In what has been a big few days for local football players, CBA grad Joe Vellano and RPI's Mike Hermann have signed free agent contracts with NFL teams.

Vellano and Hermann join UAlbany players Drew Smith (Buffalo) and Jon Morgan (Detroit), as four players with local ties have now signed free agent deals.

Vellano, who played at Maryland, signed a deal with New England, while Hermann has inked with Oakland.

The University at Albany football team played its annual spring game on Saturday.

Nic Ketter caught the game-winning touchdown (picture below), on the final play, as the Offense posted a 45-40 victory.

Jeff Couch/The Record

Here is a link to the story that appeared in Sunday's paper.

Below is video of coach Bob Ford, talking about the game.

The draft came and went without any locals being selected, but it was shortly after where news happened.

Former University at Albany running back Drew Smith agreed to a free agent contract with the Buffalo Bills.

Smith said Wednesday that the four most interested teams were the Bills, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. 

Smith's agent JR Rickert tweeted Saturday evening, “@JRRickert: JRSE is thrilled to announce that client @UAlbany @isayaaa10 Drew Smith has signed with the Buffalo #Bills!”

There has been more news coming out of Siena in the past few days. The men's basketball year-end banquet was held on Thursday, in Troy, but it seems like the season continues going right into the spring. 

Here is a link to the story about Gina Castelli, settling in at her new position, as head coach at Le Moyne College.

Here is a link to a story from the Siena banquet and how the roster continues to change at this point in time.

Below is video of new Siena coach Jimmy Patsos.



Below is video of Siena's Evan Hymes.

J.S. Carras/The Record

The NFL Draft kicks off tonight in New York City.

The first round takes place Thursday evening, with the draft stretching to Friday and Saturday. Over
the weekend, a few local products hope they hear their names called or their phones ring with interest from NFL teams.

RPI quarterback Mike Hermann (right) impressed scouts at a Pro Day at Stony Brook, back in March, and his size (6-5, 260) is big league. He hopes to get a chance with a NFL team. 

The most recent local player to be drafted was former Albany Academy standout Dion Lewis, who was chosen in the fifth round by Philadelphia, in 2011, after a college career at Pittsburgh. Lewis, who was The Record's 2006 Offensive Player of the Year, was traded to Cleveland two weeks ago. 

University at Albany running back Drew Smith (below) hopes he can either be chosen in the late rounds or find himself to a team as a priority free agent. Also, CBA grad Joe Vellano could be chosen in the late rounds.

AP

 Below is video of Hermann talking about his chances, on Wednesday, before he gets in a workout. 

Siena posted its first win ever over a Top 10 team on Tuesday, downing UAlbany 10-9 in Loudonville.

The Great Danes (10-4) played without the nation's leading scorer Lyle Thompson and his brother, Miles Thompson.

J.S. Carras/The Record

The Saints (6-8) got four goals from sophomore Conor Prunty, including the game-winner, with 50 seconds remaining.

Below is the final sequence, where Siena goalie Matt Sharp makes a save to preserve the victory.



Below Prunty talks about the big Saints victory.

LOUDONVILLE - Rakeem Brookins is no longer a member of the Siena basketball team.

While no official comment has been made by the school, Brookins has been removed from the team's online roster. An athletic spokesperson wouldn't comment specifically on Brookins' status, but did say those who are listed online are on the team.

Brookins was arrested earlier this month for alleged felony burglary charges, which he later admitted to.

Brookins was a redshirt sophomore this past season for the Saints, who averaged 11.3 points per game. He missed all of last season with a back injury and averaged 9.0 points per game, as a freshman, during the 2010-11 season.

Former Siena women's basketball coach Gina Castelli was hired today by Le Moyne.

The Dolphins play in the Northeast-10, which is the league that The College of Saint Rose is in.

Castelli spent 22 seasons as the Saints coach, but was let go after the 2011-12 season.

Here is the link to Le Moyne's release.

J.S. Carras/The Record

Former Siena men's lacrosse coach Brian Brecht was suspended with pay, on Friday, for allegations of verbal abuse.

Brecht, who is in his second season at Rutgers, becomes the second coach at the New Jersey school to be suspended this month. Basketball coach Mike Rice was suspended on April 2 and fired the next day for video of him physically and verbally abusing, which became national.

Brecht (below, in yellow) was the coach at Siena for seven years, where he posted a 65-49 record and got the program to the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history, in 2009, and again in 2011.

The Scarlet Knights are 8-20 in Brecht's two seasons as coach.

Here is a link to the statement from Rutgers.

J.S. Carras/The Record

The University at Albany and coach Will Brown received a letter of intent from former Utah player

AP

Anthony Odunsi on Wednesday.

Odunsi (right) was playing at Tyler Junior College last year, in Texas, where the Apache went 22-9.

Odunsi spent the 2011-12 season playing at Utah, where he averaged 3.0 points and 1.3 rebounds as a true freshman. 

Brown tweeted the following on Wednesday evening.

@UAHOOPSWB: "Received an NLI from Anthony Odunsi today. BCS experience and a big point guard who can play multiple positions as well!"

The Great Danes are coming off the program's third trip to the NCAA tournament, where they lost to Duke last month.

The program loses a lot of the key parts to that team, including guard Mike Black, Jacob Iati, Jayson Guerrier and forward Blake Metcalf. Earlier in the month, guard Chris Page also announce he would be transferring.

Odunsi joins an incoming class of Lamin Fulton, Levan Shengelia and Dallas Ennema.

Siena guard Rakeem Brookins is facing felony burglary charges, stemming from an incident that allegedly took place 10 days ago.

Brookins, who averaged 11.3 points per game this past season for the Saints, is due in town court on Monday.

It's just the latest in what has been a roller coaster ride of a collegiate career for Brookins, who is from just outside of Philadelphia.

As a freshman, he starred on the court, averaging 9.0 points during the 2010-11 season. Then, he missed all of the 2011-12 season with a back injury. He returned this season, but was suspended for the first three games for violating athletic department policy. In a season filled with mostly misery, as Siena stumbled to an 8-24 finish, Brookins hit one of the biggest shots, a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that won a game against Canisius. The play was recognized nationally as one of the best game-winning shots of the year.

This is the first big hurdle for new coach Jimmy Patsos, who was hired on April 3, following the dismissal of Mitch Buonaguro in March.

It seems like a daily occurrence at this point, but more Siena basketball news broke on Saturday.

Ryan Restivo, who writes for Big Apple Buckets, reported that Siena sophomore Evan Hymes will transfer, in an effort to get closer to his North Carolina home and his mother.

Hymes averaged 10.6 points this season and averaged 13.4 points per game as a freshman, in 2011-12. 

Hymes is just the latest Saints player to defect, following Davis Martens, who announced he will graduate and return to Germany.

Hymes' departure means new Siena coach Jimmy Patsos currently has three scholarships to work with.

Patsos was officially named the coach on Wednesday and Martens announced his intentions to not return on Thursday.

On Friday, the school confirmed it will open the 2013-14 season playing against the University at Albany, on Friday, Nov. 8.

J.S. Carras - The Record

Here are two links from Thursday's paper about Siena introducing new men's basketball coach Jimmy Patsos.

Both stories are from staffer Andrew Champagne, who pinch hit while I'm on vacation. 

Siena introduces Jimmy Patsos as basketball coach

Press conference for new Siena men's basketball coach Patsos an interesting one

Another piece of Siena news happening on Thursday is that redshirt junior Davis Martens announced he has decided to not return for his seniors season. Martens will graduate in May and return to Germany.  

J.S. Carras - The Record

Siena will introduce its next men's basketball coach on Wednesday and it's former Loyola (Md.) coach Jimmy Patsos.

Patsos will be introduced at 3 pm and the school will hold a 5 pm pep rally.

You can't argue with Patsos' coaching success of turning around a Greyhounds program which had won just one game prior to his arrival, but his sideline antics have drawn national media attention at times.

Frankly, I'm a little surprised he's Siena's choice but it's not because of his ability as a coach.