2009-2010 Team Preview: Siena Saints

2008-2009 Record: 27-8, 16-2 MAAC (1st)

Key Losses: Kenny Hasbrouck (14.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg)

Key Returners: Edwin Ubiles (15.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg), Alex Franklin (13.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg), Ryan Rossiter (10.0 ppg, 7.9 rpg), Ronald Moore (8.7 ppg, 6.4 apg)

Newcomers: O.D. Anosike, Jonathon Breeden, Davis Martens, Denzel Yard

Senior Edwin Ubiles will lead the Saints in '09-'10.
(photo credit: cityrocks.org)

The Siena men's basketball team is in the midst of the best run in the history of their program. And despite losing guard Kenny Hasbrouck, the 2009 MAAC player of the year, that run should continue during the 2009-2010 season.

The biggest reason for that is small forward Edwin Ubiles. Ubiles, who has made two straight all-MAAC first teams, is probably the best returning player in the conference. Standing 6'6", Ubiles is widely considered the most athletic player in the conference. While his game is centered around his aggressiveness attacking the rim and defending, Ubiles has shown the ability to knock down perimeter shots (although, his 3PT% dropped from 42% to 31% last year).

But Ubiles will be far from the only weapon on the Saints roster. Joining him up front is Alex Franklin and Ryan Rossiter. Franklin is a muscle-bound, 6'5" senior that plays a good three inches taller than he is. An excellent rebounder for his size, Franklin has a knack for being able to score down low against much taller players. Rossiter had an excellent sophomore campaign, averaging 10.0 ppg and 7.9 rpg. He is a good complement to Franklin along the front line as he longer and has a bit more of a face-up game than Franklin.

Two freshmen should also contribute up front. Davis Martens, who will have to sit out the first 12 games of the season after playing with professionals in his native Germany, is a 6'9", 220 lb center with range out to the three point line. He is strong down low, but still needs to develop more of a back to the basket game. O.D. Anosike, a 6'7" freshman from Staten Island, is the only other player on the roster over 6'5".

The Saints back court is where a lot of the question marks come into play. They return tournament hero Ronald Moore, a senior point guard who has started all four years with the Saints. He is not a great scorer (averaging right around 8 ppg for his entire career), but Moore is an excellent creator that doesn't make bad decisions with the ball (6.4 apg, 2.9 a/to ratio).

The issue in the back court is where the Saints will make up the shooting and scoring they lose with Hasbrouck. The first option will probably be junior Clarence Jackson. Jackson has shown flashes of being a big time scorer (he averaged 8.7 ppg in just 14.3 mpg), including a 28 point outburst against St. Joe's. But he is considered a shooter (142 3's attempted in 514 minutes), and has yet to hit even a third of his three point attempts for a season. If he can get more consistent from deep (which should happen with the more consistent minutes he will receive this year), its not a stretch to think that Jackson could become a dangerous weapon on the perimeter.

Sophomores Kyle Downey and Owen Wignot will be the Saints first two options off the bench in their back court. Wignot has the potential to be quite a player at this level. At an athletic 6'5" (he was a high and long jump champ in high school), Wignot also possess range beyond the three point line. But until he adds something to his game besides hops and a jumper, he won't be much more than a role player. Downey is a heady player. He's not going to blow you away with quickness, athleticism, or scoring ability, but he is a smart kid that knows how to play and won't make many mistakes. Also keep an eye on freshman Jonathon Breeden, a quick 5'11" point guard that can makes plays in the lane. With the talent the Saints have along their front line, a point guard that can get in the lane and find people is a valuable asset.

Outlook: You know what you are going to get with this Saints team. They are strong inside and loaded with experience. The biggest question mark is going to be where they replace the scoring ability they lost on the perimeter with Hasbrouck's graduation. If guys like Jackson and Wignot can fill the void, this is a team that could make some more noise in the NCAA Tournament. The Saints won't play as tough of a non-conference schedule this season (Temple, St. Joe's, Northern Iowa, Georgia Tech, St. John's, BracketBusters), so unless they can sweep those six games, this group is probably going to have to win the MAAC to earn a bid. That will be easier said than done, as Niagara will be very good this year as well.

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Saturday Morning Shootaround: Did You Stay Up For The Late Games?

As was true in 2008, Friday's slate of games was much more exciting than Thursday's. Twice, in the first round of games and in the last round of games, we had two nailbiters coming to a finish at the same time, which meant that at every break, commercial, timeout, or free throw, CBS was throwing us back and forth between the two locations.

All in all, I think CBS has done a very good job so far broadcasting the tournament. I haven't been stuck watching many blowouts (the longest they stayed with one was Wake-Cleveland State, for obvious reasons) and I have been able to see the ending of all the exciting games. MMOD has also been great this year - it is very easy to switch between games and the streaming video is damn near flawless. My only word(s) of advice - split screen.

Let's get into yesterday's best:

GAME OF THE DAY: Wisconsin 61, Florida State 59 OT

Once again, the best game of the night was the last game of the night. Wisconsin played a horrid first half, heading into the break down 31-19 after an 11-0 Seminole run to close the half. But the Badgers were not about to roll over. They held Florida State scoreless for almost six minutes to start the second half, going on a 13-0 run to take a 32-31 lead. Toney Douglas, who finished with 26 points but didn't even attempt a shot in the first 11 minutes, would respond. An 11-2 Seminoles run, spurred by 9 points from Douglas, gave FSU a 46-39 lead with 4:38 left, but Wisconsin would score the next seven points, setting up the exciting finish.

Trevon Hughes tied the game at 46 with a three, but at the other end, Douglas drew a foul and hit both shots. Jason Bohannon responded at the other end with a three with two minutes left, giving Wisconsin the 49-48 lead, but Derwin Kitchen got to the rim and scored to give FSU the lead back. That set up one of the strangest plays I have seen in a while. After Marcus Landry missed a three, Kitchen grabbed the board and started racing up court. As he got near midcourt, he jumped and turned to the ref, trying to call a time out. His momentum carried him out of bounds, and the ref ruled that Kitchen was not allowed to call a timeout in the air while going out of bounds. Wisconsin ball. The Badgers would respond, as Bohannon drilled a three from about 26 feet as the shot clock expired, and Wisconsin took a 52-50 lead with under a minute left. Douglas, however, managed to get into the lane and draw a foul, hitting both free throws and forcing overtime.

Trevon Hughes takes the game-winning shot.
(photo credit: Paul Sakuma/AP)

In the OT, Wisconsin would open the scoring with another Bohannon three, but FSU would respond with a 7-1 run, capped by a three from Douglas. The Badgers would cut it to one with 48 seconds left, and after getting a stop, they had the ball, down 59-58 with 14 seconds left. Trevon Hughes got it, isolated on the wing, and drove to the rim, finishing a spin move by banking a shot in off the glass with 2 seconds left, and the foul. He would hit the foul shot, and a Douglas prayer was off the mark.

Bohannon led the Badgers with 16 points, while Hughes added 10. Chris Singleton was the only other Seminole to reach double figures, going for 12 points.

PLAYER OF THE DAY: Ronald Moore, Siena

Moore did not overload the stat sheet Friday night, as he finished with 11 points, 7 boards, 6 assists, and 3 steals. He did not shoot all that well, going just 4-13 from the floor and 2-6 from three. What did he do well? He was 2-2 from three with under 15 seconds on the clock.

Siena advanced to the second round for the second straight year as they knocked off Ohio State 74-72 in 2OT. The biggest reason for the win was not the 20 points from Kenny Hasbrouck, and was not the double-double's posted by Ryan Rossiter and Alex Franklin. It was the big shots that Moore hit. Hasbrouck forced the first OT with a free throw, but Siena found themselves down 65-62 with just 9 seconds left on the clock. But Moore brought the ball up court, and calmly drilled a three in the face of PJ Hill, who was supposed to be fouling, forcing the second OT.

Moore is mobbed by teammates after hitting the go-ahead three.
(photo credit: Skip Peterson/AP)

In the second OT, Moore hit a free throws with 57 seconds left to give the Saints the lead, but Evan Turner scored on a lay-up at the other end to take the lead back for the Buckeyes. On the ensuing Saints possession, Edwin Ubiles drove middle and drew three defenders, kicking the ball out to Moore, who buried another three with 3.9 seconds left on the clock. Turner would miss a 15 foot runner at the buzzer, and the Saints were advancing.

They were good too (there were so many great performances Friday):

• Byron Eaton, Oklahoma State: Eaton had 20 points and 7 assists, including the game winner, as the Cowboys beat Tennessee.
• Sherron Collins, Kansas: Collins had 32 points and 8 assists as the Jayhawks outlasted Ben Woodside and the NDSU Bison.
• Ben Woodside, NDSU: Woodside finished with 37 points in his duel with Collins, likely playing his way into the NBA Draft.
• Lazar Hayward, Marquette: Hayward had 26 points and 8 boards as Marquette came back to beat Utah State.
• DeJuan Blair, Pitt: Blair was the lone bright spot in Pitt's win against ETSU, going for 27 points and 16 boards.
• Evan Turner, Ohio State: Turner finished with 25 points, 9 boards, 8 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks, all team highs, in the Buckeye's loss.
  
• Chris Wright, Dayton: "Top Flyght" had 27 points and 10 boards, earning his moniker with a number of thunderous dunks.
• Nic Wise, Arizona: Wise scored 29 points in the Wildcats "upset" over Utah.
• Taj Gibson, USC: Gibson had 24 points, 6 boards, 5 assists, and 3 blocks, shooting 10-10 from the floor, as USC knocked off BC.

TEAM OF THE DAY: Cleveland State

Is it obvious? The Viking pulled off the biggest upset of the first round by torching the Demon Deacons 84-69. Wake Forest was never really in this game, as CSU raced to a 9-0 lead out of the gates and a 29-12 lead midway through the first half. Wake would get as close as 55-49 with 11 minutes to go in the second half, but an 11-2 run triggered by 5 points from Cedric Jackson and 6 points from Norris Cole all but put the game away.

Jackson and Cole were sensational in the game. Cole had 22 points, but Jackson was the one that took over for about a four minutes stretch in the second half, nailing tough jumpers and getting to the rim whenever he pleased. Jackson finished with 19 points, 7 boards, 8 assists, and 3 steals. The two also linked up on the play of the day (keep in mind that this was off of a sideline out of bounds.



Cleveland State advances to face Arizona in the second round.
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