SIENA UPSETS VANDY!

[Dane96]

Hell hath froze over.

 

That was a nice post Bob.

[soup]

Congrats to our cross town friends...and good luck vs Villanova...not to sound negative but a couple of "fair and balanced" observations...if I were a Vandy fan I'd be sick...those kids looked totally and completely unprepared to play...almost like sleepwalking...after all the talk in the national press about Siena being a viable upset candidate I could not imagine a coach allowing a team to come out that flat and unprepared...and..to Siena's credit they took full and complete advantage....after seeing this game I can not imagine how Vandy coulda ever beaten Tennessee!! While I truly wish Siena well moving forward I suspect that they will now soon face the sad but unfortunate reality of today's game for mid-majors (just as we almost did last year and as we most surely will again....)....this win cues McCaffery up for "promotion"...and his time in Loudonville is limited, if not basically over upon conclusion of the tourney...my guess is that about 90 secs after this run ends his cell starts ringing from Providence and several other upper tier locales.. ..Providence might be a good fit for him (Catholic, smaller and similar situation personell-wise to Siena 3 yrs back)...bottom line if he goes...he's certainly earned it...

 

 

You won't see McCaffery taking the Providence job or similar. He's almost 50 years old with a young, big family. He can work this year's performance for an extension/raise that would probably get him to $300-$325k going forward for the next several years. On top of that, he has a young team that all showed faith in him when Siena was in the dumps - he's aware of that and has referred to it. I get the feeling he knows he owes the young kids another couple of years - especially with the potential of what could transpire the next couple of years.

 

I've heard whispers that the new house he just built was a "sweetheart" deal (paid cost for it) with a verbal understanding that it came with a promise to not go heading for the hills with every job that opens. There is a "list" of schools/conferences he is free to pursue - he's free to pursue anything, but he's made it clear behind the scenes where he wants to coach.

 

I expect Siena to sign him to an extension/raise within a few days of Siena's season ending. Unless some high major comes calling with $1 million per year, he's not going anywhere.

[Patch]

Soup I pretty much agree with everything you said with the exception if someone comes along and offers him a guaranteed 5 years at 500K a year and he thinks he can win at that school - so long Fran.

 

Remember he's in the drivers seat any school interested will have to meet his terms. He has a job, pretty much, for as long as he wants at Siena and he will get a hefty raise/extension.

 

To think he will stay because the team is "potentially" even better next year is questionable. Coaches of very good teams are always an injury or something away from just being good.

 

Case in point what would have happened in the last 2 weeks if not even a starter but someone as important Tay Fisher were out?

 

Coaches are responsible for making judgements and McCaffrey is the only one who knows for sure what is being offered him in any offers total package.

[MTS]

Soup I pretty much agree with everything you said with the exception if someone comes along and offers him a guaranteed 5 years at 500K a year and he thinks he can win at that school - so long Fran.

 

Remember he's in the drivers seat any school interested will have to meet his terms. He has a job, pretty much, for as long as he wants at Siena and he will get a hefty raise/extension.

 

To think he will stay because the team is "potentially" even better next year is questionable. Coaches of very good teams are always an injury or something away from just being good.

 

Case in point what would have happened in the last 2 weeks if not even a starter but someone as important Tay Fisher were out?

 

Coaches are responsible for making judgements and McCaffrey is the only one who knows for sure what is being offered him in any offers total package.

 

I'm not dumb enough to think that Fran will be at Siena forever but it is going to take a really sweet offer to get him to go. I highly doubt he's going to leave Siena for a school like Providence. Now, if Indiana or Notre Dame comes calling he'll be gone and we'll wish him well. Notre Dame's Brey isn't going anyplace and I doubt Fran has the "profile" to get the Indiana job even if Siena makes the sweet 16.

 

Siena is loaded for the next two years at least. The next place Fran goes will be the last I'm guessing with where's he is at in his career. He would NOT leave Siena for a 500K deal IMO. It's going to take 900K-1M to get him to go.

 

Fran will be Siena's coach next year barring an elite 8 run

[Patch]

MTS - I know you like Fran and I could give a crap if he goes or stays. He's done a great job at Siena.

 

But you have to start to understand economics. If a school that Fran thinks he can be successful at offers him 200K a year more then Siena he has to consider it, for his family.

 

A 5 year deal for 200K more then he's getting now is a million dollars more over the course of the contract.

 

If he waits for one of the few dream jobs, he has to realize he'll always face competition and there is no guarantee any big time job will be his. He may be deserving but that doesn't mean he'll get the job because we won't know who else is available.

 

That's all I have to say, so I am out of this "what if" situation.

 

The Marist people really didn't anticipate Brady ever leaving for the James Madison job either.

[MTS]

MTS - I know you like Fran and I could give a crap if he goes or stays. He's done a great job at Siena.

 

But you have to start to understand economics. If a school that Fran thinks he can be successful at offers him 200K a year more then Siena he has to consider it, for his family.

 

A 5 year deal for 200K more then he's getting now is a million dollars more over the course of the contract.

 

If he waits for one of the few dream jobs, he has to realize he'll always face competition and there is no guarantee any big time job will be his. He may be deserving but that doesn't mean he'll get the job because we won't know who else is available.

 

That's all I have to say, so I am out of this "what if" situation.

 

The Marist people really didn't anticipate Brady ever leaving for the James Madison job either.

 

Cost of living is a factor too. 350-400K in Albany is equal to or close to 850-900K in a major city.

[UAalum72]

Cost of living is a factor too. 350-400K in Albany is equal to or close to 850-900K in a major city.

It's nowhere close to that big a difference. For starters, Albany isn't really that cheap to live in. And (per mysalary.com) some major cities, especially in the sun belt, may even be cheaper. Even in the worst, San Francisco, 400K Albany dollars = 622K SF$. Most are on the order of 20%. And a lot of the difference goes away if the college is providing or subsidizing housing. Besides, is Siena willing to go as high as $400K?

[UA_MA_2000]

Amazing win for Siena Friday night! And since this is a UAlbany board, I can't help but think how what's good for Siena in this context *might* be good for the capital district, and by extension, UAlbany. The more exposure and attention that comes to Albany, the better, I say. Not just better for basketball, but the capital district in general. I imagine with recruiting, a coach needs to pitch not only the basketball program and university/college, but the locale/city as well. As far as more press and attention coming to Albany, I do not have the type of experience of living many places like some people on here -- e.g., Dane96 -- but Albany seems all and all like a great place to live and work, and it's too bad that people too often only compare us to NYC and/or Boston.

 

I think it would be just great to see UAlbany and Siena in the NCAA Tournament some year and even better to see them play each other in the Tournament!

 

Good luck to Siena on Sunday afternoon against Villanova.

[UA_MA_2000]

Friday night, I was not able to watch the Siena game because I was at the Times Union Center watching the ECAC Hockey Tournament (though myself and many hockey fans caught the game on the TVs during intermissions). Can one of the Siena posters (or a UAlbany fan who knows more about Siena hoops than me) breakdown the Siena vs. Vanderbilt game on Friday night for me? What accounts for Siena's success recently? Is Siena's coach just an amazing coach? Are Siena's players of high major athleticism and quickness? Are Siena's athletes of a Big East caliber?

 

As is the case with Siena, my understanding is that they are often smaller than their opponents -- what contributes to their outstanding success this year and, specifically, in the NCAA Tournament Friday night?

 

And, finally, how do we matchup with, and compete with, a veteran-led Siena next year assuming we play them?

[SienaTony]

Friday night, I was not able to watch the Siena game because I was at the Times Union Center watching the ECAC Hockey Tournament (though myself and many hockey fans caught the game on the TVs during intermissions). Can one of the Siena posters (or a UAlbany fan who knows more about Siena hoops than me) breakdown the Siena vs. Vanderbilt game on Friday night for me? What accounts for Siena's success recently? Is Siena's coach just an amazing coach? Are Siena's players of high major athleticism and quickness? Are Siena's athletes of a Big East caliber?

 

As is the case with Siena, my understanding is that they are often smaller than their opponents -- what contributes to their outstanding success this year and, specifically, in the NCAA Tournament Friday night?

 

And, finally, how do we matchup with, and compete with, a veteran-led Siena next year assuming we play them?

 

 

 

Siena won the Vandy game because Siena had a major quickness advantage at 4 of the 5 positions on the floor. In Edwin Ubiles Siena had one of the few mid major players that could defend the SEC player of year in Vandy’s Shane Foster… for those of you that don’t know Shan I can tell you he is a unbelievable player he shoots over 50% from 3 point land and is athletic. Ubiles probably played the defensive game of his career against Foster. He didn’t allow Foster to get into a rhythm and was fast enough to stay with him when he tried to drive. And long enough to bother Foster’s shot. As for Siena’s players and ability to play at a high level I suppose Kenny, Alex and Ubiles would get time at a major school although none would be a star. Generally players at the major level are bigger. Nova’s player were all as athletic or more so than Siena’s and were for the most part much heavier and stronger and every bit as fast. The NCAA games were unbelievably physical, much more than you see in a typical AE/MAAC game

 

As for the Siena/UA game ( if we have one) throw out the records when you play a rivalry game. I’m sure it will be another war