Report: FDU HC Tobin Anderson Takes Iona Job After Tournament Upset of No. 1 Purdue

Head coach Tobin Anderson, who just led Fairleigh Dickinson to the second-ever No. 16 seed-over-No. 1 seed upset in NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament history, is reportedly leaving the Knights for Iona.

CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein reported the news Tuesday.

The 51-year-old Anderson will replace Rick Pitino, who left the Gaels to become St. John's head coach on a six-year deal.

FDU enjoyed a fun ride in this year's tournament, beginning with an 84-61 win over Texas Southern in the First Four. The Knights then took down Purdue 63-58 to join 2017-18 UMBC, which beat Virginia, as the lone No. 16 seeds to win in the first round.

FDU hung tough in the second round against No. 9 Florida Atlantic but lost 78-70.

Anderson was the head coach at Division III programs Clarkson (1999-2004) and Hamilton (2004-11) before heading up Division II St. Thomas Aquinas (2013-22).

St. Thomas Aquinas made the NCAA tournament seven straight times under Anderson, who guided the Spartans to a 209-62 record.

He was hired by Fairleigh Dickinson on May 3, and the team finished 21-16 and second in the Northeast Conference after going 4-22 and finishing eighth in the 10-team league in 2021-22.

The Knights fell to Merrimack in the conference tournament final but earned an NCAA tournament berth. The Warriors were ineligible to participate in March Madness because of the NCAA's four-year transition rule (Merrimack moved from D-II to D-I in 2019).

FDU made the most of its opportunity and cemented its legacy as one of the most notable underdog stories in tournament history.

That made Anderson a hot name in coaching circles, and he has reportedly parlayed that into leading the Gaels, who won the MAAC regular-season and/or tournament championship in all three of their seasons under Pitino.