Youth is Served as Siena Gets Off the Schneid
I get it, winning is important. After all, the great Vince Lombardi said "it's the only thing." But before the college basketball season started, I would have preached patience with this year's Siena team. There isn't a single senior on the roster and, as we saw on Saturday, there are a number of freshman who could play vital roles in the outcomes of games.
Ask much of the Siena fan base and they're probably tell you head coach Jimmy Patsos is coaching for his job this season. One thing I've learned though with the Saints faithful, coaches are almost always coaching for their jobs. If there is a honeymoon at the start of any tenure, it's brief and expectations are perennially high. I'm not saying they shouldn't be. Other fan bases will show Siena is hardly a unique situation. Prior to winning the World Series in 2016, Cubs fans approached each season with optimism. Browns fans probably do the same each year. Okay, that might be a stretch.
On Saturday afternoon, after an 0-4 start to the season (2 of the losses in OT), Siena really put it all together in a win over Hofstra. Nico Clareth had an efficient day shooting and all three freshman Patsos inserted into starting lineup were productive. Roman Penn looks like he can play a "true" point guard. Christian Bentley is explosive. Prince Oduro hardly looks like a freshman and he brings serious athleticism and strength to the front court.
Saturday's game against Hofstra was the start of a 3 game homestand with Saint Bonaventure up next on Wednesday. If you saw the Saints in person in their first win of the season, then you saw a team that can most certainly be competitive in the MAAC. And isn't that all that really matters?