OT: Siena

[ATL_DANE]

I'm with Scrabbleship. I hope Siena gets blown out of the water. Its a tiny college of modest academics in a small upstate town that most Americans couldn't find on a map. You'd have better name recognition if you said you attended "My Lady of Marshmallows" then to say Siena. Isn't that a car?

 

Siena should NOT have won the Ohio State game. They threw up a prayer of a 3 pointer that kept them in the game.

 

Hasbrouk isn't coming back next year. We'll be in a better position next year. Hasbrouk is their Jamar. It was a one-time recruit. When he's gone, so is their program.

 

If we could ever get a real peer level football stadium we would look like a real state university and kids like that "brand name" university. That will help all sports recruit. There is the problem.

[Dane Pound]

I disagree about them losing Kenny Hasbrouck. They aren't a one-man team in any sense. I would not be surprised at all to see them come back and win the MAAC again.

[purplehaze]

They will be real good next season. We may hate them, but give credit to McCaffrey--only a matter of time before he moves on down the road for a big payday.

 

There are different "academic realities" at UAlbany.

[bleedpurple101]

I'm rooting for Siena. Whether it's UA or Siena, the party is still in the CapReg.

 

Anyone on this board who seriously hopes Siena loses needs to relax:

Their team are great kids and McCaffrey's a class act.

[statefan]

I'm relaxed, I have great admiration for the job Coach McCaffrey and his staff have done in recruiting, coaching, teaching and game planning during their tenure, but i'm still rooting for them to lose.

[Clickclack]

I'm with Scrabbleship. I hope Siena gets blown out of the water. Its a tiny college of modest academics in a small upstate town that most Americans couldn't find on a map. You'd have better name recognition if you said you attended "My Lady of Marshmallows" then to say Siena. Isn't that a car?

 

Siena should NOT have won the Ohio State game. They threw up a prayer of a 3 pointer that kept them in the game.

 

Hasbrouk isn't coming back next year. We'll be in a better position next year. Hasbrouk is their Jamar. It was a one-time recruit. When he's gone, so is their program.

 

If we could ever get a real peer level football stadium we would look like a real state university and kids like that "brand name" university. That will help all sports recruit. There is the problem.

 

ATL,

 

I don't know how much you follow what Siena and their staff have built over the last couple of years. But....they will be once again a significant favorite next year in our game. Yes, Kenny is a special player not only because he is a great player but he's also an important leader on that team. But they are much more then a one man team....I expect Siena to be next season where they are this season, in the NCAA's, that would make it 3 in a row for them. They have a ton coming back as Franklin, Ubiles and Moore will all be seniors.

 

I'd like to just add that I really don't have a problem with Siena as a team but I do dislike allot of their arrogant a-hole fans.....if there was a reason to root against them, their fans would be the reason to do so.

[scrabbleship]

I'd like to just add that I really don't have a problem with Siena as a team but I do dislike allot of their arrogant a-hole fans.....if there was a reason to root against them, their fans would be the reason to do so.

 

Siena fans are the worst and the fact that outside of the biggest games there seems to be absolute student apathy of the team (their one crowning glory) is not far behind. Their administration's treatment of us with all the inequitable terms of our deal with them would come in behind those, their pride is the only thing keeping it from a home-and-home. It isn't even logistics, it's merely their pride and their thought and our unfortunate lack of actions that the "\/\" is in their minds is automatically written at the time of tipoff of our game with them.

 

If it wasn't for that Albany County wouldn't let us walk from the game from the money they make off of it, I'd rather walk. If we're going to lose I'd rather lose to a BCS team or a team from a MAC/CAA-level conference rather than waste our time on a one-sided rivalry.

[soup]

Hysterical thread. Please keep making posts.

[UAlbany09]

Siena has also had 20+ years longer to develop their D1 basketball program. We're only 10 years into this thing. Hell, it took Siena 12 or 13 years before they even got to the tournament and then another 10 years to get to a second one. They've found some success these past couple of seasons, but it doesn't last. It comes and goes. I know every Siena fan must be thinking that this is the beginning of a Gonzaga-like era for the Saints, but, I doubt it. They'll fade into mediocrity again.

[soup]

Siena has also had 20+ years longer to develop their D1 basketball program. We're only 10 years into this thing. Hell, it took Siena 12 or 13 years before they even got to the tournament and then another 10 years to get to a second one. They've found some success these past couple of seasons, but it doesn't last. It comes and goes. I know every Siena fan must be thinking that this is the beginning of a Gonzaga-like era for the Saints, but, I doubt it. They'll fade into mediocrity again.

 

 

 

 

Yes. Mid-major land is a cyclical level. However, if McCaffery doesn't leave - and he may not, he's making $400k now, if they give him a raise and throw in postseason incentives, he might just stick around if he has a $500-$700k package. Sort of like McKillop down at Davidson.

 

If he does move on, Siena will not hire a top assistant coach - Siena will go out and find a guy like McCaffery - experienced guy with proven success at the mid-major level. A guy like Tim Welsh wouldn't miss a beat at Siena.

 

We'll have to see what happens - this is unprecedeted stuff for mid-majors in the northeast - back-to-back Round of 32 appearances. Plenty of teams get lucky and go back-to-back tournaments, but none of them win any games. Throw in the fact Siena is a 9-seed - and I'm thinking Siena's chances of extending this run and holding off fading into "mediocrity" is a lot better than any other northeast mid-major team.

[sarge965]

I have said this many times on this board and will go there again. I hope $iena pulls this off. That does not affect UA in any negative way. In fact, I see positives out of $iena's success. UA has a yearly opportunity to beat $iena. While it is not a big deal when $iena wins, it is made all the bigger if UA can pull off a win. I still believe that the day will come when the UA- $iena game will be televised. There are not many games - let alone Mid Major match ups that attract 10,000+ fans every year. The Capital District is plenty big enough to support both teams.

 

On a side note - I hope BINGO implodes - they are our direct competition in sports and in admissions/academics

I will never wish any success for that team.

[scrabbleship]

I still believe that the day will come when the UA- $iena game will be televised. There are not many games - let alone Mid Major match ups that attract 10,000+ fans every year.

 

Haven't there been attempts to put the game on TV and Siena has refused all of them because it might hurt their gate? Since it's their home game, they hold the cards and they seem to be channeling the old Bill Wirtz theory from the NHL's Blackhawks (which failed miserably, hurt the fanbase, and only ended when he died).

 

Does anyone have the actual story to back it up? Or is my theory right?

 

On a side note - I hope BINGO implodes - they are our direct competition in sports and in admissions/academics

I will never wish any success for that team.

 

Seconded and I'd stretch that to Stony Brook too! Buffalo's a hard case, UB2020 and Simpson are killing my like for them but they've made strides though it's a shame they get screwed out of dancing.

[DanesRGood]

I'd like to just add that I really don't have a problem with Siena as a team but I do dislike allot of their arrogant a-hole fans.....if there was a reason to root against them, their fans would be the reason to do so.

 

I agree. Dislike the fans. Would be happy for them if they win but that's not happening.

[olddog71]

I'm happy content where we are right now. Is everything perfect? Could things be better with the UA athletic program? Yes, to both those questions.

 

Currently, we're in our tenth year of Division I competition, and most of our teams have already had good success. There's hardly any team that UA fields that hasn't had a successful season. How much progress could we wish for and expect barely ten years into the next level up? Be patient. I have probably more years on me than most of the posters here, so maybe I've learned a little more patience (except when I'm battling traffic).

 

Compared to previous seasons, I haven't given Siena much attention. My stress level has also coinciidentally improved. We shouldn't be comparing ourselves yet to them. Like bosiydid remarked, Siena had a 20+-year head start over us. If I remember the stats I saw recently, Siena's men's basketball program gets 50% more funding than UA's. You get what you pay for. Just relax. Time's on our side. When the football program achieves its major primary goal, that step will propel us forward.

 

Take the long view. That's the best way to invest.

[scrabbleship]

If I remember the stats I saw recently, Siena's men's basketball program gets 50% more funding than UA's. You get what you pay for.

 

It's somewhere in the $760,000 range. Also, remember that outside of men's basketball Siena has no other programs of note that do well; men's golf and baseball can be argued for but not much else. If we could get that additional money, it'd be great but being a bankrupt state that hasn't given a rat's rear about public higher education and has a puppet leader who is trying his hardest to get not elected...

 

I wonder why we waited 20 years to follow Siena into D-I. Was the state that hostile and anti-athletic to the idea? Or did we just not try?