J.S. Carras/The Record

The Siena men's basketball team held its media day event on Friday afternoon.

One of the former great Saints was at the ARC, in Kenny Hasbrouck (right with coach Jimmy Patsos), who has his No. 41 hanging from the rafters downtown.

For my story in the paper, I talked to Troy native Javion Ogunyemi, who lost his mother to cancer, in August.

The Saints have an intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday and will scrimmage at Army, on Oct. 26, before an exhibition against New Jersey City University, on Nov. 2.  

#SienaSaints Basketball Media Day. #MAACHoops pic.twitter.com/L8zeY0koU6
— Siena Saints (@SienaSaints) October 18, 2013

Siena sophomore Ryan Oliver saw his freshman year end abrubtly, when it was announced in January that he would have surgery on his left knee.

Jeff Couch/The Record

Oliver is back this season, ready to contribute and pick up where he left off.

“I'm trying to be consistent and show (the coaches) what I’m capable of doing," said Oliver on Friday.

Oliver started four games last season and averaged 2.2 points per game, but just as he was figuring out the college game, he had the setback with his knee. 

“It was tough to watch from the sidelines," he said. "But it was also a good thing — it was a learning lesson.”

Oliver said he's "good to go" and he certainly figures to contribute, once the season begins next month because he's a good shooter and his frame (6-3 — 195) makes him a difficult cover

“It’s always good to put on a jersey and get out there," he said.

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.

Iona's Scott Machado and Marist's Corielle Yarde have been named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's men's and women's Players of the Year, respectively.

Machado's victory ends a three-year Siena run. Kenny Hasbrouck, Alex Franklin and Ryan Rossiter were the last three award winners.

Siena's OD Anosike and Lily Grenci were candidates for the awards, after being named All-MAAC first team on Monday.

Loyola (Md).'s Jimmy Patsos and Marist's Brian Giorgis were named the men's and women's Coach of the Year respectively.

Niagara's Juan'ya Green was named the MAAC Rookie of the Year, an award that Siena's Evan Hymes was in the running for.

In my mind, Hymes was more valuable, but Green's offensive numbers were better. 

Big Siena basketball fans have something scheduled for their summer vacation already.

The Saints will be playing their first Legends game, scheduled for July 19, at the Alumni Recreation Center, on campus.

AP

There are plenty of players who have confirmed that they will play in the game, including recent stars from the past three MAAC titles like Edwin Ubiles, Kenny Hasbrouck, Ronald Moore, Ryan Rossiter, Clarence Jackson, Alex Franklin and current Harlem Globetrotter Tay Fisher.

Siena Athletics

Other players like Michael Haddix, Dwayne Archbold, Marc Brown, Marcus Faison, Tom Huerter, Antoine Jordan and Prosper Karangwa will also participate.

Tickets can be purcahsed for $12/7 in advance or at the door $15/10.

Check out Siena's release for more information.

Former Siena star Edwin Ubiles is getting closer to realizing a childhood dream.

Record File Photo

On Thursday, Ubiles was called up from his team, in the developmental league and will report to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.

Ubiles was playing for the Bismarck Wizards, in the NBDL, averaging 16 points and 7.3 rebounds in a team-high 37 minutes per game.

WFYR's Joey Whelan quoted Ubiles as saying: "I felt like I was talented enough to come here, play well and hopefully get a call-up as soon as possible. Now that the lockout is over, I started off the season playing well and now I've got my opportunity."

Ubiles played for his native Puerto Rico at the Pan American Games in Mexico this fall, winning a gold medal. .

Ubiles finished his career, third all-time in Siena school history, with 1,939 points and sixth in points per game (14.8). He helped Siena win three MAAC titles and earn two NCAA tournament victories. Following his senior season with the Saints, Ubiles learned of a stress fracture in his right shin, which kept him out of action for nearly a year.

No Siena player has ever appeared in a NBA game. Most recently, Ubiles' former teammate, Kenny Hasbrouck, was on the Miami Heat roster, back in 2010.

Mike McMahon/The Record

J.S. Carras/The Record

LOUDONVILLE — The Siena men’s basketball team has another former player playing professional basketball.

Clarence Jackson has decided to bring his talented overseas, signing a contract to play in Ukraine.

Jackson made his decision public on Facebook, writing, “Ukraine it is. Making my professional start and excited about the opportunity.”

Jackson joins plenty of former Saints teammates, also playing pros overseas.

Ryan Rossiter (France), Ronald Moore (Poland), Kenny Hasbourck (Spain) and Alex Franklin (France) have all turned their basketball talent into a profession.

Another former Siena player is currently in the National Basketball Developmental League. Edwin Ubiles, another former teammate of Jackson’s was chosen in the most recent draft and currently is with the Dakota Wizards.

Jackson is the 27th all-time leading scorer at Siena, scoring 1,164 points in his career, while helping the Saints win three Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference titles and two games in the NCAA tournament.

Jackson will be playing for the SK Dnipro Azot, of the Ukrainian Superleague.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Siena men's basketball team is a middle of the road team.

So say the coaches of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, which voted them sixth in the preseason poll on Tuesday, in Springfield, Mass., the new home of the MAAC basketball championships from 2012-14.

Iona is the No. 1 team, followed by Fairfield, Loyola (Md.) and Rider.

The Saints were picked to finish second in last year's preseason poll, but struggled to a 13-18 finish, including an 8-10 record in league play, despite having player of the year Ryan Rossiter.

Junior forward O.D. Anosike was selected to the third team all-MAAC, but was the only Siena men's player honored on the preseason list.

It marked the first time in four years that the Saints haven't placed at least two players on the preseason first team. In 2008-09, Kenny Hasbrouck, Edwin Ubiles and Alex Franklin were chosen, while in 2009-10 Ubiles and Ronald Moore were selected and last season Rossiter and Clarence Jackson represented Siena on the preseason first team.

Siena has also had the last three MAAC postseason Players of the Year recipients in Hasbrouck ('08-09), Franklin ('09-10) and Rossiter, last season.

The preseason first team included Scott Machado and Mike Glover of Iona, and Ryan Olander and Derek Needham of Fairfield and Rider's Novar Gadson.

After a terrific end to last season, the Siena women's team in fourth place and pushed six-time champion Marist to the edge in a semifinal matchup.

Surprisingly, the Saints were selected to finish in seventh place in the preseason poll.

Gina Castelli's club lost leading scorer and rebounder Serena Moore, but have a nice core group of players, including seniors Maja Gerlyng and Cristina Centeno.

Centeno was chosen to the all-MAAC preseason second team, while Gerlyng was placed on the third team.

The Sneak Preview, hosted annually by Siena College, is a good way to get people thinking about the upcoming college basketball season.

Below freshman Marcus Hopper meets with Jack and Mary Ryan of Waterford.

This is my fourth time at the event and this year was quite frankly a lot different than the past few seasons.

This will be my fifth season covering Siena and in years past there were high expectations.

While those are the same expectations the players have year in and year out, this is certainly a different season for the Saints.
In the past three years Siena has seen Kenny Hasbrouck, Alex Franklin, Ronald Moore, Edwin Ubiles, Clarence Jackson and Ryan Rossiter come and go.

Those six players all scored 1,000 points in their careers and represent six of the top 34 scorers all-time in Siena history.

Here's how they stack up.
3rd - Ubiles, 1,939
4th - Hasbrouck, 1,917
5th - Franklin, 1,730
10th - Rossiter, 1,457
26th - Jackson, 1,164
34th - Moore, 1,070

This year, the leading returning scorer is senior Kyle Downey, who has 379 career points.

Obviously, this is a new-look team, especially with six freshmen.

Two of those players (Imoh Silas and Lionel Gomis) have been declared ineligible for this upcoming season by the NCAA.

Siena did win a small battle on Tuesday though, when it was ruled that both Gomis and Silas will have three years of elgibility, when they begin their careers in 2012-13.

"I’m really excited that Lionel Gomis will be able to get two years back," said Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro. "A lot of credit goes to our administrators at Siena. They did a lot of work."

The original decision where Gomis and Silas and an injury to Davis Martens means that the other four freshmen (Rob Poole, Marcus Hopper, Evan Hymes and DeVonte Beard) will have to step up.

"With the unfortunate circumstances that we have, we’re going to need the freshmen to grow up quick," said junior forward O.D. Anosike. "Frankly put, we need them to step in and play right away."

Buoaguro indicated that he hopes Hopper will step up, given the lack of big bodies up front.

MARTENS UPDATE: Buonaguro indicated that he knew the decision was coming to hold out Martens for the entire upcoming season.

Martens struggled with pain this summer and needed a specialized surgery, which should be totally solved if rehabbed properly.

This is a big loss for Siena because Martens had showed positive steps in flashes and needed more big bodies up front.

"I thought he made a jump last year," Buonaguro said. "That hurts. He has experience, too."

Martens will have to rehab for three months.

I also bumped into Just-in'love Smith at the event, who said that Martens is the godfather to his little girl.

More former Siena College players are signing on with professional teams overseas.

After Ronald Moore (Poland) and Alex Franklin (France) inked their deals last week, Ryan Rossiter has now signed on to play in France.

According to a school release, Rossiter (right) has reached an agreement to play pro basketball with ASC Voltaire in Denain, France. Rossiter will be playing in the French Ligue Nationale de Basketball (LNB), the same league as Franklin.

"I'm really looking forward to starting my career and helping my new team out in any way possible," Rossiter said via e-mail. "I hope I can contribute to an already successful team."

Also signing a pro contract is Kenny Hasbrouck, who played with Rossiter, Franklin and Moore.

Hasbrouck will be playing in Germany, for EWE Baskets Oldenburg of the Bundesliga.

Here are the stats for those named to the Lou Henson mid-major All-America team, with one addition.*

*Siena's Ryan Rossiter who ranks 9th in scoring and 1st overall in rebounding, of the 25 players chosen, was left off of the team.

If Rossiter, isn't chosen as an All-American by another publication, that is a mistake, in my opinion.

What else could he do (his team's average record notwithstanding)?

Edwin Ubiles (15.3 points per game) was named to the team after the 2009-10 season.

Kenny Hasbrouck (14.6 points per game) was an Associated Press honorable mention All-American after the 2008-09 season.

Ubiles (17.0 ppg) and Hasbrouck (16.1 ppg) were named to the CollegeInsider.com's mid-major All-America team after the 2007-08 season.

Points per game
Devon Beitzel, Northern Colorado - 21.5
Orlando Johnson, UC Santa Barbara - 21.1
Kevin Foster, Santa Clara - 20.7
Cameron Jones, Northern Arizona - 20.1
Dominique Morrison, Oral Roberts - 19.5
Gilberto Clavell, Sam Houston State - 19.3
John Holland, Boston University - 19.2
Casper Ware, Long Beach State - 19.1
Ryan Rossiter, Siena - 18.7
Mike Smith, ETSU - 17.9
Mike Glover, Iona - 17.9
Denzel Bowles, James Madison - 17.6
Matt Howard, Butler - 16.8
Mickey McConnell, St. Mary's - 16.4
Kwame Morgan, Hampton - 16.1
Kyle Weems, Missouri State - 16.0
D.J. Cooper, Ohio - 15.8
Shelvin Mack, Butler - 15.6
Demonte Harper, Morehead State - 15.5
Justin Greene, Kent State - 15.4
Cam Long, George Mason - 15.1
Frank Hassell, Old Dominion - 15.1
Keith Wright, Harvard - 14.8
Kwazdo Ahelegbe, Northern Iowa - 14.1
Juan Pattillo, Western Kentucky - 13.7
Scott Machado, Iona - 13.4

Rebounds per game
Ryan Rossiter, Siena - 13.2
Mike Glover, Iona - 10.1
Frank Hassell, Old Dominion - 9.4
Juan Pattillo, Western Kentucky - 9.1
Denzel Bowles, James Madison - 8.8
Justin Greene, Kent State - 8.3
Keith Wright, Harvard - 8.3
Matt Howard, Butler - 7.8
Gilberto Clavell, Sam Houston State - 7.3
Mike Smith, ETSU - 6.9
Kyle Weems, Missouri State - 6.9
Orlando Johnson, UC Santa Barbara - 6.2
John Holland, Boston University - 5.8
D.J. Cooper, Ohio - 5.0 (7.5 assists per game)
Demonte Harper, Morehead State - 5.0 (3.4 assists per game)
Dominique Morrison, Oral Roberts - 5.0
Cam Long, George Mason - 4.7 (2.9 assists per game)
Cameron Jones, Northern Arizona - 4.6 (3.2 assists per game)
Kwame Morgan, Hampton - 4.5
Shelvin Mack, Butler - 4.3 (3.6 assists per game)
Scott Machado, Iona - 3.8 (7.5 assists per game)
Devon Beitzel, Northern Colorado - 3.3
Kwazdo Ahelegbe, Northern Iowa - 3.2 (3 assists per game)
Kevin Foster, Santa Clara - 2.8 (3.6 assists per game)
Mickey McConnell, St. Mary's - 2.5 (6.1 assists per game)
Casper Ware, Long Beach State - 1.8 (3.5 assists per game)

LOUDONVILLE - Before Wednesday's practice at the ARC, Ryan Rossiter was asked about the possibility to be named Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

“I don’t really care,” he said. “My main goal is a championship. That’s all I’m focused on. It’d be great if I went down there (Bridgeport, Conn.) tomorrow and I won it, but that doesn’t change my mindset or how I think when I’m entering the tournament.”

He would be the fifth Siena player to win the award and the third consecutive Saints player, following Kenny Hasbrouck (2009-09) and Alex Franklin (2009-10). The other two are Doremus Bennerman (1993-94) and Marc Brown (1990-91).

Rossiter said it would be great to follow his former teammates and friends, Hasbrouck and Franklin.

“That’d be great company to have,” he said. “Kenny and Alex were tremendous players and two of my good friends, so following stride with them would be really important to me. If it happens, it happens. If not, so be it.”

The three-time defending champions begin their MAAC tournament play, Friday night, at 9:30 p.m., against No. 10 Manhattan.

The Saints have tried to remain positive, but now it's one loss and the season is over.

“We’re aware of that,” Rossiter said. “We’re just trying to take it one game at a time.”

ALBANY - The Saints are playing pretty well.

Ryan Rossiter has a game-high 13 points and Clarence Jackson chipped in 11 in the first 20 minutes.

Greg Gantt led the Owls with seven points.

Marc Brown's No. 4 was retired at halftime and is hanging in the rafters, even with center court, in between Billy Harrell's No. 10 and Kenny Hasbrouck's No. 41.

ALBANY - Kenny Hasbrouck has made a decision as to where he's taking his talents.

Last playing in South Beach with the Miami Heat in the preseason, the former Siena start will be playing with Meridiano Alicante, a team which is part of the ACB league, the top league in Spain.

Hasbrouck will leave Monday to join the team, which has already begun playing.

The bigger question is will he be at the UAlbany/Siena game tonight??

Former Siena College standout Kenny Hasbrouck scored 12 points in 20 minutes of the Miami Heat's 96-85 preseason victory over CSKA Moscow on Tuesday night.

Hasbrouck, who was 5-for-8 from the field, also had four assists and two rebounds.

On Friday night, former Siena star Kenny Hasbrouck got into Miami's preseason game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Hasbrouck played 17 minutes and finished with two points and two assists.

Just in case you've been under a rock lately former Siena star Kenny Hasbrouck signed with the Heat earlier this week.

Here's what ran in our paper on Wednesday.


Move over LeBron, former Siena basketball star Kenny Hasbrouck has resigned with the Miami Heat.

Hasbrouck led the Heat’s 2010 summer league team with 13.6 points in 28.6 minutes per game.

Teams of the deal were not disclosed per team policy.
Last year, he signed two separate 10-day deals before resigning for the remainder of the season in early April.

The Heat have drawn national attention for signing LeBron James and Chris Bosh, to form a super trio with Dwayne Wade.

Hasbrouck’s deal is not guaranteed until Dec. 1, but gives him a chance to earn a roster spot.
The 6-foot-3 Hasbrouck helped Siena College win first-round NCAA Tournament games in 2008 and 2009 and would be the first former Saints player to appear in the NBA.

Hasbrouck was the most decorated Siena men’s basketball player, helping the team to two NCAA Tournaments, winning Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year award as a freshman, being named MAAC Player of the Year as a senior and scored 1,917 points to stand fourth on the school’s all-time list.

Hasbrouck flew to Miami Wednesday after being in Albany for a drunk-driving class.

Former Siena star Edwin Ubiles' name has been thrown around regarding Thursday's NBA Draft.

While I haven't seen his name in really any mock drafts (in fairness, most mocks are just first round and Ubiles is projected as a second rounder if anything).

I did see his name on this mock draft by NBAdraftdepot.com. Ubiles is listed at No. 53, going to the Houston Rockets.

Of course, Ubiles helped Siena win three consecutive MAAC titles and appeared in five NCAA Tournament games.

Last summer, Ubiles particpated in both skills academies hosted by LeBron James and Paul Pierce.

Ubiles' former Siena teammate Kenny Hasbrouck wasn't drafted, but has caught on with the Miami Heat and was with the team during the 2010 NBA playoffs.

If Ubiles doesn't get drafted, he stands a good shot of hooking on somewhere like Hasbrouck did after playing in the NBDL.

Just days after his former teammate Ronald Moore was charged with a DWI, former Siena star and current member of the NBA's Miami Heat Kenny Hasbrouck has also been cited for drinking and driving.

WTEN is reporting that Hasbrouck was cited for Aggravated DWI and Stopping on the Highway back on Feb. 5.

An officer apparently reported that Hasbrouck smelled of alcohol and was slurring his words and a breathalyzer revealed his blood alcohol was 0.19%, more than twice the legal limit.

Hasbrouck is currently with the Miami Heat as they play the Boston Celtics in the NBA playoffs.

Moore went before a Town of Colonie judge on Monday, after he was pulled over early Sunday morning for apparently rolling through a red light.

Moore said he had one beer and his BAC was 0.12%.

Two stories in today's paper.

Here's a great quote from former Siena guard and current Miami Heat guard Kenny Hasbrouck in today's story about Fran McCaffery, who is headed to Iowa.

“In my opinion, he was the one who got the program to its peak through great coaching and great scouting,” former Siena star Kenny Hasbrouck said. “He put together a team that played together and would be a family on and off the court. Honestly, if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have the confidence I have in myself to always prevail and I’m sure the other guys feel the same way.”

McCaffery heads to Iowa

Who's next at Siena??

Former Siena College star Kenny Hasbrouck has signed his second 10-day contract with the Miami Heat.

Hasbrouck still hasn't suited up for a game, but is the first former Siena player to appear on a NBA roster.

The Heat play tonight at Milwaukee.