The Siena men's basketball program will soon be hanging another number from the rafters.

The school announced today that Fred Shear (Class of 1973) will have his No. 50 retired, on Dec. 29, at halftime of the Saints game vs. La Salle.

Shear will join Marc Brown (#4), Billy Harrell (#10) and Kenny Hasbourck (#41) as the four players to have their jersey retired by Siena.

"Clearly this is a great individual honor and one that I most graciously accept," Shear said. "It is also a tremendous team honor. It speaks volumes about the type of teammates and coaches I had from 1969-73."

Shear is a graduate of Waterford-Halfmoon High School and holds the second highest career scoring average (20.3 ppg) in program history and the fifth career rebounding average (9.5 rpg). Shear was the first two-time All-American in Siena history, earning Associated Press Honorable Mention recognition in both 1972 and 1973.

Shear played only three varsity season (due to the NCAA freshman rule), but still ranks 12th all-time, with 1,400 career points and 15th all-time with 658 rebounds. He held the career scoring record for 14 years, prior to the introduction of the 3-point line.

Shear was the captain of Coach Bill Kirsch's first team at Siena. In addition to the Siena Hall of Fame, Shear is a member of the Waterford-Halfmoon High School Athletic Hall of Fame and the Capital District Basketball Hall of Fame.