When assistant coach Craig Carter started showing up at St Vincent-St. Mary's games, it certainly caught the attention of Davonte Beard.

“That excited me,” said Beard, who played at the same high school as LeBron James. “When I saw Coach Carter at one of my games, I thought that’s a big-time school, so I’d be very interested in going to that school.”

Beard, who committed to Siena last spring, is expected to become a good player for the Saints. With the lack of depth, the 6-foot-2 guard will have to step right in.

“I’m excited,” Beard said Friday, at media day. “I’m glad that I have a lot of expectations for me, but at the end of the day I just want to play hard and give what Coach wants from me.”

Coach Mitch Buonaguro set the bar high right away for Beard, saying he expects a lot of out of him, while introducing the team on Friday morning.

"There's a lot of high expectations for him, coming into the league," Buonaguro said. "I expect him to be one of the better freshman in the league. I think he has tremendous ability.

Beard said he was attracted to Siena as soon as he stepped foot on campus.

“It’s like a brotherhood,” he said.

The transition for Beard and the other five freshmen was rough at first, but as practice begins Friday evening, they are feeling more comfortable.

With six new players on the roster, Siena will have to get contributions from some of them right away.

“I’d say we’re expected to do a lot this year,” Beard said.