Kenny talks about being, as Sir Charles would say “a knucklehead”, and how his recent DUI almost cost him his career.

Take a lesson from your alum, college kids.

He’s come on strong in Vegas this summer, you can see his numbers here.

In a remarkably well documented case, (and might I add, a great job by Marist College), Marist officially won their case against JMU and Matt Brady. Brady breached his contract by entering negotiations and as Marist was able to convey, damaged the University in doing so. Read More »

Marist alum Ryan Schneider, writing at WFAN.com, previews the South region and says he expects the Saints to pull off the upset.

The first round upset of the region goes to…

The 13 seeded Siena Saints. The boys from Albany are now accustomed to playing as an underdog in March. The Saints are a senior laden team led by potential NBA prospect Edwin Ubiles. Couple that with Clarence Jackson’s ability to knock down the long-ball and there are your perimeter threats. But wait we’re not done…I haven’t even mentioned MAAC player of the year Alex Franklin. He averaged 16 and 8 throughout the season and can dominate a game despite being an undersized forward. I have to love a team that has a past of successful upset bids against high quality opponents (they knocked off Ohio State last year and Vandy the year before).

Obviously the Boilermakers aren’t a four seed if Robbie Hummel is healthy. But he isn’t and Purdue is coming off their most embarrassing performance of the season (11 points in the first half? Not a confidence builder). Fran McCaffrey’s Saints may actually be favored come game-time.

Michael Ospioff of the Gary Post Tribune asks the question, Can Purdue regroup from an embarrassing loss to Minnesota?

Which begs the question: Can Purdue get back that fight? Can the team regroup after such a dismal game?

As far as the players are concerned, there is no question.

“Our team is still positive,” senior guard Grant said. “No one’s sad and pouting around.”

Said junior guard Moore: “If I didn’t think we could bounce back, I wouldn’t play the game on Friday. It’s (NCAA) Tournament time — anything can happen.”

Joe Sheehan of Basketball Prospectus offers his thoughts on the Saints, and the Boilermakers later today, in his 65 Teams, 65 Thoughts column.

Siena: I made this point with Oakland, so I should make it here: Siena played four top-50 opponents, went 0-4, and wasn’t really competitive in any of the games. They also lost to St. John’s. Their best nonconference win was over Northeastern. All of this is to say that the evidence that they can beat a #4 seed is limited. Fortunately, they drew a six-seed in What’s Left of Purdue, and they have a fighting chance. Siena never fouls, yet manages to pick up steals on 12.5% of possessions (23rd) and defends shooters reasonably well (127th in defensive eFG%).

RushTheCourt gives notes on the entire bracket.

Before the game, seniors Alex Franklin, Edwin Ubiles, and Ronald Moore were honored in front of the home crowd. During their careers they posted 20+ wins in all 4 seasons, hold the record for program victories (currently at 94), and have combined for 4,256 points, 1,879 rebounds and 1,190 assists.

It was a slow first half with both teams shooting under 35% from the field. In fact, there were about a dozen air-balls or instances where the ball barely nicked the rim. Siena slightly trailed with 3 minutes left, but ended strong heading into halftime up 32-26.

The Saints found their touch to start off the second half, especially behind the 3-point line with Ubiles and Clarence Jackson leading the way. Siena went on a 15-5 point run within the first 5 minutes to extend their lead to 47-31 to essentially put the Marist Red Foxes away. Edwin Ubiles led all scorers with 21 points. Franklin and Rossiter both contributed 15 points and 24 rebounds between them. Ronald Moore ended his MAAC regular season career in typical fashion with 12 assists. Toward the final minutes of the game Fran McCaffery was able to sub in most of his team, including giving Kyle Downey over ten minutes in his first game returning from a broken foot injury.

Marist guard Devin Price had 12 points and Dejuan Goodwin added 11 points. Whereas Siena increased their FG% in the second half, Marist continued to struggle. In addition to shooting 32.8% for the game, they also shot only 5-22 from 3-point range (22.7%). This is a young Marist team who started 3 freshman.

Seniors Alex Franklin (16.0 ppg) and Edwin Ubiles (14.7 ppg) will look to cement their Player of the Year candidacies in Sunday’s game. Ubiles has shot 37.5% from three point range to lead the Saints starters. Franklin’s 57.3% field goal percentage is second on the team to Ryan Rossiter (14.3 ppg).

It will also be the last home game for fellow starter Ronald Moore, whose assist rate has gone up each year as a Saint; however, Moore is shooting a career low 31.3% from the field. Moore sparked the offense after two poor games on Friday, scoring 8 points and dishing out 8 assists.

The Saints will be facing the most consistent team in the nation. If not in an unusual way, according to Ken Pomeroy’s ratings, Marist ranks first as the most consistent team in all of Division I basketball. Unfortunately it has been for being consistently bad, losing 20 of their 27 games by double digits this season.

Marist started 0-11 on the season, enters the game 1-16 in conference and lost their last home game by 23 against St. Peter’s. To make matters worse, Redshirt Junior and Boston College transfer Daye Kaba announced that he was leaving Marist to pursue professional basketball opportunities in Europe next season. Since he had a year in residency, Kaba will be graduating Marist in four years.

Freshman Sam Prescott, who impressed early for Marist, was declared academically ineligible for the second semester. Couple that with Villanova transfer center Casiem Drummond never gaining eligibility and leaving, it seemed the hits keep on coming. That might seem bad but it got worse this week when center Naofall Folahan de-committed from Marist during the week.

Marist ranked last in offensive and defensive efficiency in the MAAC. Not only ranking in the bottom but they also ranked last in 2-point Field Goal percentage and 2-point Field Goal percentage defense.

There is a chance we might see Kyle Downey, who was dressed in game clothes last night, tomorrow against the Red Foxes. Downey’s goal was to make it back before the MAAC Basketball Championships begin and it will be something to keep an eye on in this game.

Siena will be aiming for a 17 win regular season in the conference while Marist will be trying to double their win total in the MAAC. Siena will be looking to win their 35th straight at the Times Union Center.

Siena has won the last five meetings against Marist. Pomeroy Ratings projections give the Saints a 99% chance of winning Sunday’s game.

Marist is one of three teams in the nation with one win this season.

Alex Franklin scored 20 points to reach 20+ points for the ninth time this season. Ryan Rossiter scored 16 points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.

Siena’s 12-0 start in conference ties the best start in school history in the MAAC, equaling last year’s start. The Saints extend the nation’s longest winning streak to 13.

Edwin Ubiles returned from the bench to score 15 points, 11 of which came in the first half. Ubiles made a jumper to close the first half, giving Siena a 39-30 lead. Ubiles made 7-11 shots from the field.

Ronald Moore dished out a team-high 11 assists as Siena shot 60% from the field.

O.D. Anosike came off the bench to score 5 points, all of which came in the second half, and grabbed 5 rebounds.

Korey Bauer led the Red Foxes with 18 points and Daye Kaba scored 17.

Siena has won 36 of its last 38 games against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opponents.

How do you prepare for the season?
We hold tryouts and practices in October. This year we had four tryouts and practices, so there isn’t a lot of preparation before the season. We rehearse, and then I pick the people who are going to be in the band. Then we’re set.

Do you practice during the season?
Once the season gets into full swing we don’t really practice. What we mostly do is go over the order of the songs before the games. We come up with 30-32 songs and end up playing about 20 during the games.

Does the band travel to away games?
Only for the MAAC tournament games and NCAA tournament games. For finance reasons it gets too much. But when the MAAC tournament moves to Mass, we’ll travel there.

Any thoughts on maybe travelling to Marist games?
I’ve definitely thought about that because they are close and are a big rival. Also because the Marist band is double or triple our size. They are huge. We call them The Army. So it would be good to have a presence there.

Does the action/momentum of the game help you decide which songs to play?
Absolutely. Well, I have been in the band for four years and this is my first year conducting, but as long as I have been here we have started off every game with “Jock Jams.” From that first performance I can tell the energy level of the band, and even the game sometimes. The band members really thrive off the crowd. Just like the players get motivated from the fans, so does the band. The more energy that comes from the fans, the more energy that comes from us. We’re there as a spirit team. If the team isn’t doing very well I’ll call for an upbeat tempo to give the crowd energy, and the team energy.

What are some of the “go to” songs you like most?
If we’re making a big comeback in the second half we’ll play “Gonna Fly Now” (Rocky Theme). If there’s a timeout, and the crowd is really into the game we’ll play the “Hey” song. It’s all to increase the energy level of the fans.

This year the band has also been playing for the women’s team. How is that going?
Great. I’ve been getting so many compliments about it. We don’t always get a large crowd so sometimes the band is louder than the crowd. I really think us being there helps the moral of the players. I’ve even got compliments from coaches who appreciate what we’re doing.

If we can establish that Siena, Niagara and Rider are the likely top three in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference let’s try to hash out that next tier of contenders. It’s time to find out who is for real and who isn’t in the MAAC. Are the Gaels as good as advertised? Are the Greyhounds going to take some of their non-conference momentum into the conference season? Will the Fairfield Stags, relatively untested in the non-conference, show that they are a top 5 team in the MAAC?

Is Iona for Real?

Reasons Iona is for Real: Iona erased doubters thoughts about their right to contend in the MAAC this year with a 63-60 win in Buffalo over Niagara. All of Iona’s non-conference wins have been by eight points or more. Iona’s most impressive wins: beating Creighton (by eight) in Orlando and beating Providence (by nine) on the road. Iona wasn’t expected to win at top-25 UConn and lost by 19 but the Gaels played hard in Orlando putting up tough fights against Florida State (loss by 6) and Baylor (played the Bears to overtime but lost 72-62).

Counter-Arguments: Iona dropped two straight MAAC home contests; a two point loss St. Peter’s and a 13 point loss to Siena in December. They went on the Buffalo swing and beat Niagara but lost by 12 at Canisius Monday night. The Gaels, who shot 39.9% (30th nationally) from behind the arc entering tonight, went 7 for 30 from three point range (23.3%) and were out rebounded by 12 against a team that isn’t necessarily dominant inside.

Verdict: Iona is most likely for real this year and could be contending for a #4-#6 seed.

Is Loyola (MD) for Real?

Reasons Loyola (MD) is for Real: Loyola’s best win this year is their big win over Indiana in the Big Ten. It is big in the historic context: it was Loyola’s first win over a Big Ten team in school history. Loyola led by as much as 24 points during that game and Brett Harvey has been on a hot streak as of late, despite not playing last night against Siena. Second team All-MAAC member Jamal Barney has been the leader for the Greyhounds, taking most of the shots and shooting 42% from the field.

Counter-Arguments: Loyola dropped a game in overtime at Coppin State, a team with only one other Division-I win. A 19 point loss at Mount St. Mary’s does not help define this team’s profile either. The Mountaineers have lost eight straight which included a tough overtime loss at Siena. A three point win over 1-12 UMBC doesn’t impress either.

Barney and the Greyhounds had a chance to impress on Monday night but failed to do so in a 20-point home loss to Siena. They had to try and play the Saints with Brett Harvey sitting out due to an undisclosed injury. The Saints got lucky to be spared of Harvey in the lineup and took advantage, leading by as many as 30 points on Monday night.

Verdict: It is difficult to see given the current situation. If the Greyhounds lose Brett Harvey for a significant amount of time, Loyola would be at a huge loss. They have two more tough games at Fairfield and home Sunday against Iona. If Harvey is back and they can split or win both, we are looking at a real contender.

Is Fairfield for Real?

Reasons Fairfield is for Real: The Stags have started out really well, starting 10-3 and got off to a 3-0 start in the MAAC. One thing we know for sure, Derek Needham is a top candidate for MAAC Rookie of the Year. Needham has won or shared the award five times already this season. The true freshman has scored double digit points in every game but one this season. Junior Yorel Hawkins has been impressive as well in 2009-10. Hawkins has significantly improved his field goal and free throw shooting from last year, he leads the team in field goal percentage at 53.9% coming into Monday night.

Counter-Arguments: Fairfield won seven non-conference games so far this year. However their strength of schedule out of conference ranks 2nd to last in the MAAC and ranked 337th in the nation of 347 going into Monday night. Fairfield ranks in the middle of the pack of the MAAC in three point shooting. The assist (204) to turnover (194) leaves much to be desired.

Verdict: Even though they lost at Niagara, Needham made a career high 12 field goals and scored a career high 28 points. There is chance that Fairfield is a team that is shining through smoke and mirrors right now but they should be locked into at least a #6-#7 seed range.

Marist Notches Win #1!

Marist went 7 for 17 from three point land and got an even performance from their entire team in their first win of the season, a 72-66 win over Manhattan. Marist has guaranteed themselves not going winless this year. How did they follow that up? By losing at St. Peter’s by 12.

Marist has only had one win streak, a streak of two on December 23 and 28 of 2008, during the Chuck Martin era.

When not worrying about Siena’s chances in the MAAC this season, Ryan is writing about Fantasy Baseball on Rotosavants.com, reporting on the Colonial Athletic Association for Rushthecourt.net and writing on his own website: RyanRestivo.com.

(courtesy Kenpom.com going into Tuesday)
Chance of winless record:    24.68% (overall)    31.92% (in conference)

Marist lost convincingly against Binghamton, shooting 29.4% from the field. The Bearcats dominated in a 70-52 rout, their 2nd win over a Division I team (their other D-I win came at home against Bucknell). With this loss Marist increased their odds of going winless 20% over one night. Marist scored 5 points in the final five and a half minutes of the game.

Add to it the fact that Casiem Drummond is not eligible yet and might never be. On Monday a crushing blow was sent to Marist as they ruled Drummond to be academically ineligible (courtesy: Poughkeepise Journal).

You have to wonder whether Drummond will ever play for Marist at this rate. Friend of the site, Greg Hyrina adds his comments at his site as well. This will not be a great year to be a Red Foxes fan, the team is very young and inexperienced and you just have to hope that these players that second-year Head Coach Chuck Martin has brought in will continue to show their potential and develop.

Consider that, according to Kenpom.com’s game probabilities: the chances of Marist when they travel to Siena are listed as 0%. You have to figure they have a chance but they are a very young team and could be exposed further against Siena and the more experienced MAAC teams.

Everyone Else Doing Well

Every other MAAC team has at least 5 wins this season but it’s time to review the teams that have impressed us still as teams finish their out of conference schedules and get ready for a grueling MAAC regular season.

Fairfield has been off to a strong start and hung tough in Rhode Island but fell just short in an 89-84 loss. Anthony Johnson led the way with 23 points, on 10 of 14 shooting, and 10 rebounds. Derek Needham has to be near the lead for Rookie of the Year, scoring double digits in all but one game. Siena and Fairfield are #1 and #2 in the MAAC in shooting from inside the 3 point arc, respectively. We will see how real Fairfield is quickly as they will travel to the Buffalo swing to start the New Year.

Rider has settled into a quiet 8-5 this year. After a great win at Mississippi State, they are looking like a team that is still searching for an identity as they enter conference play. Rider was unable to hold off Rutgers in Overtime, being outscored 10-0 in the overtime period. Ryan Thompson is finding his groove, with 26 points and 8 rebounds in a loss. Thompson ceded the stage at Monmouth to Jamar Youngblood. Youngblood, who transferred from Monmouth to Rider, torched the Hawks making 3 of Rider’s 4 three’s and scoring 19 points in a 7 point come from behind win.

Iona and Albany met for the first time and Iona came away with a 13 point win. Kyle Smyth has erupted for 48 points over the last three games on 65% shooting. Smyth is 4th best on the team with 41.3% 3 point field goal percentage and has made a huge leap in his development. Siena handled the Gaels well on the road in their first meeting but look for Iona to be much improved going into that February 5th matchup.

MAAC Notes

Rico Pickett for the Jaspers, a junior college transfer, has put up double digit points in every game where he’s taken double digit shots. However 1.4 3 point field goals per game and a 28.9% three point field goal percentage leave him with some more work on his game. Manhattan is on break until December 30th when they travel to Vanderbilt.

Niagara hosts St. Bonaventure tonight and then takes off for the holidays… Manhattan has yet to see one-armed Kevin Laue score a collegiate point yet, he is 0 for 1 from the field and 0 for 3 from the free throw line. Loyola has started out at 5-5 and travels to Indiana tonight to play the Hoosiers. If Loyola (5-5)

loses tonight, they will be the only the 3rd MAAC team under .500 this year (Canisius is 4-6, Marist is 0-8).

It might be too early to talk about this but there is a possibility that Marist does not win a game this year.

Yes Marist tied their 2nd worst start in school history by starting out 0-7. With game probabilities posted today on Kenpom.com, the Red Foxes are a 10% or less underdog in 14 of their 21 remaining games, not counting the “BracketBuster.” So I set out to do some research in contacting friend of the site, Ken Pomeroy.

Ryan (Siena Saints Blog): You have [Marist] as underdogs in every game except this Sunday against Binghamton. I was wondering if you could run the numbers to see the chances they could go winless in 2009-10.

I know there might be a few factors that might change (ie: two players come back for Marist after being suspended/leave on Sunday plus Binghamton is bad)

Unbelievably, the Marist record for worst start is 0-12, so at least they can look up. Thank you!

I received a quick response from the friend of the site:

Ken Pomeroy (Kenpom.com): Just for the Marist faithful, I’ve added the chance of going winless for all teams. Looks like Marist leads the nation with their nearly 3% chance! Seems like yesterday they were owning the league.

You can find it on the Marist team page. I love these stats by the way and thank goodness for automation. Yes, we’re not able to run some probabilities on games like tournament games that play on back to back games, but we get a lot of good data out of this. Marist only has two unlisted games on this schedule: the BracketBuster game and their first MAAC Tournament game. Even with those two the odds can’t get much better.

Marist does not look like a good offensive team at all right now but they get Villanova transfer Casiem Drummond and all-Rookie team member RJ Hall back after his academic suspension for Sunday’s game against Binghamton.

This will probably be their best chance to win before entering conference play. Boston College transfer Daye Kaba has disappointed so far and Marist has put up a bunch of statistical oddities. Only one player (Kaba) has more assists than turnovers (by a margin of 1) and the team has shot 53.9% from the Free throw line (344th in the nation, of 347).

There are currently 9 winless teams in all of Division I.