siena college

Anytime you notch that first win of the year, it's a big sigh of relief for that head coach or manager. It just is. It's something that you want to get out of the way. Monday night, Siena men's basketball coach Carm Maciariello's team got their first win. It was an important step in Coach Carm's process.

Veteran's Day often reminds me of my dad's early pilgrimage in life. Military service is often a foundation and launch pad for one's future in many ways. The experiences and the lessons from these experiences are often played out and passed down for generations to come.

One coach will take the sidelines for the very first time in the lead chair. The other looks to secure an allusive MAAC Championship that has been snagged from his team's grips the past two seasons. Fans will eagerly return to their seats that have collected dust since March of 2020. Tuesday night, empty basketball venues will be a thing of the past for the Capital Region's two Division I basketball programs.

Playing Division I opponents in exhibition games is nothing new for the College of St. Rose basketball program. The Division II program, nestled in Pine Hills section of the City of Albany, has made the I-90 trip to the Carrier Dome to take on Jim Boeheim's Syracuse Orange for a preseason matchup. Trust me, Boeheim doesn't waste time. If an exhibition opponent isn't going to challenge his players like he needs, they aren't playing his team in the preseason. That is why I could never understand why Siena nor UAlbany would play St. Rose in an exhibition.

Winning the regular season title in his first two years at the helm of the Siena Saints men's basketball program has apparently gone under the radar for his fellow MAAC coaches and that always seems to be OK with the kid from Clifton Park. Saints' head coach Carm Maciariello has done nothing but win, even under some ridiculously restrictive conditions. So, when the MAAC coaches poll came out Tuesday evening and Siena was picked 8th, I laughed. Nope, certainly not at the Saints but at the coaches that voted.

It was hot in the UHY Center on the campus of Siena College in Loudonville, NY yesterday afternoon. I arrived a little early to set up for The Drive with Charlie & Dan from 3p to 7p. Dan is on vacation and my guest host was finishing coaching his team. Siena men's basketball coach Carm Maciariello was running the 2021-22 Saints through some 4 on 4 drills, all part of the summertime process, which Tuesday included being my co-host. The heat didn't deter any of the players, some in green, some in gold. They were going after it, happy to compete.

These are great experiences for student-athletes. Experiences are recruiting tools. Siena men's basketball coach Carm Massariello knows how important these types of games are on many levels. First, the Saints will receive a nice check for playing in the game. Mid-major programs need guarantee games to survive. Next, the mid-Atlantic states are a nice recruiting area for Coach Carm. There are plenty of great high school basketball student-athletes in the Southern New Jersey, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore area that Massariello would like to introduce to Siena College. Lastly, his players get to play against a team coached by a New York basketball legend.

Everyday more and more people and places are being affected by the Coronavirus and now Siena College is taking steps to protect their students, staff and fans. Siena has extended Spring Break foe all students by one week and urged fans to not attend today's women's lacrosse against UAlbany.

Former Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is continuing his tour through the Capital Region on Tuesday and will spend the day at Siena College.

For the first time in 2014, we take our ESPN Radio 104.5 Athlete of the Week to the hard courts. Today, we honor Niskayuna senior Annie Phillips. Phillips is the Section II Singles Champion. She is also a 3.6 student and will play tennis at Siena College next fall...

It's a decision that Capital Region basketball fans have been waiting to hear for the last couple of months, and according to Mark Singelais of the Times Union, we finally have the answer: former Bishop Maginn standout Taran Buie will not be admitted to Siena College.

Unless something else shakes out from the trees, it looks as if new Siena hoops coach Jimmy Patsos has completed his staff, the latest being a director of basketball operations. A former player under Patsos,Garrett Kelly will fill that position...