Iona great from late 70’s Brian Vickers has passed

[nevergiveup]

Sad to learn Iona great Brian Vickers has passed away. Grew up watching him and he and his brother Glenn played a big roll in helping Valvano build his great teams.

www.newsday.com/sports/high-school/boys-basketball/ex-babylon-high-school-basketball-star-brian-vickers-58-dies-1.16588359

[St. Louis Gael]

Feb 7, 2018 11:52:54 GMT -5 nevergiveup said:

Sad to learn Iona great Brian Vickers has passed away. Grew up watching him and he played a big roll in helping Valvano build his great teams.

www.newsday.com/sports/high-school/boys-basketball/ex-babylon-high-school-basketball-star-brian-vickers-58-dies-1.16588359

That is sad news. Way too young!

[nevergiveup]

Here is another great piece from the past (Newsday in 2002) that will pleasantly remind us all of the Long Island to New Rochelle pipeline and the Darw to Dream era that Valvano and the Vickers created in the late 70’s and early 80’s

www.newsday.com/sports/valvano-showed-li-was-a-hotbed-1.349660

[iona81]

Sad to hear this I was a year ahead of Brian,he was a solid guy and much too young,another tough loss for the Iona community,we used to share a lot of laughs.

[gregcrow]

Sad news. Loved those teams. Good guy gone too soon.

[ic59]

May he Rest In Peace.

[iona05]

Terrible news. RIP.

Wasn't he the first Valvano recruit who then got his brother to come, who then got Ruland to come?

[Super]

Feb 7, 2018 14:45:27 GMT -5 iona05 said:

Terrible news. RIP.

Wasn't he the first Valvano recruit who then got his brother to come, who then got Ruland to come?

Brother Glenn came first along with Kevin Hamilton.
Ruland and Vesey came the next year. (Our version of the Twin Towers.)
Brian came after that. Alex Middleton and Mike Palma both transferred in the same year.

[sharkey]

Sad news. RIP.

[nevergiveup]

Iona05: his brother Glenn was first and the superstar and currently an Iona College Hall of Famer. Glenn Vickers and Kevin Hamilton formed one of the best backcourts in the country and started the long run of super talented Iona guards that continues to this day. No way Iona lands all the other LI stars and bigs (Ruland, Middleton, Palma, etc.) without Glenn being the first to take a chance on Iona and Valvano’s dream. That then led to the next generation (Tony Iati, Steve Burtt Sr. And Rory Grimes, etc.) of later years and into Pat Kennedy’s years.

Brian Vickers legacy is highlighted in his obit and all the kids he helped land scholarships for to better their lives. Last I checked Glenn Vickers was also paying it forward and running a YMCA in LI.

Very sad to see Valvano and longtime ace assistant and recruiter Kenny Willliamson and now Vickers pass. Still inspiring to see it go full cycle nearly four decades later. TC’s LI roots and Grasso’s recruiting skills have now lead to Iona owning NY b-ball the last seven years and the current staff being the most successful and by many measures even more successful than Valvano and Kennedy.