Iowa State Guard Tavon Sledge Transfers to Iona

After not seeing much playing time at Iowa State, Long Island point guard Tavon Sledge has decided to transfer to Iona, who was a surprise entry into this year’s NCAA Men’s Tournament, after being offered the starting point-guard position. He’ll have to sit out a season. From the NY Post: “From the moment he decided to transfer from Iowa State, Tavon Sledge was focused on Iona College. He liked the Gaels fast-paced attack, the freedom it offered the speedy guards and the school’s close proximity to his Long Island home. Then the 5-foot-9 guard visited the New Rochelle school, met the coaching staff and his future teammates on Friday and was sold. He committed on Saturday. “I feel like my game will improve with their coaching style,” said Sledge, who starred at Long Island Lutheran and Half Hallows Hills West in his high school days. “I just thought it was a good idea for me to go there. It was a good fit for me. They let their guards play and penetrate the gaps, create for shooters. I felt like after watching what they did for Scott Machado and Lamont (MoMo) Jones, it would be a better place for me to go.” Sledge, recruited by assistant Jared Grasso, appeared in only eight games for Iowa State, averaging 2.3 minutes and 1.0 points per contest as a freshman. He will likely have to sit out one year, as per NCAA transfer rules, though he said he may look into gaining a waiver. Sledge said he considered Rhode Island, Wagner and Ole Miss, but never really needed any other options after visiting Iona. “They said I’ll be a three-year starter right away. That’s one of the main reasons I decided to go there,” he said. “Coming from not playing pretty much to get the opportunity to start, I just feel with my talent I’ll be able to play my game and make my team better.”