach Rick Pitino, who left the program take the same job at St. John's. Pitino went 64-22 in three seasons at Iona. The Gaels lost to UConn on Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
