The preview of the 2009-10 season, below, will likely be the last post for some time, unless something unusually noteworthy occurs during the off-season. We'll get started again with season previews and anything else of note not long after the mid-October start of practices.
The break provides an opportunity to thank a few people for considerable support during the 2008-09 season.
Thanks, primarily, to my family for being excited about my opportunity to get involved with this blog and, then, for much-needed support and encouragement for keeping it going after a particular rough stretch this past November.
Thanks to MAAC administrators, particularly MAAC commissioner Rich Ensor, who offered the opportunity to create and write in this forum, and thanks to assistant commissioners Jill Skorarczak and Ken Taylor for their support and direction throughout the season.
Thanks to all the coaches, players, sports information personnel and, in many cases, fans for their cooperation and insights throughout the season.
Thanks to all of you who read the blog this season, and to those who reached out with comments and suggestions. The interest is very much appreciated.
I have covered the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in one form or another, first as a sportswriter and, now, as a blogger, since Siena joined the league in 1989.
The conference has never disappointed, whether it be in a competitive situation or otherwise.
It is a league that fans (and writers) can be proud of. Things are done the right way. Players remain students first.
Coaches and players alike recognize the continued need to publicize the conference and are appreciative of not only media coverage but fan interest. As such, it's still possible for fans to get significantly "closer" to their favored program and have the type interaction with coaching staffs and players that usually doesn't happen at the high-major level of college basketball.
It makes the MAAC enjoyable to be around.
On top of everything else, it's a very good level of college basketball.
I look forward to a continuing my blogging efforts about the MAAC next season.
And, I hope you'll continue reading.
Friday, April 24, 2009
A Look Ahead to the 2009-10 Season
One season behind us, the next one about seven months away from beginning.
Too soon to look ahead?
No, it’s never too soon for that.
The crystal ball, the tea leaves and whatever other devices you might use to predict the future all come up with the same answer: The 2009-10 MAAC season will look a lot like this past season’s, maybe even a little better.
The top teams … Siena, Niagara and Rider … are likely to be the top teams again.
But the next tier from this past season … Saint Peter’s, Iona, and Fairfield … all look capable of being better in the foreseeable future. It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if any of those three broke into the top three of the MAAC standings.
At least two of the 2008-09 season’s lower-tier teams, Loyola and Canisius, have enough talent on board to expect improvements, too.
Manhattan and Marist both got hit by some unexpected player losses and will likely be young in a league where experience usually counts for plenty.
League coaches universally proclaimed this past season to be one of the best in conference history in terms of top-to-bottom competitiveness.
That, though, is an annual refrain tossed out merely to positively shape public perception.
This season’s play in the MAAC was very good.
Best ever? Not sure I agree with that.
But if someone wants to begin proclaiming how good the 2009-10 season will be for MAAC basketball … they won’t get any debate from this humble blogger.
Let’s take thumbnail glances at what’s ahead for the men’s programs, from the top down in predicted order of finish for 2009-10.
SIENA: The 2008-09 edition was quite possibly the 2nd-best team in MAAC history, behind only the 1989-90 La Salle squad. And, the Saints could be even better next season (although probably not as good as that La Salle team that sent three players on to the NBA).
Gone is Kenny Hasbrouck, this season’s Player of the Year, but everyone else of significance returns.
The 2009-10 starting five will include three seniors and two juniors, the type of experience that, when coupled with the type talent Siena has, traditionally results in championship-level play.
Add to that group two productive freshmen from this past season’s team, and a recruiting class that head coach Fran McCaffery raves about.
Incoming recruits include a much-needed back-up point guard in Jonathan Breeden, a standout shooting guard in Denzel Yard, and, lanky 6-foot-8 forward O.D. Anosike, who is capable of playing either in the post or on the perimeter and is likely to have the greatest impact among newcomers.
And, then, there’s talented guard Kyle Griffin, a transfer from La Salle who is recovering from a knee injury and should be ready to play by mid-season.
It means Siena will be bigger, deeper and even better than this season.
Of course expectations will be unusually high. Siena became the first MAAC men’s team in the conference’s history to advance to the second round of NCAA tournament play in back-to-back seasons. Siena fans will expect the coming season’s team to at least achieve that again, if not go even deeper in the NCAA’s.
NIAGARA: The league’s second-best team, and on one night in a late regular-season game, (a 100-85 victory over Siena) thrust itself into the conversation for the best in the MAAC.
The only loss is 6-10 center Benson Egemoyne, but it’s a big one in every sense.
The four returning starters … Bilal Benn, Rob Garrison, Tyrone Lewis and Anthony Nelson … rank right there with Siena’s four returnees. And, its depth will be better, too. Current freshman Austin Cooley looks like he’ll be a factor in years to come.
But, the Purple Eagles don’t currently have an inside presence.
They could go small, with 6-6 Demitrius Williams in the middle, or thrust slender 6-9 incoming freshman Andre Gillette into the playing group. For sure, the Purple Eagles will again be the conference’s most-athletic team, and likely be the greatest threat, again, to Siena's championship hopes.
RIDER: Like the top two, in terms of key players returning, it’s more of the same here.
Of the seven-man playing group at season’s end, the only loss will be departing senior Harris Mansell, who battled an elbow injury all year and was never at full strength.
Back is senior-to-be Ryan Thompson, possibly the preseason favorite for Player of the Year accolades. Also back will be hard-working forward Mike Ringold, and talented freshman Novar Gadson, who should have been (it says here) the conference’s Rookie of the Year.
ST. PETER’S: Coach John Dunne has turned the program around from an also-ran in recent years into a solid contender for the foreseeable future.
Every player that averaged at least two points per game last season is back, and the team’s two standouts, emerging 6-7 center Ryan Bacon and guard Wesley Jenkins, one of the MAAC’s top snipers, are both entering their junior seasons.
Add to that duo a pair of good-with-the-ball guards in Nick Leon and Brandon Hall, and do-everything small forward Akeem Gooding, and the upcoming season could be a good one for the Peacocks.
FAIRFIELD: Things should be better for the program that survived a key player defection and more than its share of injury problems this past season.
Back is an effective front-court group of Greg Nero, Warren Edney and Mike Evanovich, as well as Anthony Johnson, if he gets medical clearance after missing much of last season.
The guard spot, though, isn’t quite so solid. Lyndon Jordan, who stepped in at midseason to play the point, looked capable. But, he’ll have to take another step forward for the Stags to improve. Fairfield will also need immediate contributions from incoming freshman Colin Nickerson.
IONA: The Gaels lost two key parts to graduation, leading scorer/rebounder Gary Springer, their top inside player; and 6-6 swingman Devon Clarke, their third-leading scorer.
But, expect talented soph-to-be point guard Scott Machado to be improved after some inconsistent play as a freshman, which will be a key. Otherwise, Iona is set with Milan Predanovic at the other guard spot and, probably, 7-0 Jonathan Huffman at forward position.
Springer’s loss could be offset if junior-to-be Alejo Rodriguez returns to the form he flashed before back problems but rarely exhibited this past season.
Any chance of Iona finishing higher is predicated on quick contributions from incoming freshmen 6-9 Chris Pelcher and 6-2 guard Ben Mockford and red-shirt freshmen Keon Williams and Kyle Smith.
LOYOLA: Jimmy Patsos’s teams are always competitive, and the Greyhounds will be so in the coming season with strong perimeter play. Swingman Jamal Barney is arguably the conference’s most-explosive scorer, and guards Brett Harvey and Brian Rudolph are both experienced and effective.
How far Loyola can go this season will depend on the development of big men 6-7 Anthony Winbush and 6-9 Josh Woegand, along with 6-10 Shane Walker, a transfer from Maryland who sat out last season. If Walker is very good, then Loyola could move closer to the top of the conference standings. Traditionally, though, perimeter-position players transferring from a higher level have had more success in the MAAC than big men.
CANISIUS: One of the league’s youngest teams returns every key player, including senior point guard Frank Turner, one of the most-exciting performers in the conference.
Overall, the Golden Griffins’ top seven players are back. Natural progression is expected, and if 6-9, 320-pounder Chris Gadley gets in better condition he could be an inside force. Incoming freshman Rob Gagliardi should have an impact, too.
The Griffs will legitimately go eight deep, and more, and could push to move up a few spots.
MANHATTAN: Rumors that head coach Barry Rohrssen might be leaving for a position at Kentucky remain active. But even if the Jaspers’ coach stays, the team doesn’t look likely to move out of the bottom half of the league standings for some time.
The decision of do-everything swingman Chris Smith, the team’s second-leading scorer and leading rebounder, to leave the program hurts.
Back will be 6-5 guard Darryl Crawford and 6-2 guard Antoine Pearson, and big man 6-9 Laurence Jolicoeur, who will need to contribute more. Otherwise, there isn’t a lot in place to think Manhattan will be in the MAAC’s upper echelon in the immediate future.
MARIST: The last-place finisher of this past season will have its work cut out to avoid the cellar again in 2009-10.
The Red Foxes not only lost their best front-court player with the graduation of Ryan Schneider, but unexpectedly lost their best guard, David Devezin, who was not granted a medical redshirt year as originally expected. Devezin, it was recently ruled, did not receive a medical redshirt after playing just three games at Texas A&M in the 2005-06 season.
It leaves the team without a single player who averaged more than 6.9 points per game last season. Devezin’s loss means that junior Dujuan Goodwin and sophomore R.J. Hall will be more-prominently featured in the backcourt.
Up front, 6-9 Korey Bauer showed some promise this past season. And, help is coming in the sizeable form of 6-10 Casiem Drummond, a transfer from Villanova, who will be eligible to play after the first semester. Sam Prescott, an incoming freshman-to-be guard, could also have an impact.
Too soon to look ahead?
No, it’s never too soon for that.
The crystal ball, the tea leaves and whatever other devices you might use to predict the future all come up with the same answer: The 2009-10 MAAC season will look a lot like this past season’s, maybe even a little better.
The top teams … Siena, Niagara and Rider … are likely to be the top teams again.
But the next tier from this past season … Saint Peter’s, Iona, and Fairfield … all look capable of being better in the foreseeable future. It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if any of those three broke into the top three of the MAAC standings.
At least two of the 2008-09 season’s lower-tier teams, Loyola and Canisius, have enough talent on board to expect improvements, too.
Manhattan and Marist both got hit by some unexpected player losses and will likely be young in a league where experience usually counts for plenty.
League coaches universally proclaimed this past season to be one of the best in conference history in terms of top-to-bottom competitiveness.
That, though, is an annual refrain tossed out merely to positively shape public perception.
This season’s play in the MAAC was very good.
Best ever? Not sure I agree with that.
But if someone wants to begin proclaiming how good the 2009-10 season will be for MAAC basketball … they won’t get any debate from this humble blogger.
Let’s take thumbnail glances at what’s ahead for the men’s programs, from the top down in predicted order of finish for 2009-10.
SIENA: The 2008-09 edition was quite possibly the 2nd-best team in MAAC history, behind only the 1989-90 La Salle squad. And, the Saints could be even better next season (although probably not as good as that La Salle team that sent three players on to the NBA).
Gone is Kenny Hasbrouck, this season’s Player of the Year, but everyone else of significance returns.
The 2009-10 starting five will include three seniors and two juniors, the type of experience that, when coupled with the type talent Siena has, traditionally results in championship-level play.
Add to that group two productive freshmen from this past season’s team, and a recruiting class that head coach Fran McCaffery raves about.
Incoming recruits include a much-needed back-up point guard in Jonathan Breeden, a standout shooting guard in Denzel Yard, and, lanky 6-foot-8 forward O.D. Anosike, who is capable of playing either in the post or on the perimeter and is likely to have the greatest impact among newcomers.
And, then, there’s talented guard Kyle Griffin, a transfer from La Salle who is recovering from a knee injury and should be ready to play by mid-season.
It means Siena will be bigger, deeper and even better than this season.
Of course expectations will be unusually high. Siena became the first MAAC men’s team in the conference’s history to advance to the second round of NCAA tournament play in back-to-back seasons. Siena fans will expect the coming season’s team to at least achieve that again, if not go even deeper in the NCAA’s.
NIAGARA: The league’s second-best team, and on one night in a late regular-season game, (a 100-85 victory over Siena) thrust itself into the conversation for the best in the MAAC.
The only loss is 6-10 center Benson Egemoyne, but it’s a big one in every sense.
The four returning starters … Bilal Benn, Rob Garrison, Tyrone Lewis and Anthony Nelson … rank right there with Siena’s four returnees. And, its depth will be better, too. Current freshman Austin Cooley looks like he’ll be a factor in years to come.
But, the Purple Eagles don’t currently have an inside presence.
They could go small, with 6-6 Demitrius Williams in the middle, or thrust slender 6-9 incoming freshman Andre Gillette into the playing group. For sure, the Purple Eagles will again be the conference’s most-athletic team, and likely be the greatest threat, again, to Siena's championship hopes.
RIDER: Like the top two, in terms of key players returning, it’s more of the same here.
Of the seven-man playing group at season’s end, the only loss will be departing senior Harris Mansell, who battled an elbow injury all year and was never at full strength.
Back is senior-to-be Ryan Thompson, possibly the preseason favorite for Player of the Year accolades. Also back will be hard-working forward Mike Ringold, and talented freshman Novar Gadson, who should have been (it says here) the conference’s Rookie of the Year.
ST. PETER’S: Coach John Dunne has turned the program around from an also-ran in recent years into a solid contender for the foreseeable future.
Every player that averaged at least two points per game last season is back, and the team’s two standouts, emerging 6-7 center Ryan Bacon and guard Wesley Jenkins, one of the MAAC’s top snipers, are both entering their junior seasons.
Add to that duo a pair of good-with-the-ball guards in Nick Leon and Brandon Hall, and do-everything small forward Akeem Gooding, and the upcoming season could be a good one for the Peacocks.
FAIRFIELD: Things should be better for the program that survived a key player defection and more than its share of injury problems this past season.
Back is an effective front-court group of Greg Nero, Warren Edney and Mike Evanovich, as well as Anthony Johnson, if he gets medical clearance after missing much of last season.
The guard spot, though, isn’t quite so solid. Lyndon Jordan, who stepped in at midseason to play the point, looked capable. But, he’ll have to take another step forward for the Stags to improve. Fairfield will also need immediate contributions from incoming freshman Colin Nickerson.
IONA: The Gaels lost two key parts to graduation, leading scorer/rebounder Gary Springer, their top inside player; and 6-6 swingman Devon Clarke, their third-leading scorer.
But, expect talented soph-to-be point guard Scott Machado to be improved after some inconsistent play as a freshman, which will be a key. Otherwise, Iona is set with Milan Predanovic at the other guard spot and, probably, 7-0 Jonathan Huffman at forward position.
Springer’s loss could be offset if junior-to-be Alejo Rodriguez returns to the form he flashed before back problems but rarely exhibited this past season.
Any chance of Iona finishing higher is predicated on quick contributions from incoming freshmen 6-9 Chris Pelcher and 6-2 guard Ben Mockford and red-shirt freshmen Keon Williams and Kyle Smith.
LOYOLA: Jimmy Patsos’s teams are always competitive, and the Greyhounds will be so in the coming season with strong perimeter play. Swingman Jamal Barney is arguably the conference’s most-explosive scorer, and guards Brett Harvey and Brian Rudolph are both experienced and effective.
How far Loyola can go this season will depend on the development of big men 6-7 Anthony Winbush and 6-9 Josh Woegand, along with 6-10 Shane Walker, a transfer from Maryland who sat out last season. If Walker is very good, then Loyola could move closer to the top of the conference standings. Traditionally, though, perimeter-position players transferring from a higher level have had more success in the MAAC than big men.
CANISIUS: One of the league’s youngest teams returns every key player, including senior point guard Frank Turner, one of the most-exciting performers in the conference.
Overall, the Golden Griffins’ top seven players are back. Natural progression is expected, and if 6-9, 320-pounder Chris Gadley gets in better condition he could be an inside force. Incoming freshman Rob Gagliardi should have an impact, too.
The Griffs will legitimately go eight deep, and more, and could push to move up a few spots.
MANHATTAN: Rumors that head coach Barry Rohrssen might be leaving for a position at Kentucky remain active. But even if the Jaspers’ coach stays, the team doesn’t look likely to move out of the bottom half of the league standings for some time.
The decision of do-everything swingman Chris Smith, the team’s second-leading scorer and leading rebounder, to leave the program hurts.
Back will be 6-5 guard Darryl Crawford and 6-2 guard Antoine Pearson, and big man 6-9 Laurence Jolicoeur, who will need to contribute more. Otherwise, there isn’t a lot in place to think Manhattan will be in the MAAC’s upper echelon in the immediate future.
MARIST: The last-place finisher of this past season will have its work cut out to avoid the cellar again in 2009-10.
The Red Foxes not only lost their best front-court player with the graduation of Ryan Schneider, but unexpectedly lost their best guard, David Devezin, who was not granted a medical redshirt year as originally expected. Devezin, it was recently ruled, did not receive a medical redshirt after playing just three games at Texas A&M in the 2005-06 season.
It leaves the team without a single player who averaged more than 6.9 points per game last season. Devezin’s loss means that junior Dujuan Goodwin and sophomore R.J. Hall will be more-prominently featured in the backcourt.
Up front, 6-9 Korey Bauer showed some promise this past season. And, help is coming in the sizeable form of 6-10 Casiem Drummond, a transfer from Villanova, who will be eligible to play after the first semester. Sam Prescott, an incoming freshman-to-be guard, could also have an impact.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
MAAC Has Strong History of Hosting
Let's give some well-deserved credit where credit is due.
The MAAC is hosting the next two rounds of the women's NCAA Tournament ... the "Sweet 16" round and, then, the event's next round which will determine one of the four Final Four teams ... at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, N.J. this Sunday and Tuesday.
There should be some terrific action with No. 1 seed UConn meeting California and the bracket's No. 2 seed Texas A&M taking on Arizona State this Sunday with the winners advancing to Tuesday's regional-round championship game and the right to advance to the Final Four.
But, what goes on off the court, if history is any indication, will be first-rate, too.
This blogger's history with MAAC-operated events goes back to the 1989-90 season when the conference's first tournament was played in Albany, N.Y., at the downtown facility then known as the Knickerbocker Arena.
Construction of the facility was barely finished in time for the event. The paint was barely dry for a late January grand opening for a Frank Sinatra concert in 1990 and, then, more finishing touches were added prior to the MAAC tournament, which was the first sporting event played there.
In fact, the bid to host the tournament was given long before the arena's construction was complete, a first for that.
It meant that the MAAC didn't have the traditional blocks of time inside the building to aid its preparatory work involving overall logistics. But, if memory serves, the MAAC's first-ever post-season tournament in Albany went as smooth as every other one since. And, as a reporter back then with the type of access that allows one to see all the warts ... well, there weren't any.
Subsequently, the MAAC has earned a well-deserved reputation as being able to host big-time events. And, that was once again seen in Albany when the NCAA committee's faith in the MAAC and the staff at the Albany arena resulted in the facility hosting the 2003 Sweet 16 round and subsequent quarterfinal-round game for the men's tournament.
And, the MAAC-Albany combination hadn't even applied for that level of the tournament. Officials still speak about their surprise about applying for the earlier rounds of the tournament and, then, being awarded the more-prestigious next rounds.
Tickets for that event sold out faster than at any other tournament site that year.
Obviously, good work like that begets more tournament appearances not only for men's and women's basketball but other events, too.
The primary beneficiaries are sports fans proximitous to the facilities that host those events. One doesn't have to go too far back in the memory bank to recall when there wasn't a big-time arena in Albany, or in Buffalo, or in Bridgeport, Conn., or in Trenton, N.J. ... the primary facilities at the MAAC's disposal for hosting basketball tournaments.
Before those places existed, those areas were virtual wastelands for big-time college basketball events.
Now? In Albany, we've had the excitement of post-season basketball ranging from the MAAC's own post-season event to being able to watch, in 2003, eventual national champion Syracuse get through games in the NCAA' tournament's round of 16 and round of 8 to get to that season's Final Four and beyond.
And, now, Trenton, N.J., has that same opportunity on the women's side. You can be sure exciting basketball will be played ... and, you might even see the eventual national champion take the next steps toward earning its crown.
And, you can be equally sure that the experience will be a good one not only for the teams involved but for the spectators that come to watch.
To refresh the memory, your blogger requested a list of NCAA Tournament events hosted by the MAAC, and the list is impressive. Here it is:
-- Men's Basketball, 1995, first and second rounds in Albany.
-- Men's Basketball, 2000 first and second rounds in Buffalo.
-- Men's Basketball, 2003, Sweet 16 and round of 8 in Albany.
-- Men's Basketball, 2004, first and second rounds in Buffalo.
-- Men's Basketball, 2007, first and second rounds in Buffalo.
And, the men's basketball event returns to Buffalo for first and second-round games next season.
-- Women's Basketball, 2006 first and second rounds in Buffalo.
-- Ice Hockey, 2003 Frozen Four in Buffalo.
-- Wrestling, 2002 national championship in Albany.
-- Cross Country, Northeast Regional meet in 1998, 2000, '02, '04 and '06 in Van Cortlandt Park in New York City.
MAAC officials indicate that applications for future events of that magnitide have been, or will be made during the NCAA-mandated time frames.
So, expect more of the same to come.
The MAAC is hosting the next two rounds of the women's NCAA Tournament ... the "Sweet 16" round and, then, the event's next round which will determine one of the four Final Four teams ... at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, N.J. this Sunday and Tuesday.
There should be some terrific action with No. 1 seed UConn meeting California and the bracket's No. 2 seed Texas A&M taking on Arizona State this Sunday with the winners advancing to Tuesday's regional-round championship game and the right to advance to the Final Four.
But, what goes on off the court, if history is any indication, will be first-rate, too.
This blogger's history with MAAC-operated events goes back to the 1989-90 season when the conference's first tournament was played in Albany, N.Y., at the downtown facility then known as the Knickerbocker Arena.
Construction of the facility was barely finished in time for the event. The paint was barely dry for a late January grand opening for a Frank Sinatra concert in 1990 and, then, more finishing touches were added prior to the MAAC tournament, which was the first sporting event played there.
In fact, the bid to host the tournament was given long before the arena's construction was complete, a first for that.
It meant that the MAAC didn't have the traditional blocks of time inside the building to aid its preparatory work involving overall logistics. But, if memory serves, the MAAC's first-ever post-season tournament in Albany went as smooth as every other one since. And, as a reporter back then with the type of access that allows one to see all the warts ... well, there weren't any.
Subsequently, the MAAC has earned a well-deserved reputation as being able to host big-time events. And, that was once again seen in Albany when the NCAA committee's faith in the MAAC and the staff at the Albany arena resulted in the facility hosting the 2003 Sweet 16 round and subsequent quarterfinal-round game for the men's tournament.
And, the MAAC-Albany combination hadn't even applied for that level of the tournament. Officials still speak about their surprise about applying for the earlier rounds of the tournament and, then, being awarded the more-prestigious next rounds.
Tickets for that event sold out faster than at any other tournament site that year.
Obviously, good work like that begets more tournament appearances not only for men's and women's basketball but other events, too.
The primary beneficiaries are sports fans proximitous to the facilities that host those events. One doesn't have to go too far back in the memory bank to recall when there wasn't a big-time arena in Albany, or in Buffalo, or in Bridgeport, Conn., or in Trenton, N.J. ... the primary facilities at the MAAC's disposal for hosting basketball tournaments.
Before those places existed, those areas were virtual wastelands for big-time college basketball events.
Now? In Albany, we've had the excitement of post-season basketball ranging from the MAAC's own post-season event to being able to watch, in 2003, eventual national champion Syracuse get through games in the NCAA' tournament's round of 16 and round of 8 to get to that season's Final Four and beyond.
And, now, Trenton, N.J., has that same opportunity on the women's side. You can be sure exciting basketball will be played ... and, you might even see the eventual national champion take the next steps toward earning its crown.
And, you can be equally sure that the experience will be a good one not only for the teams involved but for the spectators that come to watch.
To refresh the memory, your blogger requested a list of NCAA Tournament events hosted by the MAAC, and the list is impressive. Here it is:
-- Men's Basketball, 1995, first and second rounds in Albany.
-- Men's Basketball, 2000 first and second rounds in Buffalo.
-- Men's Basketball, 2003, Sweet 16 and round of 8 in Albany.
-- Men's Basketball, 2004, first and second rounds in Buffalo.
-- Men's Basketball, 2007, first and second rounds in Buffalo.
And, the men's basketball event returns to Buffalo for first and second-round games next season.
-- Women's Basketball, 2006 first and second rounds in Buffalo.
-- Ice Hockey, 2003 Frozen Four in Buffalo.
-- Wrestling, 2002 national championship in Albany.
-- Cross Country, Northeast Regional meet in 1998, 2000, '02, '04 and '06 in Van Cortlandt Park in New York City.
MAAC officials indicate that applications for future events of that magnitide have been, or will be made during the NCAA-mandated time frames.
So, expect more of the same to come.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Opinions on Siena Team, NCAA Victory
Since everyone likes lists, this humble blogger will submit two, both short.
1) How does the 2008-09 Siena team rank against past Siena teams (Division I era only)?
2) Where does Siena's double-overtime victory over Ohio State in the first round of this year's NCAA Tournament rank among all-time Siena victories?
This blogger has been watching Siena basketball since his high school days. And, no, that wasn't before the invention of the wheel ... although it was back in the late 1960's, early 1970s. And, yours truly has covered Siena basketball, in some form or other, since 1985. So, hopefully, these rankings carry some perspective, expertise and objectivity.
OK, Question No. 1 ... all-time Siena teams of the Division I era:
1) Siena's 1988-89 team.
Its head coach Mike Deane called it a "Top 30" level team, and it might have been even a little better than that.
Its 25-5 overall record remains the program's all-time best winning percentage (.833) in 33 years of Division I play. Regular-season victories included one over a very good Pittsburgh team, at Pitt.
Point guard Marc Brown, then a sophomore, is the best player in Siena's D-I history. Power forward Steve McCoy and swingman Jeff Robinson are both in Siena's top 10. The team had everything covered ... good shooting, good ball-handling, depth and inside play that included a pair of capable 7-footers off the bench (Steve Downey, Eric Fleury).
Not only the first Siena team to make it to the NCAA's, but the only one to advance to the second round prior to last season's squad.
There, it earned a victory over Stanford, ranked No. 13 nationally and a No. 3 seed in a 16-team bracket.
2) The 2008-09 team.
The 27 victories matches the program's single-season record of all time (the 1949-50 team finished 27-5). A second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament's second round with arguably the event's most-exciting game, the 2OT effort vs. Ohio State, thus far.
Although the team doesn't have the singular talent of a Brown, it did have five starters all of whom, it says here, were among the conference's top 15 players this past season as well as contributors off the bench.
The combination of talent and results clearly makes it among the program's all-time best..
3) The 1998-99 team.
Very close call over the 1999-00 team which had a better conference record (15-3, compared to the 1998-99 team's 13-5 record). But, the 1998-99 team made it to the NCAA Tournament, and the subsequent season's team didn't.
Paul Hewitt, in this blogger's opinion, was the best coach in Siena's D-I history ... until now.
Make a case for Fran McCaffery, and there won't be any debate here. Tough call between those two, but McCaffery's back-to-back NCAA appearances with a team comprised entirely of players he brought here ...
OK, McCaffery is No. 1, and Hewitt No. 1A.
Hewitt's 1998-99 team was the trailblazer for up-tempo play at Siena, employing a style even faster than the current squad's.
The talent level was similar to this year's. Hewitt's team had four players who still rank in the program's top 20 in career scoring (Marcus Faison, Jim Cantamessa, Corey Osinski and Scott Knapp), size (an effective 6-10 center in Dave Deters) and depth.
But, the current season's team had something Hewitt's team didn't have: An NCAA Tournament victory.
Question No. 2 ... where does the double-overtime victory over Ohio State rank on Siena's list of greatest single-game accomplishments?
Times Union columnist Mark McGuire, in an on-line blog, calls it "arguably the greatest win in Siena's history."
This blogger, though, doesn't agree, ranking victories in this order:
1) Siena's 1989 NCAA Tournament victory over Stanford.
This was the outcome that brought Siena its first national publicity for reasons beyond a measles' outbreak on campus that season.
As a No. 14 seed knocking off a No. 3 seed, it was the upset of that year's tournament.
Ranked 13th nationally at the time, that Stanford team remains the highest-rated opponent Siena has ever beaten away from home.
And, that Stanford team, at least to these eyes, was considerably better than the Ohio State team Siena beat in this year's NCAA's.
2) Siena's victory over Boston University in the championship game of the old North Atlantic Conference's Tournament.
The victory gave Siena the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the first ever for the Saints. The first time always seems the sweetest, and the first time wouldn't have come for many more years were it not for this game.
Siena trailed, 67-66, with time running out. Tom Huerter launched a 20-foot jumper as the final seconds ticked. The shot barely grazed iron, but Steve McCoy came from under the basket, grabbed Huerter's missed shot and flipped up a one-hander from the side of the basket that fell through with two seconds left for the victory.
3) Siena's victory over Ohio State in two overtimes on Friday.
Close call over the team's demolition of Vanderbilt in last season's first-round NCAA Tournament game. But, even though Vandy (a No. 4 seed) was rated higher than this year's Buckeyes (a No. 8 seed), it did appear that Ohio State was a considerably more formidable opponent ... particularly since the playing venue in Dayton was a virtual home game for the Buckeyes.
If nothing else, it surely was the most-exciting performance in a big-game setting in the Division I era of Siena basketball.
The game carries consequence, too, beyond its own scope. The victory, taken as the second NCAA Tournament advancement in consecutive seasons, stamps Siena as being on the verge of a small-school program seemingly ready to stretch the upper boundries of the mid-major level tag.
Siena isn't yet the Gonzaga of the East, but NCAA Tournament victories in back-to-back years has people thinking about the possibility of reaching that status.
1) How does the 2008-09 Siena team rank against past Siena teams (Division I era only)?
2) Where does Siena's double-overtime victory over Ohio State in the first round of this year's NCAA Tournament rank among all-time Siena victories?
This blogger has been watching Siena basketball since his high school days. And, no, that wasn't before the invention of the wheel ... although it was back in the late 1960's, early 1970s. And, yours truly has covered Siena basketball, in some form or other, since 1985. So, hopefully, these rankings carry some perspective, expertise and objectivity.
OK, Question No. 1 ... all-time Siena teams of the Division I era:
1) Siena's 1988-89 team.
Its head coach Mike Deane called it a "Top 30" level team, and it might have been even a little better than that.
Its 25-5 overall record remains the program's all-time best winning percentage (.833) in 33 years of Division I play. Regular-season victories included one over a very good Pittsburgh team, at Pitt.
Point guard Marc Brown, then a sophomore, is the best player in Siena's D-I history. Power forward Steve McCoy and swingman Jeff Robinson are both in Siena's top 10. The team had everything covered ... good shooting, good ball-handling, depth and inside play that included a pair of capable 7-footers off the bench (Steve Downey, Eric Fleury).
Not only the first Siena team to make it to the NCAA's, but the only one to advance to the second round prior to last season's squad.
There, it earned a victory over Stanford, ranked No. 13 nationally and a No. 3 seed in a 16-team bracket.
2) The 2008-09 team.
The 27 victories matches the program's single-season record of all time (the 1949-50 team finished 27-5). A second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament's second round with arguably the event's most-exciting game, the 2OT effort vs. Ohio State, thus far.
Although the team doesn't have the singular talent of a Brown, it did have five starters all of whom, it says here, were among the conference's top 15 players this past season as well as contributors off the bench.
The combination of talent and results clearly makes it among the program's all-time best..
3) The 1998-99 team.
Very close call over the 1999-00 team which had a better conference record (15-3, compared to the 1998-99 team's 13-5 record). But, the 1998-99 team made it to the NCAA Tournament, and the subsequent season's team didn't.
Paul Hewitt, in this blogger's opinion, was the best coach in Siena's D-I history ... until now.
Make a case for Fran McCaffery, and there won't be any debate here. Tough call between those two, but McCaffery's back-to-back NCAA appearances with a team comprised entirely of players he brought here ...
OK, McCaffery is No. 1, and Hewitt No. 1A.
Hewitt's 1998-99 team was the trailblazer for up-tempo play at Siena, employing a style even faster than the current squad's.
The talent level was similar to this year's. Hewitt's team had four players who still rank in the program's top 20 in career scoring (Marcus Faison, Jim Cantamessa, Corey Osinski and Scott Knapp), size (an effective 6-10 center in Dave Deters) and depth.
But, the current season's team had something Hewitt's team didn't have: An NCAA Tournament victory.
Question No. 2 ... where does the double-overtime victory over Ohio State rank on Siena's list of greatest single-game accomplishments?
Times Union columnist Mark McGuire, in an on-line blog, calls it "arguably the greatest win in Siena's history."
This blogger, though, doesn't agree, ranking victories in this order:
1) Siena's 1989 NCAA Tournament victory over Stanford.
This was the outcome that brought Siena its first national publicity for reasons beyond a measles' outbreak on campus that season.
As a No. 14 seed knocking off a No. 3 seed, it was the upset of that year's tournament.
Ranked 13th nationally at the time, that Stanford team remains the highest-rated opponent Siena has ever beaten away from home.
And, that Stanford team, at least to these eyes, was considerably better than the Ohio State team Siena beat in this year's NCAA's.
2) Siena's victory over Boston University in the championship game of the old North Atlantic Conference's Tournament.
The victory gave Siena the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the first ever for the Saints. The first time always seems the sweetest, and the first time wouldn't have come for many more years were it not for this game.
Siena trailed, 67-66, with time running out. Tom Huerter launched a 20-foot jumper as the final seconds ticked. The shot barely grazed iron, but Steve McCoy came from under the basket, grabbed Huerter's missed shot and flipped up a one-hander from the side of the basket that fell through with two seconds left for the victory.
3) Siena's victory over Ohio State in two overtimes on Friday.
Close call over the team's demolition of Vanderbilt in last season's first-round NCAA Tournament game. But, even though Vandy (a No. 4 seed) was rated higher than this year's Buckeyes (a No. 8 seed), it did appear that Ohio State was a considerably more formidable opponent ... particularly since the playing venue in Dayton was a virtual home game for the Buckeyes.
If nothing else, it surely was the most-exciting performance in a big-game setting in the Division I era of Siena basketball.
The game carries consequence, too, beyond its own scope. The victory, taken as the second NCAA Tournament advancement in consecutive seasons, stamps Siena as being on the verge of a small-school program seemingly ready to stretch the upper boundries of the mid-major level tag.
Siena isn't yet the Gonzaga of the East, but NCAA Tournament victories in back-to-back years has people thinking about the possibility of reaching that status.
Slotting this Siena Squad in its Place ... and Plotting a Route to Sweet 16 in 2010
Earlier this season my good friend, Pete Iorizzo of the Albany Times Union newspaper, subjectively identified the five best teams in the history of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
The list was pretty accurate in my mind, particularly since I provided some help in determining Pete’s picks.
Because the just-concluded season was still on-going, though, the 2008-09 Siena team was not considered.
With Siena’s results in, though, it’s a good time to revisit the debate.
It says here that the 2008-09 Siena team ranks behind only the 1989-90 La Salle team that featured Lionel Simmons, Randy Woods and Doug Overton (16-0 in MAAC play, 30-2 overall).
This year’s Siena team finished 27-8 overall, and its 16 regular-season conference victories matched the league’s all-time best also held by the 1989-90 Exporers and the 2003-04 Manhattan (16-2) squad.
Siena’s current “era” also rivals La Salle’s glory years (1987-88 through 1989-90), a three-year run when the Explorers finished 43-1 in MAAC play and 80-18 overall.
But, in one respect, the current Siena era surpasses even those La Salle teams.
Siena became the first MAAC men’s team since the league was formed in 1981 to win a first-round NCAA Tournament game in consecutive seasons.
In sports, where we often look ahead as much as look behind, the talk about whether Siena can advance beyond the second round of the NCAA’s is already a topic of debate.
Although no MAAC men's team has ever won a second-round game, why not Siena a year from now?
Only one productive senior, senior guard Kenny Hasbrouck, leaves this year’s team.
Hasbrouck was the conference’s Player of the Year this season. But, he wasn’t the season’s unique talent like Simmons was for La Salle, or Luis Flores was as a senior at Manhattan when that program won 16 conference regular-season games in the 2003-04 season.
Hasbrouck will be sorely missed, but not to the point that Siena’s program will return to the pack without him like La Salle and Manhattan did when their respective singular stars moved on.
There is a solid replacement in current sophomore Clarence Jackson, the conference’s Sixth Man of the Year Award winner for this season, ready to step in.
Siena’s other four starters? All four will be among the conference’s top players a year from now.
Back, too, will be all-Rookie team member guard Kyle Downey and another productive first-year player, forward Owen Wignot. Siena’s incoming recruits are reportedly strong and all three could play roles on next season’s team.
Right now, Siena is likely to be a unanimous choice as the conference’s team to beat in next season’s preseason poll of coaches.
And, then, the conference’s post-season tournament will again be played at the Times Union Center, Siena’s home court.
If all that holds up, and Siena gets to its third straight NCAA tournament next season, its chances to advance to that event’s Sweet 16 round, where no MAAC team has ever gone, depends on one thing: A good seeding position.
The Saints were flattered to be a No. 9 seed in a 16-team bracket this season. It gave them a first-round match against an opponent of equal ability in the minds of the NCAA Selection Committee.
But the seeding gave Siena a second-round match with the bracket’s No. 1 seed, Louisville.
Siena’s quest to advance past the second round of a future NCAA tournament would likely require a No. 6 seed, bringing about a second-round meeting with a No. 3, or a No. 5 seed bringing a second-round game against a No. 4.
Lofty expectations? For sure.
But, not unprecedented. The 1989-90 La Salle team was a No. 4 seed in a 16-team bracket. So, it can happen.
If the Siena “era” is indeed among the best ever experienced by a MAAC program, then it could secure a No. 4, 5 or 6 seed a year from now by living up to that particular accolade.
Needless to say that it won’t be easy.
Siena would need to get a win or two on the road against big-time opponents, something it didn’t get this year in losing to Pittsburgh, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Wichita State and Tennessee in games away from home this season.
It probably needs to improve on its 16-2 MAAC record from this season, too.
Siena went 7-5 in non-league games this season and 16-2 in MAAC play.
Give the Saints one more non-league win, and one more in the conference … that’s 25-5 entering the MAAC tournament. Win three games there, and it’s a 28-5 record going into Selection Sunday, probably good enough for a No. 5 or a No. 6 seed, as long as the non-league schedule includes games against Top 50 opponents, and Siena wins one of those.
Add another victory somewhere along the way and, then, it's a 29-4 record and, potentially a No. 4 seed.
Sounds easy, but it’s not. As good as the MAAC was this season, it might be even better a year from now.
But, that’s probably what Siena has to reach for if it hopes to advance beyond the NCAA Tournament’s second round.
Here’s a good comparison of another so-called mid-major program’s recent plight in the NCAA’s.
Xavier, a No. 4 this season, has advanced to the Sweet 16. Last year, as a No. 3 seed, it advanced to the round of eight. Two years ago, as a No. 9 seed in 2007, Xavier won a first-round contest and, then, was ousted by a No. 1, the same situation Siena faced this season.
Easier said than done. But, it's what Siena will likely have to do to advance beyond the second round of NCAA Tournament play.
The list was pretty accurate in my mind, particularly since I provided some help in determining Pete’s picks.
Because the just-concluded season was still on-going, though, the 2008-09 Siena team was not considered.
With Siena’s results in, though, it’s a good time to revisit the debate.
It says here that the 2008-09 Siena team ranks behind only the 1989-90 La Salle team that featured Lionel Simmons, Randy Woods and Doug Overton (16-0 in MAAC play, 30-2 overall).
This year’s Siena team finished 27-8 overall, and its 16 regular-season conference victories matched the league’s all-time best also held by the 1989-90 Exporers and the 2003-04 Manhattan (16-2) squad.
Siena’s current “era” also rivals La Salle’s glory years (1987-88 through 1989-90), a three-year run when the Explorers finished 43-1 in MAAC play and 80-18 overall.
But, in one respect, the current Siena era surpasses even those La Salle teams.
Siena became the first MAAC men’s team since the league was formed in 1981 to win a first-round NCAA Tournament game in consecutive seasons.
In sports, where we often look ahead as much as look behind, the talk about whether Siena can advance beyond the second round of the NCAA’s is already a topic of debate.
Although no MAAC men's team has ever won a second-round game, why not Siena a year from now?
Only one productive senior, senior guard Kenny Hasbrouck, leaves this year’s team.
Hasbrouck was the conference’s Player of the Year this season. But, he wasn’t the season’s unique talent like Simmons was for La Salle, or Luis Flores was as a senior at Manhattan when that program won 16 conference regular-season games in the 2003-04 season.
Hasbrouck will be sorely missed, but not to the point that Siena’s program will return to the pack without him like La Salle and Manhattan did when their respective singular stars moved on.
There is a solid replacement in current sophomore Clarence Jackson, the conference’s Sixth Man of the Year Award winner for this season, ready to step in.
Siena’s other four starters? All four will be among the conference’s top players a year from now.
Back, too, will be all-Rookie team member guard Kyle Downey and another productive first-year player, forward Owen Wignot. Siena’s incoming recruits are reportedly strong and all three could play roles on next season’s team.
Right now, Siena is likely to be a unanimous choice as the conference’s team to beat in next season’s preseason poll of coaches.
And, then, the conference’s post-season tournament will again be played at the Times Union Center, Siena’s home court.
If all that holds up, and Siena gets to its third straight NCAA tournament next season, its chances to advance to that event’s Sweet 16 round, where no MAAC team has ever gone, depends on one thing: A good seeding position.
The Saints were flattered to be a No. 9 seed in a 16-team bracket this season. It gave them a first-round match against an opponent of equal ability in the minds of the NCAA Selection Committee.
But the seeding gave Siena a second-round match with the bracket’s No. 1 seed, Louisville.
Siena’s quest to advance past the second round of a future NCAA tournament would likely require a No. 6 seed, bringing about a second-round meeting with a No. 3, or a No. 5 seed bringing a second-round game against a No. 4.
Lofty expectations? For sure.
But, not unprecedented. The 1989-90 La Salle team was a No. 4 seed in a 16-team bracket. So, it can happen.
If the Siena “era” is indeed among the best ever experienced by a MAAC program, then it could secure a No. 4, 5 or 6 seed a year from now by living up to that particular accolade.
Needless to say that it won’t be easy.
Siena would need to get a win or two on the road against big-time opponents, something it didn’t get this year in losing to Pittsburgh, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Wichita State and Tennessee in games away from home this season.
It probably needs to improve on its 16-2 MAAC record from this season, too.
Siena went 7-5 in non-league games this season and 16-2 in MAAC play.
Give the Saints one more non-league win, and one more in the conference … that’s 25-5 entering the MAAC tournament. Win three games there, and it’s a 28-5 record going into Selection Sunday, probably good enough for a No. 5 or a No. 6 seed, as long as the non-league schedule includes games against Top 50 opponents, and Siena wins one of those.
Add another victory somewhere along the way and, then, it's a 29-4 record and, potentially a No. 4 seed.
Sounds easy, but it’s not. As good as the MAAC was this season, it might be even better a year from now.
But, that’s probably what Siena has to reach for if it hopes to advance beyond the NCAA Tournament’s second round.
Here’s a good comparison of another so-called mid-major program’s recent plight in the NCAA’s.
Xavier, a No. 4 this season, has advanced to the Sweet 16. Last year, as a No. 3 seed, it advanced to the round of eight. Two years ago, as a No. 9 seed in 2007, Xavier won a first-round contest and, then, was ousted by a No. 1, the same situation Siena faced this season.
Easier said than done. But, it's what Siena will likely have to do to advance beyond the second round of NCAA Tournament play.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Pitino Knows Plenty About Siena
As Siena was preparing for its first-round NCAA Tournament game against Ohio State, it discovered that the Buckeyes knew so much about the Saints that players even knew the high school nickname of Siena's head coach Fran McCaffery.
And, it has been more than 30 years since McCaffery was known as "White Magic," while a clever point guard in his high school days.
You can be sure that Louisville, and particularly its head coach Rick Pitino, will also know plenty about Siena as the teams prepared for Sunday's meeting in the second-round.
Pitino won't have to search far for some perspective about Siena. His own memory banks will suffice.
Pitino began his career as a head coach on the mid-major level, coaching five seasons at Boston University (1978-79 through 1982-83) before moving up in the college ranks with two seasons at Providence (1985-86, 1986-87). Between those two stops, he was an assistant coach with the NBA New York Knicks.
Subsequently, Pitino has also coached in the college ranks at Kentucky. He is the only coach in history to bring three college programs to the NCAA's Final Four, doing so with Providence, Kentucky and Louisville.
In Pitino's early days as a college coach his teams played Siena four times. Pitinos teams came out on top all four times.
In the 1978-79 season Boston U. nipped Siena, 72-66; In 1979-80, BU was a 98-89 winner; and, in 1982-83 the Terriers topped Siena, 78-65.
Siena met Providence once in Pitino's two seasons, a 75-64 Providence victory in the 1986-87 season. The Friars ultimately advanced to the Final Four that season, led there by a scrappy point guard named Billy Donovan, who, in recent years, has taken the University of Florida to a pair of national championships.
The starters for the 1986-87 Siena team included Matt Brady (now the head coach at James Madison University, after a successful four-year stay at Marist), Dwight Walton, Rick Williams, Steve McCoy and Jeff Robinson.
That crew gave the Pitino-coached Providence squad a solid challenge in a Dec. 11, 1986 game played at the Providence Civic Center. Siena was within seven, 38-31, at halftime, and still within eight with about three minutes remaining.
And, it gave the 5,127 in attendance for that game a memorable and humorous moment.
With Siena trying to rally from an eight-point deficit late in the game, coach Mike Deane had his team using a full-court pressure defense.
At one point, 7-foot-0 reserve center Eric Fleury was in the game, at the point of the press.
Fleury was waving his long arms and trying to district Providence's attempt to in-bound the ball on a particular possession.
Fleury got his hands on a pass, gained possession and, then, immediately went up and made a lay-up basket.
Problem was that Fleury put the ball in the Providence basket, recording an easy two points for the Friars.
It gave Providence a 10-point lead, and Siena didn't really threaten afterwards.
Afterwards, Siena coach Mike Deane was delicately approached about Fleury's play.
To which Deane displayed his best sense of humor.
"The guy is 7-feet tall," said Deane, a big smile on his face. "When you're that tall, and that close to the basket ... you don't lay it in. You dunk it."
Pitino, afterwards, had plenty of respectful things to say about a tough Siena opponent that day.
Twenty-two year later, Pitino probably still has a healthy respect for Siena's program, and likely has spent the two days leading up to today's NCAA match-up instilling that sentiment in his Lousville players.
And, it has been more than 30 years since McCaffery was known as "White Magic," while a clever point guard in his high school days.
You can be sure that Louisville, and particularly its head coach Rick Pitino, will also know plenty about Siena as the teams prepared for Sunday's meeting in the second-round.
Pitino won't have to search far for some perspective about Siena. His own memory banks will suffice.
Pitino began his career as a head coach on the mid-major level, coaching five seasons at Boston University (1978-79 through 1982-83) before moving up in the college ranks with two seasons at Providence (1985-86, 1986-87). Between those two stops, he was an assistant coach with the NBA New York Knicks.
Subsequently, Pitino has also coached in the college ranks at Kentucky. He is the only coach in history to bring three college programs to the NCAA's Final Four, doing so with Providence, Kentucky and Louisville.
In Pitino's early days as a college coach his teams played Siena four times. Pitinos teams came out on top all four times.
In the 1978-79 season Boston U. nipped Siena, 72-66; In 1979-80, BU was a 98-89 winner; and, in 1982-83 the Terriers topped Siena, 78-65.
Siena met Providence once in Pitino's two seasons, a 75-64 Providence victory in the 1986-87 season. The Friars ultimately advanced to the Final Four that season, led there by a scrappy point guard named Billy Donovan, who, in recent years, has taken the University of Florida to a pair of national championships.
The starters for the 1986-87 Siena team included Matt Brady (now the head coach at James Madison University, after a successful four-year stay at Marist), Dwight Walton, Rick Williams, Steve McCoy and Jeff Robinson.
That crew gave the Pitino-coached Providence squad a solid challenge in a Dec. 11, 1986 game played at the Providence Civic Center. Siena was within seven, 38-31, at halftime, and still within eight with about three minutes remaining.
And, it gave the 5,127 in attendance for that game a memorable and humorous moment.
With Siena trying to rally from an eight-point deficit late in the game, coach Mike Deane had his team using a full-court pressure defense.
At one point, 7-foot-0 reserve center Eric Fleury was in the game, at the point of the press.
Fleury was waving his long arms and trying to district Providence's attempt to in-bound the ball on a particular possession.
Fleury got his hands on a pass, gained possession and, then, immediately went up and made a lay-up basket.
Problem was that Fleury put the ball in the Providence basket, recording an easy two points for the Friars.
It gave Providence a 10-point lead, and Siena didn't really threaten afterwards.
Afterwards, Siena coach Mike Deane was delicately approached about Fleury's play.
To which Deane displayed his best sense of humor.
"The guy is 7-feet tall," said Deane, a big smile on his face. "When you're that tall, and that close to the basket ... you don't lay it in. You dunk it."
Pitino, afterwards, had plenty of respectful things to say about a tough Siena opponent that day.
Twenty-two year later, Pitino probably still has a healthy respect for Siena's program, and likely has spent the two days leading up to today's NCAA match-up instilling that sentiment in his Lousville players.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Moore-led Siena gets to 2nd Round
Conference coaches left Siena's junior point guard Ronald Moore off the 2008-09 preseason all-star teams, picking 15 players ahead of the 5-foot-11 floor general.
They probably won't make the same mistake next season, not after the year Moore had in leading the conference in assists-to-turnover ratio, and not after the clutch performance Moore turned in to lift the Saints to a 74-72 double-overtime victory over Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday night (into Saturday morning) in Dayton, Ohio.
Moore had six assists against a single turnover while pushing the ball quickly into the Buckeyes' defense all night.
But, with the game on the line on two different occassions, Moore called his own number to ensure the Saints would move on.
With Siena trailing by three in the closing seconds of the first extra session, Moore created some room with his dribble, enough to get off a three-pointer that tied it with 2.5 seconds left to force the second overtime.
Again, Siena needed a late basket to overcome a deficit in the second overtime and, again, Moore delivered.
He took a pass, set himself and popped in another three-pointer with 3.5 seconds left to turn a 72-71 Siena deficit into a 74-72 lead.
Ohio State standout Even Turner got off a contested 15-footer at the buzzer that bounced off the side of the rim, and the Siena celebration began.
And, now, it wouldn't be out of line to call Moore "Mr. Clutch."
Some perspective on what Siena has done: The victory marked the second straight season the Sants have advanced into the NCAA event's second round (they beat Vanderbilt, 83-62, last season).
Since the MAAC was formed in 1981, no conference team had previously won an NCAA Tournament game in back-to-back seasons.
Moore's game-saving and, then, game-winning shots at the end of the two overtimes, respectively surely will rank as the most-important field goals ever made by a Siena player.
In this blogger's 35 years watching the program, only one other shot immediately comes to mind that matches the importance of Moore's against Ohio State.
That was a put back after an offensive rebound by Steve McCoy at the buzzer of the championship game of the old North Atlantic Conference tournament in 1989, the basket that sent the team to its first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament.
There, Siena pulled off the upset of the tournament, knocking off Stanford, ranked 13th nationally that season, in the first round of the NCAA event.
Until now, that game was unquestionably the most-significant contest, the greatest victory, since the program moved to the Division I level in 1976.
The immediate reaction is to rank the current team's victory over Ohio State higher than the 1989 result.
It most certainly ranks as, maybe, the most-exciting outcome to a nationally significant game in the program's history.
And, at worst, it ranks among the top two all-time as the most-rewarding victory, along with the 1989 team's victory over Stanford, in the program's Division I history.
"These guys believe in each other and never gave up," said Saints coach Fran McCaffery, immediately after his team beat Ohio State.
Said Moore, about his game-winning shot: "I struggled shooting all night (4-of-13 from the field overall), but I was going to shoot that shot, and it went in. We're going to the second round again as a mid-major program. We've got a great coach, and a great team."
The reward? Siena advances to meet Louisville, the top-seeded team in the NCAA Tournament, on Sunday.
They probably won't make the same mistake next season, not after the year Moore had in leading the conference in assists-to-turnover ratio, and not after the clutch performance Moore turned in to lift the Saints to a 74-72 double-overtime victory over Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday night (into Saturday morning) in Dayton, Ohio.
Moore had six assists against a single turnover while pushing the ball quickly into the Buckeyes' defense all night.
But, with the game on the line on two different occassions, Moore called his own number to ensure the Saints would move on.
With Siena trailing by three in the closing seconds of the first extra session, Moore created some room with his dribble, enough to get off a three-pointer that tied it with 2.5 seconds left to force the second overtime.
Again, Siena needed a late basket to overcome a deficit in the second overtime and, again, Moore delivered.
He took a pass, set himself and popped in another three-pointer with 3.5 seconds left to turn a 72-71 Siena deficit into a 74-72 lead.
Ohio State standout Even Turner got off a contested 15-footer at the buzzer that bounced off the side of the rim, and the Siena celebration began.
And, now, it wouldn't be out of line to call Moore "Mr. Clutch."
Some perspective on what Siena has done: The victory marked the second straight season the Sants have advanced into the NCAA event's second round (they beat Vanderbilt, 83-62, last season).
Since the MAAC was formed in 1981, no conference team had previously won an NCAA Tournament game in back-to-back seasons.
Moore's game-saving and, then, game-winning shots at the end of the two overtimes, respectively surely will rank as the most-important field goals ever made by a Siena player.
In this blogger's 35 years watching the program, only one other shot immediately comes to mind that matches the importance of Moore's against Ohio State.
That was a put back after an offensive rebound by Steve McCoy at the buzzer of the championship game of the old North Atlantic Conference tournament in 1989, the basket that sent the team to its first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament.
There, Siena pulled off the upset of the tournament, knocking off Stanford, ranked 13th nationally that season, in the first round of the NCAA event.
Until now, that game was unquestionably the most-significant contest, the greatest victory, since the program moved to the Division I level in 1976.
The immediate reaction is to rank the current team's victory over Ohio State higher than the 1989 result.
It most certainly ranks as, maybe, the most-exciting outcome to a nationally significant game in the program's history.
And, at worst, it ranks among the top two all-time as the most-rewarding victory, along with the 1989 team's victory over Stanford, in the program's Division I history.
"These guys believe in each other and never gave up," said Saints coach Fran McCaffery, immediately after his team beat Ohio State.
Said Moore, about his game-winning shot: "I struggled shooting all night (4-of-13 from the field overall), but I was going to shoot that shot, and it went in. We're going to the second round again as a mid-major program. We've got a great coach, and a great team."
The reward? Siena advances to meet Louisville, the top-seeded team in the NCAA Tournament, on Sunday.
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