With all the attention and accolades being given to Siena’s senior class, it’s easy to overlook the dominance of the league’s other best frontcourt player.

Junior Ryan Rossiter has been a complete force in MAAC play, and being named to first team all-MAAC only begins to speak of the impact Rossiter has made this season.

Without being the Saints’ first, or even second, scoring option Rossiter has still managed to average 14.3 ppg putting him at 10th in the league. He leads the conference in rebounds with 10.8 boards per game, and narrowly beats out teammate Alex Franklin for tops in field goal percentage at 58.4%. He is the only player for Siena to average over a block per game and his rebounding average places him in the top ten on a national scale.

Rossiter is a horse who has played in all but one game in his Saints career. Playing in all 30 games so far for the Saints, Rossiter has finished with a double-double in 18 of them. He has recorded double-doubles in 13 of the past 15 games, and in the remaining 2 games he was only one rebound shy of hitting the mark in each. His Tim Duncan-like double-double numbers not only lead the MAAC, but currently place him 8th in the country while also setting a Siena College record for most double-doubles in a season.

Since his time as a freshman, Rossiter has transformed from a skinny, timid player into a team leader that every team is forced to reckon with every game. His stats are incredible, but it is also the little aspects of his game that don’t show up on the stat sheet that make Rossiter so great. His defense has clearly improved this year. His blocked shots are down but has fouled significantly less. His straight-back, high-armed defensive approach has kept him, and the team, out of foul trouble while still forcing opponents to shoot over his outstretched 6’9” frame. Basketball intelligence is so important in the college game, and Rossiter’s high basketball IQ makes his such a valuable asset to the Saints.

It is much too early to look forward to next year, but it is interesting to imagine the type of numbers Rossiter would put up as senior with a more predominant role in the offensive. A likely Preseason First-Team All-MAAC member, it will be interesting to see if he will be able to generate points from one-on-one play rather than being content on just cleaning up the offensive boards. Regardless of how he does next season, Rossiter’s presence on this year’s team is a major reason why the 2009-2010 Saints could go down as the best Siena team in school history.