SienaSaintsBlog:  What Siena player are you looking forward to seeing play this year?

Raphielle Johnson/CollegeHoops.Net: Kyle Downey’s return will be good for the backcourt if he can stay healthy but the one player I really want to see is O.D. Anosike. You don’t just replace a player the caliber of Ryan Rossiter; other guys need to step up their play to collectively make up for the departure of a player like Ryan. Anosike averaged 8.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game last season, so clearly there will be more chances for him to increase those numbers. And with those chances will come more trips to the foul line, meaning that he’s got to step that part of his game up as well (how many points did Ringgold leave on the court due to his free throw troubles?). There are plenty of Saints to point out but if they’re to have a shot at finishing 4th it’s got to be Anosike who takes a big step forward.

SienaSaintsBlog:  Coach Mitch Buonaguro doesn’t want to call this a rebuilding year – but for all intents and purposes… is this a rebuilding year? where are the Saints on the cycle between retool/rebuild?

Raphielle Johnson/CollegeHoops.Net: I agree with Coach in terms of not using the dreaded “R word”; for a lot of fans that could also mean “resume”, as in “update your resume”. I think Siena’s in between retooling and rebuilding, with guys who are going from their freshman to sophomore years to step up. Rakeem Brookins is a player who comes to mind in that regard, as does Trenity Burdine and senior Brandon Walters needs to make good on his talent as well. Downey and Owen Wignot will help with regards to having steady leadership (as will Anosike), but the youngsters will need to step up as well.

SienaSaintsBlog:  What two things need to happen for Siena to have a good season?

Raphielle Johnson/CollegeHoops.Net: The two things that need to happen are:

1. Anosike needs to become a consistent force on the low block. Not say he’s got to be on the level of a Mike Glover or Rossiter (that would be unrealistic) but he has to be a guy that Coach and the staff can count on for 13+ points and 7+ rebounds per night.

2. Brookins needs to become one of the better point guards in the MAAC. He’s clearly going to be tested when considering a Derek Needham or Scott Machado, but there’s room to take some steps when considering the losses at a Niagara (Anthony Nelson) or Saint Peter’s (Nick Leon). Can he get it done? Doing so will likely mean more scoring from him as well, but he’s got the tools needed to step up.

SienaSaintsBlog: Now for a MAAC preview, so you’re the believer in Rider this year (see here: article “Ignore Rider at Your Own Peril”) – make the case, can Rider win it?

Raphielle Johnson/CollegeHoops.Net: I think the Broncs can win the MAAC, although there is a gap between Fairfield, Iona and the rest of the conference. Rider loses two key players in Justin Robinson and Mike Ringgold, but in Novar Gadson they’ve got one of the best players in the conference. Jonathon Thompson (2nd on the team in assists per game last season) will have an expanded role that in talking with Coach Dempsey early in the fall he’s ready to take on, and freshman Eddie Mitchell will be key as well. And you can’t talk Rider front court play without mentioning reigning MAAC Rookie of the Year Danny Stewart. Brandon Penn provides another experienced body inside, and Virginia transfer Jeff Jones ranks right up with Fairfield’s Rakim Sanders and Desmond Wade when discussing the top transfers. What Rider will need to do in order to pass the two favorites is continue to improve defensively. The numbers improved last season when compared to prior campaigns, but they need to continue defending at a consistent level in order to have a shot.

SienaSaintsBlog: With MoMo Jones now eligible for the Iona Gaels, does anyone stand in their way?

Raphielle Johnson/CollegeHoops.Net: The addition of MoMo Jones is a good one for the Gaels. A team that was already deep on the perimeter with the likes of Scott Machado, Kyle Smyth, Jermel Jenkins and Sean Armand among others adds another piece. But if anything I think this does more to widen the gap between Iona/Fairfield and the rest of the MAAC than anything else. Fairfield brings back a wealth of experience and in terms of impact transfers I’d take Rakim Sanders over Jones. I’ll stick with the Stags to win the league at this point, but those two regular season meetings will be ones that no hoops fan will want to miss.

SienaSaintsBlog: What’s your top 3 in the MAAC for this year?

Raphielle Johnson/CollegeHoops.Net: My Top 3 in the MAAC are Fairfield, Iona and Rider. Fairfield has a lot back for a defending champion, and their transfers (Rakim Sanders and Desmond Wade) will be able to step in and have an impact immediately. And don’t forget about freshman Adam Jones; his activity is something else the Stags can add off the bench. I really like Iona. They’re likely going to be the best offensive team in the MAAC. You look at guys like Machado, Glover, Jenkins, Smyth coming back, not to mention newcomers such as Momo Jones and Rashad James, and Tim Cluess won’t lack for weapons. But defensively I give the edge to Fairfield right now, even with a new head coach. Should be fun to watch, that’s for sure.

Follow Raphielle Johnson on twitter at @raphiellej

* – Mass Mutal Center
** – MSG

Since then, Fairfield has coasted through the MAAC, winning the regular season championship and going 14-2. The Stags have built their run in the MAAC on defense. Fairfield holds teams to just 43.1% from two-point range, good for 21st in the nation. Combine that with an offense which ranks fifth in the MAAC in offensive efficiency and get 59.7% of their points from two-point range, good for 2nd most in the MAAC, and the Stags could have a key vulnerability if a team could cut off their chances at second chance points. Fairfield capitalized in their last meeting with the Saints, generating 12 second chance points to the Saints 4.

Manhattan leads the MAAC in percentage of points from two-point range at 60.3% but the Stags (59.7%) and Saints (56.6%) rank 2nd and 3rd respectively in the category. In their first meeting, the Stags went 24-44 (54.5%) from inside the arc while the Saints went 17-33 (51.5%).

The Fairfield bench broke the Saints back in their last meeting. Warren Edney turned in a team-high 16 points on 6-11 shooting. Since that game, Edney has only hit double-digit scoring three times and has been shooting just 5-17 (29.4%) from the field over the last four games. In Fairfield’s only two losses to conference opponents, they have shot 50% or less from inside the arc for a team that shoots 3rd best 49.1% in-conference from two-point range.

To compound the problem, the Saints frontcourt gave one of their worst performances of the season against the Stags. O.D. Anosike was held without a point for the only time this season and Preseason MAAC Player of the Year Ryan Rossiter was held to 2-7 from the field and just 7 points and 7 rebounds. Only the Minnesota Golden Gophers were able to hold Rossiter to under 10 points and rebounds in a game this season.

The Saints have seen Anosike emerge since their meeting with the Stags in December, picking up five double-doubles since then and picked up his most recent double-double in Siena’s 71-60 win over Maine on Saturday.
“I thought from an intensity point of view, the second half in particular, he really, really went after the ball,” Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro said of Anosike’s performance against Maine in his Tuesday media lunch. “I thought he made some outstanding plays in terms of rebounding, offensive rebounding. He was active on the defensive end, and when he does that, he is a good compliment to Ryan. He gives us a good one two punch inside.”

Meanwhile, Siena Senior Clarence Jackson will be shooting for his fifth double-digit scoring game in a row on Friday night. Jackson, who has been plagued by injuries and missed nine games this season, has shot 20-47 (42.5%) from the field over the last four games including shooting 11-29 (37.9%) from behind the arc.

Numbers to Know for Friday Night

1. That’s the number of combined wins by Siena and Fairfield over the top 100 RPI opponents this season. Siena went 0-5 vs top 100 opponents this season and Fairfield has gone 1-1 vs top 100 opponents. The Stags loss was to Penn State (64-49).

3. Siena’s longest winning streak this season which included wins at Loyola (76-59), against Niagara (61-59) and against Manhattan (64-57).

9. The number of BracketBuster games won by the MAAC last weekend, the MAAC went 9-1 and won their TV games at home (Fairfield) and on the road (Iona). Canisius, the only team to lose their BracketBuster game, fell 70-62 at Boston University.

23. The total of points off turnovers the Stags scored off the Saints 17 turnovers in their last meeting. The Saints turned the ball over 20 times in their win over Maine on Saturday night.

63. That’s the shooting percentage (17-27; 63%) Fairfield shot in the second half against the Saints in their first meeting while the Saints shot 48% from the field and were outscored 42-30 in the second half.

2005. The last year Siena played in a MAAC Tournament game on Friday night.

Scenarios in which the Saints won’t play on Friday night

#1 Win Final Two Games: @ Fairfield, vs Marist

#2 Win at Fairfield, lose at Marist and have Canisius go 1-1 in final two games.

#3 Go 1-1 in Final Two Games (lose to Fairfield, win over Marist), Have Canisius go 0-2 in final two games.

#4 Go 1-1 in Final Two Games, have Canisius win Friday night, lose on Sunday against Loyola. Have Loyola MD tie St. Peter’s for #4 seed. Loyola’s win over Fairfield would give them #4 seed, Siena’s win over Loyola (if Canisius loses to Loyola on Sunday) gives them #6 seed

Fun Fact

The Saints last game of the regular season, Senior Night against Marist, will be the last game in the MAAC regular season. The Saints will know what will be at stake when they take the court against Marist and if they can improve upon their current standing.

Kenpom.com Prediction – Conference Wins

80% chance finishing with 8-10 record
12% chance finishing with 9-9 record
8% chance finishing with 7-11 record

I think it was a game that came down, again, [to] the last five minutes, to who made the plays. I thought they defended us well, [they] were very physical. I thought we got a little… I dont know, when they came back, I don’t think we reacted well. We’ve been in these situations all year [long], so it wasn’t anything we haven’t seen, but I think St. Peter’s ratcheted up the defense and made some big plays.”

“The problem, when I look at the stat sheet, [is that] we took 62 shots. That’s a lot of shots. We didn’t make shots. We ran, I thought we had some good breaks, [but] we didn’t convert. With 21-62 [shooting, good for] 33 percent [from the field], that’s a lot of shots to take. I thought we got some run-outs, not a lot of them, but St. Peter’s is a good team. They don’t let you run out [on the fast break].

On what he said to his players after the game:

I didn’t say much. I said they competed hard. There were some tough breaks. I didn’t say much at all. It was a good effort against a good team. St. Peter’s is a good team. They have a lot of experience, a lot of seniors [on their team].

On forward O.D. Anosike’s fouling out with 6:07 remaining in regulation:

I felt that he’s played with four fouls before. I thought he could get through the game. I didn’t think it was a big issue.

On employing a man-to-man defense against the Peacocks:

I thought it was clicking. We got back in the game playing man- to-man. They isolated [Jeron] Belin down low a lot. That’s what hurt us.

On Siena’s bad habit of losing close games:

That’s the million dollar question. You’re in twenty games, you look back and it comes down to one or two plays. Is it, we had a little bad luck? Is it the fact that everyone’s out to get us? It’s a lot of issues. Ultimately, we’ve got to figure it out by the conference tournament and rectify it.

This is the 20th game that has been decided by ten points or less. 20 of the 26 games [this season]. You could write a script – every game is similar to this. This is what happens at the end of every game. I really believe we’re playing as hard as we can. We’re this close. It’s a shame because I think now I gotta work on keeping the kids up. They stay up, they give great effort, [so we need to] take a step back, get this game on Saturday [against Maine on February 19th as part of ESPN’s BracketBusters competition] and get back on track.

[There’s] still plenty of time. There’s three more games and there’s the conference tournament. We’ve gotta be ready to go by the conference tournament.

St. Peter’s coach John Dunne:

We didn’t have good enough energy to start the second half.

Siena was playing really well to start the half. I thought the key of the game was Jeron Belin’s block. [It] escapes me who it was on, but I thought that gave us energy and we fed off that for the rest of the game.

On Siena’s play:

They’re tough kids. They’re just as tough as anyone else in this league.

Dunne also responded to a query asking him if he thought Jeron Belin deserved to be the M.A.A.C. Sixth Man of the Year by saying:

There’s no question. There’s no question, he has to be.

On which M.A.A.C. team has the upper hand heading into the conference tournament:

It’s wide open. Obviously, Fairfield is very mentally tough. They have all the pieces. They’re the team to beat, but if any other team wins it, I wouldn’t be surprised. And that includes Siena.

Siena lost by 17 to Fairfield earlier in December at the Times Union Center.

Recap: Fairfield 72, Siena 55

For more info on tonight’s game, check out the previous Siena vs. Loyola matchup from January 28th…

Recap: Siena 76, Loyola 59 | Preview

The coaching move of the evening was Mitch having Clarence Jackson come off the bench as the proverbial sixth man.  It paid off in a huge way as Jackson was hot from the outside hitting 5-7 from three and leading the Saints with a game high 19 points.  

I actually discussed the likelihood of this move with a fellow fan prior to tip, and we thought it would be a great move as CJ has always relished that role, but both shrugged it off like it would never happen.   After the final whistle we were both thinking what a great move in a game that clearly needed some kind of spark.

We can only hope that leaving Clarence Jackson as the sixth man and first off the bench is the anecdote for success for this group of Saints.   It has been clear that something has to start clicking in this roller coaster of a season.   The team has a great chance to re-establish themselves in the MAAC with a revenge win against Canisius on Monday.

Room for Improvement:
Consistency. This team continues to ride different waves of highs and lows.   One night they are able to shoot 94% from the charity stripe and the next they are shooting 54.5%.   One night they are turning the ball over 14 times and 7 the next.  One night they are on fire from beyond the arc and the next night they are shooting bricks.

Keys to Success:
Defense. The proverbial experts always say that defense breeds champions and if that is the case then this team has hope.  They have really come into their own with the 2-3 zone. In their 6 wins they are holding opponents to just 63 points per game.
Guard play. The combination of Brookins and Breeden has been a fun development to watch.  They both continue to provide positive highlights and continue to limit their amount of mistakes each and every game.   In tight games having the luxury for both to be on the floor is something that will reduce the blood pressure of Coach Buonaguro.

Five Facts:
1.  O.D. Anosike made more free throws and at a higher percentage than Ryan Rossiter.
2.  Siena made half as many 3’s as they did free throws (6 and 12).
3.  Saints are now off the snide against teams with an RPI over 200 (1-3).
4. Siena has limited opponents to 63 points per game in their 6 wins and have allowed 74 points in their 10 losses.
5.  Clarence Jackson tied a season high with 5 baskets beyond the arc.

Five Questions:
1.  Will Davis Martens and/or Kyle Griffin be available for Monday?
2.  Will Clarence Jackson remain as the sixth man this year?
3.  When was the last time Ryan Rossiter shot 20% from the free throw line in a game?
4.  How many MAAC wins will Siena have this year?
5.  Will Siena get back to .500 at home on Monday (currently 3-4 @ home, 3 game win streak)?

Five Words:
Welcome back to Clarence Jackson.

The Stags used an 8-0 run to take a five point halftime lead and took control of the game with a 15-1 run in the second half.

Jonathan Breeden and Trenity Burdine made their first starts as Saints. Breeden scored 9 points on 4-8 shooting while Burdine scored 6 points in 28 minutes.

Warren Edney led the Stags with 16 points on 6 of 11 shooting. The Stags shot 63% in the second half on their way to shooting 50% overall for the game.

Senior Clarence Jackson scored a team-high 14 points on 6-10 shooting. Jackson was the only Saint who scored in double-figures.

The Stags shut down MAAC Preseason Player of the Year Ryan Rossiter, holding Rossiter to 7 points and 7 rebounds. Fairfield dominated the glass, scoring 42 points in the paint compared to the Saints 26.

The Saints turned the ball over 17 times, leading to 23 Fairfield points.

Rakeem Brookins played just 24 minutes scoring 4 points, dishing out 4 assists and turning the ball over 6 times.

This loss gave the Saints their first four game losing streak at home since the 2004-05 season, the season prior to Fran McCaffery’s tenure as Saints coach. The loss also snaps a 28-game win streak at home against MAAC opponents.

When to call or not to call a timeout, that is the question? In my opinion timeouts are an instinctual coaching decision. Coach B had the ball in the hands of one of his dynamic seniors, Clarence Jackson, with 10 seconds to play, calling a timeout would have allowed UAlbany to set up the right matchup on both Jackson and Rossiter off the timeout. It would have allowed Albany to pressure the inbounds, which Siena struggled with throughout the night– weighing in those factors, I think not calling a timeout was the “right call”.

That said, you do want to get the ball out of CJ’s hands into Rahk’s hands, so Clarence can come off a screen for a decent look, or run a pick and roll at the top of the key with Rossiter. Nonetheless there was a scramble for the ball and Rossiter had a clear look at a long range three that caromed off the back rim, sending the game to an extra session. The inexperience of this team was present yet again, as they were unable to execute in the final minutes of a hotly contested game (18 lead changes), eventually falling in overtime for the second game in a row.

Room for Improvement:
As I stated in my season preview that this team will go as Clarence Jackson goes, and the truth be told, CJ is 26-77 (33.7%) in the teams five losses, and is 14-22 (63%) in the two wins. You are not going to win too many games when you have more turnovers (19) than made free throws (17), a focal point going into a key week of practice leading up to a showdown Friday night with pre-season favorite Fairfield. Lastly, this team has shown that it’s inexperience is costly with the results in the last two OT losses, they just look out of sync when the game is on the line.

Keys to Success:
The continued dominance of Ryan Rossiter, he is an absolute beast at the mid-major level, his energy level is not matched by anyone on the court, he doesn’t know the word quit, I wish some of the other Saints would feed off his tenacity. The growth of the three or small forward with Owen Wignot and the breakout performance of Trenity Burdine is a sure plus. This position was a weak point in the first few games, but looks like it is developing into a positive as the year progresses with Wignot and now Burdine.

Five Facts:
1. Siena is 0-3 at home is their worst start since going Division I in 1976-1977.
2. Trenity Burdine had a breakout performance with a career high 16 points.
3. Rahk Brookins had a career high nine (9) assists against just 2 turnovers.
4. Saints were a perfect 13-13 from the charity stripe in the 2nd half and overtime.
5. Saints are 0-2 against the America East this season, they entered the season with a 109-47 record against teams from the America East.

Five Questions:
1. Who is going to step up to fill the role behind Clarence Jackson?
2. When will Siena win a home game?
3. Who if anyone can stop Ryan Rossiter?
4. Is Owen Wignot going to be back for the Fairfield game?
5. What happened to Kyle Griffin (did not dress for the game)?

Five Words:
Burdine bursts onto the scene.

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 »

Who is Siena? Haven’t I seen this name the past two years in my bracket? This name is so familiar I should just pick them right? Yes, and yes.

It’s a great day in sports; it’s the day that you spend penciling in teams in your bracket, until you can’t even read through the erase marks. Many of you are here now doing your due diligence on the 2010 Siena Saints.

If your team is in, congratulations, and good luck, unless of course you’re a Purdue fan, in which case we wish bad things upon you, well, that was a little dramatic– we wish your team plays extremely poorly on Friday night. We mean like first half Purdue poorly.

Recent History

The 2008 Siena Saints dominated Vanderbilt in the first round as a #13 seed. Their 21-point win over Vanderbilt was the most lopsided #13 over #4 seed win since 1985. They would go on to lose to Villanova in the second round.

Last year, #9 Siena took #8 Ohio State to double overtime in the first round. This is where PG Ronald Moore got his name on the map, knocking down two crucial threes in the closing seconds of each OT. In the second round, they were right with Louisville with about five to go, but the #1 seed proved too much for Siena to handle.

This Season

Siena has since lost one starter and one bench player in each year, but this has not stopped them. The Saints attempted to schedule up again this season, but nobody wanted to play them. Siena had their chances for quality wins against 4 NCAA Tournament teams; they lost a close one against Temple, lost at Georgia Tech (without Ubiles), competed closely with Northern Iowa, and got smoked by Butler.

Siena simply dominated the MAAC conference this season. Including the conference tournament, the Saints were 20-1 this season. In their last three games, they have trailed by 6+ points at half and have come back to win, including an overtime victory the Championship game. Siena trailed by as much as 15 points in the first half. One thing is for sure, if you let this team hang around, they will come back– they are resilient.

The Starters

PG Ronald Moore
Moore leads the nation in assists, but more importantly, is the most clutch player perhaps in Siena’s history. Ronald may only be shooting 23% from three this season, but two of those three pointers have come in the closing minutes of the Saints’ past two games.

SG Clarence Jackson
Clarence is the three point specialist for Siena, but has proven that he has the ability to drive the ball to the hoop with authority.

SF Edwin Ubiles
Ubiles marks the top of Siena’s 1-2-2 press. He has great length, anticipation, and the most NBA potential on this team. Edwin appears to be finishing off his Siena career strong, shooting 47.8% from the field in his last five games. Ubiles can simply do it all.

PF Alex Franklin
Conference Player of the year, MAAC Tournament MVP, there is not much else you really need to say about Franklin, who has greatly improved his ability to put the ball on the deck and go one on one. Alex’s strength is not found anywhere else in the league, and he has proven he can match up with bigger Div. I talent.

C Ryan Rossiter
Ryan Rossiter is sometimes overlooked, but it is hard to overlook his presence coming into this game. He is 5th in the country, averaging over a double-double per game, 21 this season. Rossiter is the smartest player on this team, and fights for every rebound.

Quick Facts

• Location: Albany, NY
• Enrollment: 3,000
• 6th NCAA Tournament Appearance
• Siena has the second longest home court winning streak (38) in Division I

Catch the 2009-10 Siena Saints video highlights and more HD video at our video page.