The NCAA announced a number of sites for future championships on Wednesday.

The Times Union Center in Albany was selected to host the 2015 Division I Women's Basketball Regional and the 2016 Division I Men's Hockey first round.

"We're going to put on two excellent events for local fans in men's hockey and women's basketball," Times Union Center general manager Bob Belber told The Record.

Belber announced in August that the arena would be bidding for these events

The arena announced back in May that the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament is returning to Albany in 2015.

The women's tournament will be the first NCAA event in women's basketball to be played in Albany and will be hosted by the MAAC and Siena.

.@SienaAD: "I know #SienaSaints basketball fans will enjoy seeing NCAA Tournament basketball played in Albany on our home court next March."
— Siena Saints (@SienaSaints) December 11, 2013

"The 2015 NCAA Women's Basketball Regional is a landmark sporting event for the Capital Region," said Siena College director of athletics John D'Argenio, in a release. "The bid process was more competitive than ever. The NCAA selected Times Union Center because of the great fans in the area, and first class job Siena, the Arena and MAAC have done hosting NCAA Championships in the past. I know Siena basketball fans will enjoy seeing NCAA Tournament basketball played in Albany on our home court." 

The event should be a big one, as the team to emerge from Albany, will be headed to the Final Four.

Congrats to Albany, Greensboro, Oklahoma City and Sacramento on hosting the 2015 Regionals! #ncaaHost pic.twitter.com/ca6LAGNBrB
— NCAA Women's BKB (@NCAAWomensBKB) December 11, 2013

Full lists of the sites selected for NCAA competitions can be found here. 

There may be only a few people who know the real Jimmy Patsos.

Beyond the character of the coach that jumps up and down on the sidelines and behind the public person who can sometimes overshadow his professional resume is a coach who has succeeded everywhere he's been.

One of the people who may know Patsos best is former Maryland coach Gary Williams. Patsos worked with Williams for 13 years with the Terrapins, winning a national title together in 2002 (and beating Rob Lanier's Siena club along the way).

Williams was in the Capital District on Monday and stopped by Siena's practice on Tuesday.


"I think Jimmy looks at the challenge to get (the program) where it was," said Williams.

Patsos left Williams in 2004, to take the head job at Loyola (Md.) and was with the Greyhounds the past nine seasons.

When he took over at Loyola, the team had one just one game, a far cry from the tradition-rich program that Siena is. The Saints have been down for the past few seasons, but when they are good, there's no question it's the best coaching job to have in the MAAC because the crowds are big and the Capital District is swept up in the program and the team.

When Athletic Director John D'Argenio hired Patsos, I'm sure he was thinking that Patsos would be a great guy to sell people on the program's revival.

"If there's a guy who can get the community involved with a team, Jimmy's that guy," Williams said.

Patsos turned that 1-win program around, finishing the past two seasons with a combined 47 victories and two postseason berths. Along the way he became a national name for both good and not so good reasons. There's no doubting he can coach. But sometimes he took away from what he could do with his players on the floor, with his own antics.

He's mellowed over the past few seasons, coincidentally or not, during the most successful years with Loyola. There's no doubt he'll put on a show as head coach of the Saints -- everyone with Siena is just hoping its a box office bonanza.

"I want to watch Jimmy in action," Williams said.

The area will finally get the chance to see the real Patsos, when Siena opens the season against crosstown rival UAlbany, on Friday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m.
 
Below is Williams wearing a nice Siena Under Armour polo shirt before practice began. 

ALBANY – Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference basketball is coming back to Albany.

On Tuesday, the MAAC Council of Presidents voted unanimously to return the league’s men’s and women’s postseason tournaments to the Times Union Center in 2015, for a three-year stay.

“We’re going to flourish as a school, as the league flourishes,” said Siena President Fr. Kevin Mullen, who was delighted with the decision to return to the Capital District.

Since the tournament departed Albany in 2011, the attendance figures have suffered significantly. In 2010, a record crowd of 53,569 crowd watched Siena capture its third consecutive tournament title. In the three years following, the total crowd has been just 55,261. Last year, at the MassMutual Center, in Springfield, Mass., the tournament drew just 14,394 fans, the lowest number in three decades.

“The bigger question is – do MAAC fans travel?,” said MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor. “They travel to here, as well as anywhere.”

The tournament will still be held in Springfield, as planned, in 2014, but then will be held at Times Union Center from 2015-17.

“It’s huge,” said Times Union Center General Manager Bob Belber. It’s enormous.”

Albany was one of two finalists, along with Bridgeport, Conn., which hosted in 2011. The other two proposals came from Springfield and the Izod Center, in the Meadowlands.

The arena has guaranteed $250,000 per year to the MAAC, a number much smaller than the millions the tournament has produced for the city in previous years.

The city of Albany has hosted 15 of the past 24 tournaments, dating back to 1990. Siena has won the tournament four times when it has been played on its home floor. Even when Siena wasn’t strong, the tournament has still produced sufficient attendance totals.

“The Capital Region fans have proven they will come out and watch college basketball,” said Siena Athletics Director John D’Argenio.  

The biggest reason the league decided to leave in Albany was the idea of playing on a neutral court, but as the league found out, that came at the cost of having more fans in the building.

“It hasn’t worked particularly well,” said Ensor.  

Only three times has the overall attendance of the league tournament topped 50,000, and all three of those came in Albany (2010, 2009, 2000).

“There is something special about this city and it didn’t take me long to realize that,” said Siena women’s basketball coach Ali Jaques.

AP

There are various reports confirming that Robert Morris head coach Andy Toole is visiting Siena today.

He is the first candidate to visit the Loudonville campus, although Athletic Director John D'Argenio has met with VCU assistant Mike Rhoades.

Andy Toole was an assistant at Robert Morris under Mike Rice, but took over when Rice left for Rutgers. Toole is just 32-years-old and coming off a huge NIT victory over Kentucky, nine days ago. Toolie is 68-36 as the Colonials head man.

Other info coming out today is that Dave Paulsen has signed an extension at Bucknell and that Florida International coach Richard Pitino won't be coming to Siena.

Siena Athletic Director John D'Argenio talks about the decision to fire men's basketball coach Mitch Buonaguro and where the program goes from here

LOUDONVILLE — The Siena women’s basketball program will begin a new era this afternoon.

Just five weeks after longtime coach Gina Castelli and the school parted ways, Siena is set to announce the hiring of Ali Jaques as the eighth women’s coach in program history, this afternoon.

Jaques leaves Northwestern, where she was the associate head coach. The New Jersey native has also made coaching stops at Rider, Sacred Heart, Furman, Dayton and George Washington.

At Dayton, she assisted under former Siena coach Jim Jabir (1987-90), who was the coach that preceded Castelli in Loudonville.

Jaques played Division III basketball at New York University and was part of the 1997 national championship team.

Castelli had just finished her 22nd season at the helm, leading the Saints to a 12-17 record, but making it to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference semifinals, before losing to Fairfield. On March 8, it was announced that the school and Castelli had agreed to move in a new direction. 

Castelli finished her career with a 336-296 record, won one MAAC tournament title (2001) and was named MAAC coach of the year five times.

Athletic Director John D’Argenio will meet with the media today to discuss the hiring of Jaques.

According to the Albany Business Review, Siena College has extended its contract to play men's basketball games at the Times Union Center for another two years.

The Saints will now play downtown through the 2015-16 season.

“It’s been very good for us," Athletics Director John D'Argenio told the Review. "We’ve shown, when the team is doing well, that we can bring a lot of people downtown. And that benefits everybody."

For the second straight year the Siena men's basketball program established a new program attendance record as an average 7,853 fans passed through the turnstiles for the team's 17 home games.

According to a press release from Siena and the NCAA attendance report released on Wednesday, Siena ranked 66th in the country, tying its highest ranking ever.

“I think it’s a testament to the success of the team,” said Siena Athletic Director John D’Argenio on Wednesday. “It’s a testament to the area that when you give them a product that’s good, that’s exciting, they’ll come out and support it and I think that’s what’s been shown that past three of four years.”

A total of 133,505 fans attended Siena home games this season (including the MAAC Tournament), almost a 5 percent increase from the 2008-09 season when 127,453 fans came out.

Siena's attendance has risen each of the last five years and increased over 40 percent over that time period.

The 2009-10 Siena average was higher than schools such as Arizona State, Baylor, Florida State, Oregon, Seton Hall and Georgia.

The figure was also sixth amongst so-called mid-major programs, trailing only Creighton, Dayton, Wichita State, Utah State and Bradley.

“Winning has 99.999 percent to do with that,” said D’Argenio.

The Saints have won 38 straight home games in downtown Albany.

LOUDONVILLE - Fran McCaffery was introduced as the new Iowa men's basketball coach on Monday.

Shortly after, life started without McCaffery on the Siena campus.

Athletic Director John D'Argenio and juniors Clarence Jackson and Ryan Rossiter were made available to the media later in the afternoon.

McCaffery stayed five seasons in Loudonville and D'Argenio was asked if this is the amount of time that he can expect a coach to stay at Siena.

“I think to a certain degree that’s a by-product of a mid-major,” D’Argenio said. “What you want is somebody who is going to come in and be successful, like we have been. Whether it’s winning championships and graduating players and if that happens, somebody at the next level is going to be interested in that person. While we want people to stay here forever, we’re also realistic enough to know that you want somebody to succeed and do well.”

It was just 11 days ago that Siena senior guard Shondaya Burrell was called the "face of the program" for Siena women's basketball by head coach Gina Castelli.

Today, the "face of the program" was suspended immediately and indefinitely for conduct "violating College policy."

“This is unfortunate, but it is the right thing to do,” said Director of Athletics John D’Argenio in a email on Friday. “Suspending someone from something that they deeply enjoy doing is not a decision that is made lightly, but actions have consequences. Part of our mission is to teach our students responsibility and accountability.”

Burrell averaged 13.9 points and 6.2 rebounds last season and seemed ready to take over this season as the Saints top player until this.

“We have always talked to our team about the importance of making good choices and winning the right way,” Castelli said. “Although we are greatly disappointed, I’m confident we will move forward, learn a valuable lesson and enjoy a successful season.”

With the season opener, Friday, Nov. 14 against Syracuse three weeks from tonight, that leaves fifth-year senior Heather Stec the team's leading returning scorer at 7.5 points per game and then a major drop off to junior Sarah Fullmer and her 3.4 points per game in 2007-08.

This also leads a gaping hole at the guard position.

This isn't good for a team that went 11-18 last season and was already trying to fill in a couple of key spots.