Just a programming note.

Shannon (left) and Shawn Miller (right) two professional boxers from Troy have begun a blog on our website in anticipation of their July 31 "Night of Future Champions" event at the Saratoga Springs City Center.

Shannon will be fighting and Shawn will be making his professional debut.

Check out what they have to say as they train in their last month before the big bout.

Miller Blog

Got this across my desk yesterday, but it was very busy around here.

Siena Extends Men's Basketball Contract with Times Union Center Through 2014
Downtown Venue Has Served as Full-Time Home for Saints Since 1997

Siena College and Times Union Center officials announced today a four-year extension to their agreement, making the downtown Albany facility the home for Siena men's basketball through 2014.

The men's basketball program at Siena has been playing games in the Arena since its opening in 1990, and made its full-time move prior to the 1997-98 season, nine years ago.

"The Times Union Center is the best venue for our team and our fans. Every time the Capital Region comes out to support Siena, we want it to be the best experience possible—and that happens at Times Union Center," Siena President Fr. Kevin Mullen, O.F.M. said.

Apparently the new contract would allow the University at Albany to play a home game downtown and cover the Siena logos up.

It would be interesting to see if coach Will Brown and the Great Danes would be interested in that opportunity.

I know it's still June and not even officially summer but ESPN's Bracketologist guru Joe Lunardi has his latest Bracketology out with Siena receiving a No. 11 seed. 

This may sound like disrespect after the team just won a game as a No. 9 seed and put a scare into top-ranked Louisville, but I think this spot would give the Saints the best spot to advance to the Sweet 16. 

Lunardi has the team in Buffalo (a clear advantage) playing against No. 6 Boston College. 

If Siena won, they would take on No. 3 West Virginia or No. 14 Oakland for a spot in the Sweet 16. 

The other No. 3 Lunardi lists are Illinois, Oklahoma and Tennessee. 

The other No. 6's are Ohio State (remember them), Wake Forest and Pittsburgh.

Let me know what road you think gives Siena the best route to the Sweet 16.   

University at Albany catcher Ryan Gugel became the third Great Danes player in as many seasons to sign a professional contract when he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, June 12. 

Gugel reported to Clearwater, Fla., to train with the organization's rookie league team, the Gulf Coast Phillies. 

Gugel recentley completed his second season with UAlbany, finished with a .303 batting average and a team-high nine home runs. 

"Ryan is an extremely hard working student-athlete," said UAlbany baseball coach Jon Mueller. "This is a great opportunity for Ryan and his family."

The Great Danes have had six players selected in the MLB Draft, while Gugel is the latest in a long line of UAlbany athletes who have signed free agent professional contracts.

Siena College junior Anthony Giansanti (right) was drafted in the 49th round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft on Thursday by the Oakland Athletics.

The junior from Montville, Conn., was an All-MAAC First Team selection after hitting .350 with a team-high 14 home runs and 37 RBI.

Giansanti is currently playing for the Glens Falls Golden Eagles of the New York Collegiate Baseball League.

If Giansanti were to sign with the Athletics, he would be the 34th Siena baseball player to sign a professional contract.

Siena’s last player to be drafted was John Lannan in 2005. He was taken by the Washington Nationals in the 11th round.

Giansanti is the 20th Siena player to be drafted since the amateur draft began in 1965 and the 12th player selected since 1996.

Former Siena star Kenny Hasbrouck had his first NBA workout today for the New Jersey Nets at the team's practice facility in East Rutherford, N.J., before team officials and scouts.

"I think I played well," Hasbrouck told Siena's Sports Information Director Jason Rich. "I didn't kill it like I wanted to, but I thought I did well."

Here's more from Jason.

Hasbrouck said the workout consisted of various drills showcasing his dexterity and shooting.

The workout also featured competitive 1-on-1, 2-on-2 and 3-on-3 games between Hasbrouck and the five other players invited to the workout.

Hasbrouck indicated that additional workouts may be scheduled in the near future, though nothing is in place right now.

Hasbrouck’s agent, Giovanni Funicello, is coordinating the workouts leading up to the June 25 NBA Draft.

Since today begins the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, I thought it would be appropriate to say that this blog, which mostly discusses college basketball with a little bit of college football thrown in, will now turn to baseball for the summer.

There are a lot of great baseball stories and players from this area.

Latham native Tommy Kahnle (left) has been given a 10-day contract with the Orleans Firebirds of the prestigious Cape Cod Summer League.

Kahnle plays collegiate baseball at Division II Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida.

Kahnle, a 6-foot right-hander, just helped close out the Division II National Championship for the Fighting Knights.

Kahnle was named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player, popping his fastball in the mid 90s.

After making a transition from the rotation to the bullpen, Kahnle started shining and he closed out the national semifinal and the title game.

Kahnle posted a 1-0 record with two saves at the World Series, retiring 21 of the final 22 batters he faced, including the last 13 in a row.

Kahnle played at Shaker High and graduated in 2007.

He also pitched for the South Troy Dodgers making 30 appearances and posting a record of 9-2 with five saves and a 3.77 earned run average.

Good luck to Tommy.

Also, talking a look around at the other Cape Cod League rosters, I saw two other former Section II stars.

Greg Holle (Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox)
Dave Fischer (Wareham Gateman)

Holle currently plays for Texas Christian University and played for Christian Brothers Academy, while Fischer played at Burnt Hills and now plays at the University of Connecticut.

Both Holle ('07) and Fischer ('08) were drafted following their high school days, but elected to go to college.

The University at Albany men's basketball team announced on Monday their three captains for the 2009-10 season and it will be seniors Brett Gifford and Will Harris and junior Tim Ambrose.

Gifford started 28 of 31 games last season and averaged 2.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, while blocking a team-high 24 shots.

Harris earned a spot on the All-America East Conference third team in his first seaosn with the UAlbany prgoram last year. The Corona, N.Y., native averaged 12.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

Ambrose is the first junior captain since 2005-06. The 6-foot Brentwood, N.Y., native averaged 14.3 points and was voted to the all-conference third team.

While the calendar just switched to June, the University at Albany is starting to think about football season.

That's because the Great Danes were selected to win their third consecutive Northeast Conference title on Monday.

Here's the release from UAlbany.

Albany , N.Y. – After putting together its most celebrated season at the NCAA Division I FCS level, UAlbany has been picked to win its third consecutive Northeast Conference football championship by Sporting News Yearbook .

In 2008, the Great Danes claimed the conference title for the second year in a row and became the first NEC program to be crowned Gridiron Classic champions.

Head coach Bob Ford, the active Division I FCS leader with 234 career victories, has 14 starters returning from last year’s 9-3 squad.

All-America tailback David McCarty (at left) leads an offensive unit that averaged more than 26 points and 363 yards.

McCarty, who was named to the Sports Network FCS All-America team for the second straight season, is the Sporting News Yearbook preseason NEC offensive player of the year.

He rushed for a school-record 1,852 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior. McCarty, the Gridiron Classic MVP, was second among the NCAA rushing leaders and tied for fourth in all-purpose yards (184.0 ypg).

The Great Danes were dominant at times on defense and allowed 18.2 points and 119.1 rushing yards overall.

All-ECAC and All-NEC safety Dave Casale (at right) recorded the most interceptions by a UAlbany defender since 1990 with seven, plus was second in tackles (74). Justin Brancaccio, a first-team all-conference inside linebacker, led the team with 91 tackles. The Great Danes captured their fourth conference championship last year and set the program's FCS record for single-season wins. UAlbany won the NEC title outright in 2002 and 2007 and shared the crown in 2003.

Meanwhile Casale, a Troy native, has been selected to the Consensus Draft Services preseason FCS All-America second team, while McCarty, a La Salle graduate, Brancaccio and Kevin Richards were chosen in the honorable mention category.

UAlbany begins the season on Saturday, Sept. 5 at Georgia Southern.