Siena’s O.D. Anosike, Lily Grenci Named All-MAAC Players

Siena Basketball senior captains O.D. Anosike and Lily Grenci were named to their respective All-MAAC Teams Monday. Anosike was a Second Team All-MAAC selection while Grenci was named to the First Team and is eligible to be named the MAAC Player of the Year Thursday.

With Anosike being named to the Second Team, Siena’s streak of seven straight years with at least one First Team All-MAAC selection came to an end. The streak marked the second longest in MAAC history, trailing only LaSalle which once boasted a First Team All-MAAC selection for eight straight years.

Grenci, who was named to the First Team for the second consecutive year, joins Val Higgins (’90, ’91), Liz Lops (’93, ’94), Kim Colunio (’94, ’95), Melanie Halker (’97, ’98, ’99), Gunta Basko (’01, ’02), and Laura Menty (’07, ’08) as multiple First Team All-MAAC selections in program history.

Grenci was joined on the All-MAAC First Team by Canisius’ Ashley Durham, Iona’s Damika Martinez, Niagara’s Lauren Gatto and Rider’s MyNeshia McKenzie. One of these five players will be named the 2012-13 Pepsi Max MAAC Player of the Year.

The announcement of both the men’s and women’s MAAC Players of the Year, Rookies of the Year, Defensive Players of the Year, Sixth Players of the Year and Coaches of the Year will be made during the Postseason Awards Show Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. and will be broadcast live on MAAC.TV.

A First Team All-MAAC selection last year after becoming the first player in conference history to lead the country in rebounding, Anosike currently ranks second in the nation in rebounding (11.4) this season and sixth in double-doubles with 16. The first player in program history to be named a candidate for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award, Anosike is averaging 12.9 points and ranks fifth in the MAAC in field goal percentage (49.8%) and 10th in blocks (0.8).

Anosike enters the MAAC Championships ranking second all-time in program history with 1,054 career rebounds and 26th in scoring with 1,222 points. His rebounding total is fifth best in league history and he is one of just nine MAAC players to reach both benchmarks.

Like Anosike, Grenci too was the first student athlete in her program’s history to be named one of just 30 candidates nationally for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award last fall. She currently ranks second in the MAAC in scoring (15.4), third in rebounding (9.4) and 10th in steals (1.7).

Grenci, who on Friday became the 25th player in program history to eclipse the 1,000 career point plateau, stands fifth in program history in career free throws made (344) and 19th in rebounding (603).

The Siena men are the No. 9 seed and will take on eighth-seeded Marist Friday night at 7:30 p.m. in the First Round of the MAAC Championships at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass. The women are the No. 6 seed and take on third-seeded Fairfield Friday at 11:30 a.m. in the women’s quarterfinals.

The preceding information was provided by Mike Demos, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications for Siena College.