Ruland, Iona reach contract settlement

Mar 27, 2007, 18:10 GMT

New Rochelle, NY - Iona College and men's basketball coach Jeff Ruland have reached a settlement on the final two years of his contract.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but the school's release said the deal was amicably reached.

Ruland spent nine years at the helm of his alma mater, leading the Gaels to three Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances.

'Jeff Ruland has been a loyal Gael as a student, player, coach and, more importantly, as a person,' said Iona College president Brother James A. Liguori, CFC. 'He will always have a place in Iona's rich tradition and history.'

Ruland finished his tenure with a record of 139-135 after the team struggled to a dismal 2-28 mark this past season. The Gaels, on the heels of an NCAA appearance last year, lost their first 22 games of the season before finally beating Rider on February 3. Their only other win came against Delaware two weeks later.

'After careful thought and consideration, Iona felt the need to take the men's basketball program in a different direction and Jeff felt it was time to move on to other opportunities,' Liguori added. 'Thus, we were able to reach a settlement agreement on the final two years of his contract. As expected, Jeff was an absolute gentleman during this process.'

The Gaels made NCAA Tournament appearances in 2000, 2001 and 2006 under Ruland. Last year's team lost to eventual Final Four participant LSU in the first round.

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