Tobin Anderson is an American basketball coach known for his dynamic coaching career and recent tenure as the head coach of the Iona Gaels men’s basketball team. Born on December 1, 1971, in Truro, Iowa, Anderson played college basketball at Wesleyan University from 1991 to 1995, ranking 11th all-time in career scoring as of 2022.
Coaching Career:
- Early Coaching Roles: Anderson began his coaching career as an assistant at Clarkson University in 1996, followed by a stint at Le Moyne College.
- Head Coach Positions: He served as the head coach at Clarkson (1999–2004) and Hamilton College (2004–2011), achieving a 118–63 record and securing three UCAA regular-season titles.
- St. Thomas Aquinas College: From 2013 to 2022, Anderson led St. Thomas Aquinas College, amassing a 209–62 record, five East Coast Conference regular-season titles, and six ECC tournament championships.
- Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU): In May 2022, he became the head coach at FDU, guiding the team to a historic NCAA Tournament upset over Purdue in 2023, marking only the second time a No. 16 seed defeated a No. 1 seed.
- Iona College: Anderson took over as head coach at Iona in March 2023, succeeding Rick Pitino. In his two seasons, the Gaels had a 33–34 record, including a 17–17 season in 2024–25, during which they reached the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship game but fell to Mount St. Mary’s.
On March 17, 2025, Iona College announced it had parted ways with Anderson after just two seasons. The university cited the evolving nature of college basketball, particularly the impact of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) changes, as the reason for the change, stating that the program requires an overhaul of its business model and structure.
Recent Developments:
Following Anderson’s departure, reports suggest that Iona is considering New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach Dan Geriot as a potential replacement.