Update:
Pete Iorizzo tweeted earlier today that there were two NBA teams at practice today looking for Edwin. He also digs deeper as to what Fran’s mindset is when it comes to playing the younger players. Read More »

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!

A solid team in 2008-2009 finishing third in the conference, Rider should once again be a respectable opponent this season. Novar Gadson had a strong freshman campaign last year averaging nearly 11 ppg, and his 6’7” height presents match up problems for most small forward defenders. Junior guard Justin Robinson is a dangerous three point threat, and junior Mike Ringgold has offensive talent down low. However, Rider will go as far as Preseason POY Ryan Thompson will take them. This team will need another year of 18 ppg and 42.2 three-point % from its senior leader to be successful this season.

Iona Gaels:
2009: 7th Place. 12-19 (7-11)
2010: 5th

Iona is trying to bounce back from a disappointing season where they finished with a losing record in the conference. To show how young this team was last year their leading scorer was MAAC rookie of the year Scott Machado with 9.3 ppg. Obviously everyone will be a year older and more experienced, but Iona will still have to rely heavily on its underclassman. What makes this team unique in the MAAC is senior center Jonathon Huffman, a seven-footer with the ability to draw defenders away from the basket and hit consistently at even long-range levels.

Canisius Golden Griffins:
2009: 9th Place. 11-20 (4-14)
2010: 9th

The Griffins hope to climb out of the gutter this season after finishing tied for last place in the MAAC last year. A positive for Canisius is the return of three of their top scorers Frank Turner (15.6 ppg), Julius Coles (12.1 ppg), and Greg Logins (11.3 ppg). For years this blue collar team has had a reputation for staying in games longer than expected, and with the return of the core starters this shouldn’t change. Expect to see most of the offensive scoring come from guard play.

The Saints, who were second among the “others receiving votes,” were ranked as high as No. 15. That vote came from Nick Jezierny, who covers Boise State for the Idaho Statesman. Also, Seth Davis of Sports Illustrated slotted Siena at No. 17.

I was one of five voters who put Siena at No. 24.

You can see Siena’s poll data by voter here courtesy of Pollspeak.

We went out to Boise, ID and Nick Jezienry of the Idaho Statesmen covers Boise State and we reached out to him to see why he is now on the Saints bandwagon, voting them #15 in his AP Poll ballot.

He outlined his reasons and impressions of Siena to SienaSaintsBlog.com:

I’ve been impressed with Siena for quite some time, going back to the days when Doremus Bennerman (same hometown as me) played there.

As a top 25 voter and a writer who has covered mid-major conferences (MAC, Big West, Sun Belt, WAC), I have always paid extra attention to these type of schools. Some say I give them too much credit in the polls, but I seem to err on that side rather than handing a BCS school a vote just because they are a BCS school.

Anyway … Siena obviously looked the part in their two games against Boise State. But I base their rating this season based on the number of returning players, the success they’ve had in the past and also how they schedule. It’s a program that’s been battle-tested and it wouldn’t shock me if they ended up in the Sweet 16, which is why I ranked them 15. I also see the Saints got way more than the 11 points I gave them, so obviously I’m not alone. Is 15 too high? Maybe. But at this point, with what they return, I think the rating is justified.

The preseason Top 25 is the most difficult vote there is. There are many good teams, many good programs that you know are going to be there when all is said and done. I try to balance those when I vote. It’s not easy.

Nick wrote recently previewing Idaho’s basketball teams entering this season.

Steven Bradley of The Daily Journal in South Carolina voted the Siena Saints as his #19 team.

He also outlined his reasons as to why he put Siena in the poll to SienaSaintsBlog.com:

The AP asks us to vote on performance and not preseason hype.

The fact is Siena has been a Top 25-caliber team two years running now, and with four starters coming back, I just feel it’s deserving of inclusion.

Hasbrouck will be difficult to replace, but Jackson and Moore are capable long-range shooters, and I love almost everything about Ubiles and his game. He’s abig-time talent. Coach McCaffery does a great job, and the Saints will almost certainly be back in the Big Dance and probably have a good chance to ultimately make the Sweet 16.

They cover Clemson and South Carolina sports down at The Journal. One of Bradley’s more recent pieces is about Clemson’s C.J Spiller getting Heisman hype.

We thank both writers for sharing their opinions on the Saints with us. Hopefully a few more will be convinced to push Siena higher in the polls as the season goes on.

Right around where we belong…

• European Prospects on Davis Martens
• Fox & NBC Sports preseason rankings – #22
• Ubiles First of Mid-major All Americans
• NBC 19’s Take
• Dempsey gives Rider a vote of confidence
• Is Rider’s Thompson preseason Player of the Year?

First Team
Bilal Benn, Niagara Sr. G/F 6-5 Philadelphia, Pa.
Tyrone Lewis, Niagara Sr. G 5-11 Levittown, Pa.
Ryan Thompson, Rider Sr. G 6-6 Mt. Laurel, N.J.*
Ronald Moore, Siena Sr. G 6-0 Conshohocken, Pa.
Edwin Ubiles, Siena Sr. G/F 6-6 Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

Second Team
Greg Nero, Fairfield Sr. F 6-7 Red Hook, N.Y.
Jamal Barney, Loyola Jr. G 6-3 Baltimore, Md.
Wesley Jenkins, Saint Peter’s Jr. G 6-2 Newark, N.J.
Alex Franklin, Siena Sr. F 6-5 Reading, Pa.
Ryan Rossiter, Siena Jr. F 6-9 Staten Island, N.Y.

Third Team
Greg Logins, Canisius Jr. F 6-7 Sodus, N.Y.
Frank Turner, Canisius Sr. G 5-10 Atlantic City, N.J.
Darryl Crawford, Manhattan Sr. G 6-5 Harlem, N.Y.
Novar Gadson, Rider So. G 6-7 Philadelphia, Pa.
Mike Ringgold, Rider Jr. F 6-7 Philadelphia, Pa.

Just a little me, me, me, I called the All-MAAC team in my post yesterday– just sayin’. Thankfully I was right, I would have been fuming if they snubbed Ronald here.

* – denotes Preseason Player of the Year

I think they’re low on a well coached, young Iona team, and Manhattan has a lot of players that can step in right away and have an impact.