• Anosike goes overtime to improve his free-throw shooting
  

  LOUDONVILLE – Earlier this week Siena freshman O.D. Anosike spent about half an hour shooting free throws before practice, which isn’t an uncommon sight.
  Anosike is shooting just 38.7 percent from the free-throw line, a number he is well aware needs to improve given the volume of fouls he draws.
  “It’s something I have to get better [...]

• A closer look at Niagara
  

  Here’s the six-pack of thoughts on Niagara, the team Siena faces Saturday at Times Union Center:
  1. Niagara, under 12th-year coach Joe Mihalich, entered the season expecting to be Siena’s primary challenger in the MAAC. The Purple Eagles returned four starters from last year’s team, which lost to the Saints in the title game. The only…

• More than 6,300 tickets sold for Saturday
  

  Siena could sell all of its alloted tickets for the first time this season Saturday against Niagara.
  As of Thursday afternoon, Siena had sold 6,316 tickets. As usual, capacity will be capped at 8,065.

• Mihalich: Moore is Player of the Year
  

  Niagara coach Joe Mihalich, whose team faces Siena this coming Saturday at Times Union Center, said Saints point guard Ronald Moore should be the MAAC’s Player of the Year.
  “Who else would it be?” Mihalich said Thursday.
  “Who makes their team win? That’s what I’m talking about. Not the leading scorer, the leading rebounder…

• Yard not yet close to returning for Siena
  

  LOUDONVILLE – Siena freshman guard Denzel Yard, who is suspended indefinitely for academic reasons, will be out “a while,” Siena coach Fran McCaffery said Wednesday.
  Yard is finishing an incomplete course between semesters. He then needs to show academic progress next semester before he can begin playing again, McCaffery said.
  “He has to completely refocus his concentration [...]

What more can you say about a Ronald Moore who averages nearly an assist per game more than Kentucky’s John Wall to lead the nation with 8 apg? Well here’s a try: In only ten games, Moore has 3 double-digit assist efforts, while his highest mark for turnovers is just 7 against St. John’s. His current 3/1 assist/turnover ratio is the best of his college career. Even though he is playing more than anyone on the team (33.8 mpg), he still has the legs to maintain his usual 8.5 ppg and has shown the ability to put up over 15 in a given night. These stats say a lot about Moore’s impact, but anyone who has watched him play knows the box score rarely reveals his contributions. He may be the best guard in the MAAC in breaking a full court press with the dribble, and his speed makes him a solid on-ball defender. Also, his improved pull-up jumper has made opponents respect his range, which is creating more seams to drive to the basket.

The scary thing is that Ronald would have collected even more assists if it hadn’t been for a string of poor shooting performances by the team. During the Georgia Tech game in particular, Saints players were missing lay-ups and close range jumpers. If the team is able to find its offensive groove in the upcoming months, he has a great chance to remain near the top of the NCAA in the assists category. Moore is a player who shouldn’t be taken for granted by Siena fans and students. Denzel Yard has shown some flashes in short playing time, but with him being a freshman it may be at least another couple of years until we see a point guard of Moore’s caliber.

PG Grade: A-

You can take a look at my season ending essay to get a feel of what I was thinking going into this essay. I’ve been working on other writing projects, and working in general like we all do, but my time between the final buzzer against Louisville until now has been far from idle.

I have studied and reveled in all the polls. Yes, all the polls in which the Siena Saints have been ranked in the Top 25. The Men’s Basketball team has been projected by numerous sporting publications to start the season as one of the best 25 teams in the country. Many have begun to believe, others still think the ranking is too high. It’s difficult to absorb the ramifications. As I promised to do in my season-ending essay I will not look to the future with rose-colored glasses, those days are over. In examining the goings-on of the men in green and gold I’ll take a look with close scrutiny while still maintaining the game to game enjoyment and growth of the program.

We live in a reality as Saints fans that is more clear-cut than ever before. But as a fan who has endured much, I write as a semi-impartial journalist who is here to make even clearer the realities that truly exist in the world of Siena men’s basketball fandom.

The Saints enter the season as the favorites once again, voted to finish first in the MAAC almost unanimously for the second consecutive season, with the sole dissenting vote coming from Tommy Dempsey, the head coach at Rider. A lot of Siena fans bashed the vote, but if you look at it objectively, it makes sense. I picked Rider to finish second – they return possible player of the year Ryan Thompson with experienced scorers and possess one of the best starting five players in the conference. Niagara should be a tough out once again, and the conference looks to be as difficult to win from top to bottom as it has ever been.

Anything can happen in March, before the big dance. Anything. Dempsey knows this, Joe Mihalich knows this, and everyone has to accept it. It’s the price of being a fan.

Am I trying to hedge my bets that Siena won’t win the MAAC tourney and get to the big dance? Hardly. I just know that as a lifelong Saints fan, and as a sports fan, and as someone who understands the complexities of competition it is difficult for any team to repeat, much less do it three times in a row.

If the Saints are fortunate enough to win the MAAC tourney for the third consecutive time it will be the first time in 20 years that a team not named La Salle has accomplished the feat. Siena has the personnel, it’s been well documented. Coach Fran McCaffery has said that this year’s team belongs to the senior PG Ronald Moore. He is the floor general, he has sneakers made of pure speed, and his basketball IQ and instincts are exemplary. He will make the team go, but add returning seniors Edwin Ubiles, Alex Franklin, junior Ryan Rossiter prowling in the post, and junior Clarence Jackson to the mix, you have a blend of players who know the McCaffery system and are going to spend forty minutes a night running and gunning until their opponent is gasping for air. The leadership, experience, and ability to create within the coach’s system should provide for fireworks and offense that will enthrall anyone watching a Saints game this year.

Now is the time to enjoy what’s going on, but to also understand that the future is bright in Loudonville, while also uncertain and possibly maddening. The pipeline seems to be working as coach continues to recruit well and to add players who are not only skilled but fit well in his system. This is the first time in the history of the Siena Saints when continuity seems to be working, and the coach is not only reloading each year, but truly building a program. The 2009-2010 season has one minimum goal – yes, one main goal – to return to the NCAA tournament and try to win at least one game in the big dance. Why just this one goal? Because if it doesn’t happen then everything the program has worked for will take a step back due to the amazing pre-season hype and rewards extolled on the players and coaches. If the Saints make it to the dance and lose, then at least they had the shot. Gonzaga, in making the progression they’ve made to get where they are today, lost a number of first round games in a row, but the fact that they continued to make it year after year is what got them to their perch. It’s what enabled them to be able to play BCS schools on a regular basis. It is the one goal that Siena needs to continue to set and attempt to make – returning to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament year after year.

Professional golfers repeat the cliché when playing in tournaments that the event can not be won on the first day, but it can be lost. The same can be said for mid-major basketball programs. Close is nice, but without getting over the hump continually then programs can not evolve in to perennial threats.

This is where Siena is trying to get to, and the last two years were huge hurdles that were leapt. The mountain is large, though, and the summit is still far away. If the Saints are fortunate enough to make the sweet sixteen this year then they’ve come pretty close to reaching their goal, I’d go as far to say as they made it. Then, next year, the journey begins anew, albeit starting closer than they’d ever started before.

This is not a primer on how to be a Saints fan – you all know how to do that already. It is just one voice saying things that need to be said. It’s cautious optimism, hiding a passion that knows that every non-conference win is a step closer to that holiest of college basketball grails – the at-large bid. The schedule isn’t as strong as last year, but with a pocketful of non-conference wins Siena will continue to garner attention based on all the looks that were given to them in the preseason.

I can’t wait to see the development of Kyle Downey and Owen Wignot, who should develop to be a huge addition off the bench as possibly the sixth man. He will be challenged by OD Anosike as the other player off the bench who could have a growing impact in the frontcourt, even as a freshman. There is a depth to this team that has possibly never been seen before– freshman guards Denzel Yard and Jonathon Breeden adding their versatility to the backcourt, La Salle transfer Kyle Griffen, and big man Davis Martens coming in midseason to give the Saints more options.

Capital District residents have been waiting for this era of Saints basketball to arrive since the 1989 win over Stanford in the NCAA tournament, and it is finally here. On Friday, the Saints will open the season on the road against Tennessee State. Road wins are always tough to come by, and the opening game result will go a long way to setting the tone for the season. The non-conference schedule doesn’t let up, with the home opener against CAA powerhouse Northeastern coming the following Tuesday. Temple, St. John’s, Georgia Tech, St. Joseph’s, Mount St. Mary’s – each win is step closer to what every Siena fan wants – a 25 win season and a chance to win the MAAC championship.

Get nervous before every game, listen to the General and Tommy Heurter, watch Sportscenter if we get ranked in the top 25 for highlights, read up on the next game and prepare if we don’t. It’s a long season, but the offseason has been more than rewarding. Let’s hope there are plenty of prizes on the way as the men of the Green and Gold pursue their third straight MAAC championship and postseason NCAA berth.

Get ready to march, and if the Saints are playing in March, get ready to scream. I’ll be right there next to you, ready. Have fun, Saints fans!

Kyle Downy and Owen Wignot appear to be the front runners for coming off the bench for the shooting guard/small forward positions. Stephen Priestly and freshman O.D. Anosike are competing for available minutes in the frontcourt.

One thing that’s evident is the confidence placed onto Ronald Moore. Despite the hard work of incoming freshmen Jonathan Breeden and Denzel Yard, this is Moore’s team to run. Expect to see Moore play basically all forty minutes as he captains the Saints’ fast-paced offense.

One player to watch out for is German recruit Davis Martens. Although he must sit out the first 12 games due to NCAA regulations, Martens has the potential to be a serious contributor to this team in the second half of the season.

Right off the bat– I’ll tell you that I think (and hope) Fran will stay. He continually praises D’Arg (Siena AD) and the fans for their unbelievable support, and most notably, the fact that his family fits well in the community. From what I have heard, Fran is really more concerned with his family’s future than he is with his coaching career, and when your kids love their schools, it’s a good thing all around.

It’s going to take more than money to get Fran away– it’s going to take an absolute perfect situation. Even though Kentucky is one of the most prestigious programs in the country, I don’t think he’s ready to leave. I always think, how could he leave the senior class of Ronald Moore, Edwin Ubiles and Alex Franklin? Plus, he has arguably the best Siena recruiting class coming in next season.

Fran was (laughably) contacted by BU via e-mail, but it really didn’t seem serious according to Mark Singelais at the Times Union.

From SienaSaints.com:

Anosike, a 6-foot-8, 205-pound combo forward from New Jersey averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds his junior year at Saint Peter’s High School for Boys in Staten Island. He is expected to add depth inside and has the ability to run the floor well in transition.

Jonathan Breeden, a 6-1 point guard from Harrisburg, Pa., gave the staff an oral commitment after his official visit in mid-September. Breeden played high school basketball for Central Dauphin East and AAU basketball for Upstate Basketball Club.

Denzel Yard, a guard from Philadelphia who plays for Team Philly AAU and for Franklin Learning Center, will add depth to both guard positions. He figures to help fill the position vacated by Kenny Hasbrouck’s pending graduation and gives the Saints another option at point guard.

Fran still has one scholarship to give.

Yard, a lefty, has very good quickness which he uses to put pressure on defenses by constantly driving the ball into the paint. Yard’s solid ball-handling skills only complement his quickness, providing him with the tools to give nightmares to defenders. His blazing quickness makes him very difficult to trap and he looks at home playing in up-tempo, fast breaking offensive attacks. Yard needs to learn to use his quickness to his advantage by changing speeds, instead of playing the game at one speed, which makes him easy to defend as well as causes him to play out of control at times. Yard has an unorthodox shooting style, but he can stick jumpers with range out to the 3-point line if left open. Yard uses his good quickness and tenacity to play good position defense, hawking opposing ball-handlers constantly.

Yard is all about quickness, he’ll fit right in at Siena.