Edwin Ubiles Player Card

Photo from last night

The Wizards made a three-team deal with the Nuggets and Clippers that dealt Nick Young and JaVale McGee off their roster, acquiring Nene and Brian Cook in the deal. That trade along with the release of Hamady Ndiaye gave the Wizards room to call up Ubiles. Sources say they are expected to sign him to a 10-day contract as soon as Sunday.

Ubiles made the D-League All-Star game after impressing with the Dakota Wizards this season. In his first full season of pro basketball, Ubiles averaged 20.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Ubiles was one of the last cuts this fall at Golden State Warriors training camp after helping lead the Puerto Rican National Team to a gold medal at last summer’s Pan-Am Games.

Ubiles finished co-Rookie of the Year in 2007 and holds the Siena record for most career points in the NCAA Tournament with 85.

The 25-year old Ubiles will join one of the youngest teams in the NBA. The Wizards average 24.2 years old on their roster.

Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area reports that the Warriors whittled down their roster to 14 players and Ubiles and Mitchell were among the final cuts.

Ubiles played 4 minutes, scoring 2 points in the Warriors preseason 107-96 win over Sacramento on December 17th. Mitchell played 5 minutes and dished out two assists. Ubiles and Mitchell both did not play in the Warriors final preseason game.

Siena has yet to have a player appear in an NBA regular-season game.

Ubiles was part of the gold medal winning Puerto Rico team in the recent Pan-Am games, starting four of five games including the championship game, scoring 9.8 points per game and shooting 53.7% from the field. Ubiles scored 17 points in Puerto Rico’s 80-58 win over Canada on October 28th.

Ubiles hurt his right shin during the summer of 2010 which hindered his draft chances out after leaving Siena. After not working out for any NBA teams because of the injury, Ubiles was drafted first overall in the Superior Basketball League in Puerto Rico.

Basketball Prospectus’ Ken Pomeroy, whose thorough database of stats at Kenpom.com now has individual player stats dating back to the 2005-06 season, used his ‘similarity score’ to figure out how Rahkeem Brookins compares to players all across the nation.

Similarity score is a comparison based on a certain amount of stats used to make the comparison. Pomeroy’s tool finds the players with the stats most similar to the player – in this case Brookins. In his similarity score post in September, Pomeroy said he used the following 13 stats:

Team Rating (4x)
%Poss (4x)
Off Rating (3x)
OR% (3x)
DR% (3x)
FTRate (3x)
%Min (2x)
eFG% (2x)
Assist rate (2x)
TO rate (2x)
Block % (2x)
Steal % (1x)
Shot % (1x)
For more check resources here and here

The team rating allows the comparison to account for the chance that a small conference player doesn’t get compared to a Big Ten player. The unique part about the similarity score comparison is that a player like Brookins, in this case, his season is only compared against other freshmen. A score of 1000 is the highest similarity score you can get, which constitutes an identical match, but that is an extremely rare case.

A good reason to select Brookins to use as a test case to against other players is because Brookins is the returning Saint who played the most minutes last season (884). Brookins started 25 of the Siena’s 28 games and scored a career-high 18 points, including four three pointers, in the Saints loss at St. Bonaventure.

However, for Saints fans, we asked Pomeroy to a much more in-depth statistical query on Brookins 2010-11 numbers. We asked him to break it down against Siena players from the past six seasons and against MAAC freshmen and players from then as well.

Rahkeem Brookins comparisons using Similarity Score

Despite the fact Breeden left the program at the end of the season, it’s interesting that Breeden’s and Brookins seasons from 2011 were listed highly on the similarity score chart. However these comparisons are not the strongest that Brookins compares to.

“900 is pretty strong.” Pomeroy said of the best similarity scores to use when comparing players. “850 isn’t bad. Once you get around 800, the comparisons are shaky.”

Comparisons between Brookins and Moore appear to be somewhat strong, reaching the threshold of 850 or less, but in a search for stronger comparisons, instead of using Siena players, try and open it up to all the MAAC players in the last six seasons.

While Moore is still in the comparison, he is not the best comparison of MAAC freshmen when you compare him against other players. The large amount of shots Brookins took in 2011 were an important indicator towards his future development.

“The biggest thing Brookins has going for him is that he took a few shots last season,” Pomeroy said. “Now he just has to make more of them. But too many freshman are unable to do either, so at least Brookins has shown he is ahead of the curve in one skill.”

When comparing Brookins to other freshmen, John Templon who writes at Big Apple Buckets, @nybuckets on twitter, said Brookins compares interestingly to Marist’s R.J. Hall.

“One name that pops up is R.J. Hall of Marist in 2009,” Templon said. “Unfortunately he hasn’t been able to get his turnover problems under control and has ended up playing fewer minutes for the Red Foxes as the years go by.”

Hall (85.3) and Brookins (86.6) were close in personal offensive rating their freshman seasons according to Ken Pomeroy’s stats. Templon said to expect a different type of development for Brookins than what has happened to Hall in his sophomore and junior seasons.

“That’s not to say he’ll end up with such a fate, but it’s a possibility,” Templon said. “Hall didn’t quite have the steal rate of Brookins as a freshman, so there’s an indication that some latent athleticism is going to come out as Brookins develops.”

Hall’s development has been hindered by academic issues. Hall was ruled academically ineligible for the spring of 2011. Hall is a senior at Marist this year.

The strongest comparison appears to be Canisius sophomore Gaby Belardo from last season. Belardo transferred from South Florida where he played a limited role to play for the Griffs in 2011. Templon agreed on the strong comparison between Brookins and Belardo with his own set of numbers.

“They both had high steal, turnover and assist rates, while not being quite that effective on offense,” Templon said. “Of course one was a redshirt sophomore and the other a freshman.”

Pomeroy said it’s a strong comparison and the tool has done a good job comparing players who might not look exactly the same.

“Obviously, the tool isn’t perfect, and it’s going to miss on a few comparisons, and it may occasionally compare guys who don’t look much alike,” Pomeroy said. “Although, the last part is not really something that concerns me.”

Saints fans might be waiting for Brookins to make progressive improvements this season. Brookins hurt a disc in his back in practice and has not shown improvement since injuring it which could put him in doubt to start the regular season in the starting lineup.

However, if Brookins returns healthy this season Saints fans should expect a solid season. How much improvement might depend on a variety of factors. Pomeroy said Brookins’ free throw shooting is a positive indicator of future success.

“The main thing is that he should get to the free throw line more. That’s something that almost anyone with his low free throw rate as a freshman will improve upon,” Pomeroy said. “Given that he’s apparently a good free throw shooter, that’s encouraging. Whether he can control his turnover issues is another matter. Historically, that could go either way.”

Along those same lines, Templon said Brookins ability to get in the lane and draw contact will be important in year two.

“Brookins doesn’t need to make a high percentage of his two-point attempts, and chances are he never will,” Templon said. “but he needs the threat of going into the lane to keep defenders honest and to open up passing lanes to the wings.”

While also concerned about the tunrovers, Templon said Brookins has the ability to cut down on turnovers and improve as a core player.

“In terms of turnovers, that should come with time and another year of strength development,” Templon said. “If he can cut it down to around 2.5 or 2 per game and maintain his assist rate he’ll be one of the top point guards in the MAAC and give Siena a strong building block for the next few seasons.”

A big thank you to Ken Pomeroy at Basketball Prospectus for running these numbers for us. Pomeroy’s rating system is sure to surprise some pessimistic Siena fans with his rank of the Saints in the MAAC this year – of course to see that you’ll have to buy a subscription to his site kenpom.com (starting Nov. 7th) which is going to the subscription model this year. Also a thank you to John Templon of NYCBuckets.com for helping contribute to this story by running his own numbers and his opinions on Brookins’ game.

Siena is also offering a “Saints Starter Pack” for $79. The package includes a game ticket to each of the first four games (Navy, St. Bonaventure, Loyola and UAlbany) in the desirable first nine rows of the second level. The package price represents a savings of $23. The Saints Starter Pack can be purchased in person at the Times Union Center Box Office, or through the Siena Fan Relations Center by calling 518-487-2202.

Update 3:58pm: Edwin Ubiles helped Puerto Rico take home Gold on Sunday at the Pan American Games in Mexico. The Times Union has a bit more and a few photos. Puerto Rico defeated Mexico by a final of 74-72. [Recognize that score anyone?]

Let’s take a look back at some of the best moments of the Albany Cup…

Siena mascot ‘Bernie’ jams with a band before Siena-UAlbany in 2006

#1 Siena 76, Albany 75 (2OT) December 2 2006

Kenny Hasbrouck’s basket with 1:11 left in the second overtime gave the Saints the lead and helped them stave off a victory over Albany 76-75. Hasbrouck fought illness to play the game and Fran McCaffery got an unexpected boost from Hasbrouck’s performance.

“Kenny’s performance was very courageous,” McCaffery said. “We didn’t expect to have him a few hours before the game. He missed the walk-through and was nauseous all day.”

Freshman Edwin Ubiles delivered a key three pointer late along with a David Ryan free throw to tie the game in regulation and send it to overtime. Ubiles scored a then career-high 20 points. Ubiles played in 45 of the games’ 50 minutes.

Lack of Big Three: For all of you who were wondering how the big three (Ubiles-Moore-Franklin) did in their first Albany Cup game… Moore started, scored 8 points and dished out 4 assists along with 2 turnovers. Alex Franklin came off the bench to score 4 points and fouled out, playing just 19 minutes.

Memorable Moment: Lead changed 16 times in see-saw battle.

#2 Siena 82, Albany 74 (OT) December 3 2005

Fran McCaffery’s first win in the Albany Cup came in overtime, and it came in the (then named) Pepsi Arena. After squandering a lead that got as large as 18-points, Siena went on a 10-0 run to start overtime to take the Albany Cup back from the Great Danes. The Saints were led by Antoine Jordan’s 24 points, who posted his second straight double-double of the season. Kojo Mensah posted a triple-double, scoring 20 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and 11 assists which included the dishing out the game-tying three pointer by Tay Fisher. Mensah’s triple-double was the first triple-double since Marc Brown did it on November 25, 1990. Free throws weren’t a woe then for the Saints, they made 10 out of 11 freebies in overtime to seal up the cup. The win put the Saints over .500 for the first time since December 2003.

Memorable Moment: Kojo Mensah triple double first since Marc Brown in 1990 (20pts., 14rebs., 11assists)

#3 Siena 75, Albany 71 December 1 2007

The, then, second largest crowd home crowd for a Siena men’s regular season game watched Alex Franklin break out with 24 points and  10 rebounds (his fourth straight double-double) as the Saints beat Albany by four. McCaffery said Franklin looked like a pro against the Danes.

“He played like a pro,” McCaffery said. “He was the best player on the court tonight. By far.”

The Saints went up by as much as 18 in the first 12 minutes of the game and led by 10 at the half but watched as Albany put together a 16-0 run to cut the lead to four late. Franklin’s free throws with six seconds left sealed the Siena win.

Freshman Play: Clarence Jackson and Ryan Rossiter appeared in this game for the Saints, each playing three minutes and scoring 0 points, respectively. Rossiter picked up a defensive rebound and a steal in the game.

Big Three: Ubiles scored 10 points, picked up 4 steals and 5 rebounds. Moore scored 14 points and dished out 5 assists. Franklin scored a game-high 24 points.

Memorable Moment: 2nd Largest crowd in a regular season Siena home game.

The Siena men’s basketball program honored the most successful senior class in its 70-year history and dished out annual awards at the First Niagara Year-End Celebration Monday night at the Hilton garden Inn in Troy.

With YNN Sports Director Joe Calderone serving as master of ceremonies, Former head Coach Fran McCaffery and current Head Coach Mitch Buonaguro both spoke to an excited audience, and all enjoyed highlight videos and heard from each of the program’s five senior student-athletes.

Coaches and administrators, including Siena vice presidents Linda Richardson and Ned Jones as well as Albany county executive Michael Breslin were in attendance to pay tribute to the senior class and celebrate the Saints’ tremendous season.

Athletic Director John D’Argenio presented former Head Coach Fran McCaffery with the Howard T. Tucker Award for his contributions to Siena Basketball.

Director of Basketball Operations David Matturro began the player awards by presenting the Dan Cunha Defensive Player Award to Edwin Ubiles. He then presented the Billy Harrell Top Rebounder Award to Ryan Rossiter.

Ubiles was a NABC First Team All-District, Second Team All-MAAC and MAAC All-Tournament team selection. He was also one of 21 seniors invited to participate in the Reese’s All-Star Game and one of the top-64 players invited to the Portsmouth Invitation Tournament. Ubiles told the Times Union prior to Tuesday’s event that he expects to be selected in the upcoming NBA Draft.

Rossiter was named to the All-MAAC First Team. He ranked seventh nationally and set a Siena Division I Record with 379 rebounds. Rossiter also led the MAAC in field goal percentage and set a Siena program-record with 22 double-doubles which ranked third nationally

Assistant Coach Adam Chaskin presented the Jim Sullivan Most Improved Player Award to Kyle Downey and the Siena Newcomer Award to OD Anosike.

Downey appeared in 24 games, averaging five points and 1.2 rebounds per game. He played a key role despite missing the entire off-season with a fracture in his back, and battled back from a broken ankle suffered in mid-January to emerge as the team’s sixth man down the stretch. Downey started Siena’s NCAA Tournament game against Purdue when Clarence Jackson could not play because of an ankle injury.

Anosike played in all 34 games, providing great depth and production in the post. He averaged 2.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Anosike shot 51% from the field and played just over 12 minutes per game.

Buonaguro presented the Hustle Award to junior guard Clarence Jackson and the Fr. Benjamin Kuhn Student-Athlete Award to sophomore transfer Kyle Griffin.

Jackson was a Third Team All-MAAC selection and finished second in the conference with 71 3-pointers. He averaged 13.6 points and shot 43% from the field, starting Siena’s first 33 games of the season.

Griffin, a sophomore marketing and management major holds a 3.5 GPA. After sitting out the first semester due to NCAA transfer rules, Griffin emerged as a key contributor, appearing in 18 games and averaging 2.2 points per game while shooting 37% from 3-point range.

McCaffery closed the awards portion of the evening by honoring Ronald Moore, Alex Franklin and Ubiles with the Doc Marcelle Most Valuable Player Awards.

Franklin was named MAAC Player of the Year, MAAC Tournament MVP and was a NABC All-District Selection. He led the Saints with 16.1 points and was the only player in the conference to rank in the top-5 in scoring, rebounding (8.1) and field goal percentage (55.5%).

Following the awards presentation the five senior student-athletes spoke at length about their time at Siena and expressed their gratitude to those who helped make their Siena experience a positive one.

The Siena men’s basketball class of 2010 will go down as the greatest in the 70-year history of the program. Their 97 victories are the most in Siena history, and they won three MAAC Championships and two NCAA games. Moreover, the seniors posted 20 wins while reaching the MAAC Championship game in each of their four years.

The nearly four-hour celebration concluded with McCaffery introducing Buonaguro who closed the program by commenting on the state of the program.

2006-2007 Season

Siena beats UAlbany in double overtime 76-75. Ubiles scores 20 points after hitting 4 from beyond the 3-point arc.

In a normal February game against Manhattan, Ronald Moore has his first double digit asst game with 10 dimes. This would be the first of many. Recap »

After losing two very close games to Marist earlier in the year, the Saints beat the #1 ranked Red Foxes in a semifinal classic and head to the title game for the first time since 2004. Recap »

Alex Franklin ends his freshman year with a bang by scoring 27 points on 10 out of 12 shooting in Siena’s 83-79 MAAC championship loss to Niagara. Recap »

2007-2008 Season

Siena defeats 20th ranked Stanford 79-67 at the Times Union Center. Franklin scores 14 points and Ubiles adds 11. Students and fans stormed the court after the win. Recap »

Josh Duell came up big on the road in Lawrenceville, NJ, hitting a three with 1.3 seconds remaining and capping an 11-2 run in the final 1:58 against the fiesty Broncs. Recap »

In the BracketBuster game the Saints went to Boise State to play the 20-win Broncos and crushed them 93-70. Franklin had a monster game with 30 points and 18 rebounds. Ubiles had 22 points and Moore had 9 assists. Recap »

Siena trounces Rider in the MAAC championship game 74-53. In a game known primarily for Tay Fisher’s six 3’s off the bench, Ubiles added 15 points and Franklin with 10 points. Recap »

For the program’s first NCCA tournament win since 1989, Siena upsets #4 seeded Vanderbilt 83-62. Ubiles scores 11, Franklin 10, and Moore has 6 assists for Siena. Recap »

2008-2009 Season

Siena plays their toughest schedule in school history. #12 Tennessee, Oklahoma State, #3 Pitt, and a Kansas team one year removed from a national title.

After going through the season not being able to beat any significant non conference teams, Siena defeats Northern Iowa 81-75 in their BracketBuster match up. In a balanced scoring game Ubiles scores 10 points, Franklin 9 points, and Moore 8 points. Even a kid made a $25,000 shot. Recap »

Siena gets revenge on Niagara from two years before by beating them in the MAAC championship game 77-70. Franklin puts up 16 points, Ubiles contributes 9 points, while Moore has 7 assists. Recap »

After getting bumped up to a #9 seed, the Saints beat Ohio State 74-72 in double overtime. Ubiles has 20 points and Franklin has a double-double performance with 10 points 13 rebounds. Moore has 11 points with his 7 assists, along with two of the most well-known shots in Siena history that extends the game into the 2nd OT where he then won it. The greatest game in Siena history Recap »

Siena took Rick Pitino and the #1 seeded Louisville to the brink, but lose a close game 79-72. All three players played well with Ubiles scoring 24 points, Franklin 19 points, and Moore with 10 assists. Recap »

2009-2010 Season

After opening up the season with a win against Tennessee State, Siena gets another victory over a solid Northeastern team 59-53. Ubiles scores nearly half the team’s points with 26. Franklin finishes with 9 points and Moore adds 5 assists in this low scoring game. Recap »

The Big Three end their career vs UAlbany with a nearly 30 point victory, 83-54. Ubiles doesn’t play much due to injuries but Franklin has 14 points while Moore puts up a double-double with 13 points 11 assists. Recap »

The seniors’ last victory together made them MAAC champions in a 72-65 defeat of Fairfield. Ubiles leads all scorers with 27 points. Franklin adds a double-double of 22 points and 12 boards. Moore contributes 9 points and 6 assists. Recap »

An end of an era came in the team’s opening round 72-64 loss to Purdue. Franklin scores 10 points and grabs 14 rebounds. Ubiles leads the team with 18 points, and Moore scores 14 points. Recap »

The story of this game was Purdue’s defense. Big Ten Defensive player of the year Chris Kramer showed up to play. Siena came out a bit out of sync, but led going into halftime. But then, Purdue came out of the break on fire– a 13-0 run, raining threes, and shutting down Ubiles and Franklin. They frustrated the rest of the Saints as well as Siena dug themselves deeper into what was eventually a 15 point defecit.

Like this team always has been– they were resilient, even without their three point shooter Clarence Jackson. They trimmed the lead to 3 with under two minutes to go. With Lewis Jackson, Purdue’s PG on the line for a 1 and 1, he put up a shot and got an absolute gift after he slapped one off the brick of the rim and it weakly fell in. After that, the game was iced.

And so it ends… the best Siena class in history is gone. It will really be tough to watch this team without Edwin, Alex, and Ronald as we’ve become accustomed to seeing.

CBS will have highlights soon, but for more, check out the boxscore ». Congrats to the Boilermakers on a hard fought match. They were the better team today.

Saints, thanks again for a great year. And seniors, thanks for an amazing four. We’ll be talking about you and this team for years to come.