The Daily OrangeLife in the fast lane: With a speed-oriented offense, Siena transcends common traits of a mid-major
By Tyler Dunne
Posted: 11/4/09, 8:24 PM EST Section: BASKETBALL SEASON PREVIEW
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. - Don't call them underdogs. By now, Siena is sick of that stereotype.
"Underdog" means they haven't arrived yet. "Underdog" means they're still a cute subplot, a gimmick. Standing at midcourt of Siena's practice facility, seniors Alex Franklin and Edwin Ubiles cringe at that word. They shuffle their feet, exchange a brief glance at each other and shake their heads.
As if to say, "Don't go there."
"I don't ever think we're the underdogs," Franklin said. "It's people on the outside that say we're underdogs. We think we can play with the best. We can compete with anybody."
With a banner highlighting back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament perched behind them, it's hard to disagree. The latest mid-major heartthrob has grown into a legitimate contender. After upsets over Vanderbilt and Ohio State in the last two tournaments, Siena, playing at NASCAR speeds, believes it can take the next step.
"Our goal is to always win the championship at the end of the year," Franklin said.
Not exactly something you'll hear at any old Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) school. But here, such hopes are realistic. Five years ago, Siena was a 6-24 bottom-feeder. Fran McCaffery took over as head coach, dipped into his rich Philadelphia roots and, most of all, instilled a dizzying end-to-end style that gives Siena a chance to knock off Goliath any night.
As soon as a shot is missed or made, the ball must instantly reverse direction. The slightest pause is scolded. Every player must be moving every play in Siena's center-less offense. The Saints have half court plays, sure. But those are only used if needed.
Siena would much rather rev the game into a blur of wind sprints.
At one point during a 5-on-5 segment at practice, the offense deflated into a half-court set. For a microsecond, players were frozen like mannequins. Nothing too stale to the naked eye. A nearby assistant coach yelled.
"Keep moving!" he screamed.
"Underdog" means they haven't arrived yet. "Underdog" means they're still a cute subplot, a gimmick. Standing at midcourt of Siena's practice facility, seniors Alex Franklin and Edwin Ubiles cringe at that word. They shuffle their feet, exchange a brief glance at each other and shake their heads.
As if to say, "Don't go there."
"I don't ever think we're the underdogs," Franklin said. "It's people on the outside that say we're underdogs. We think we can play with the best. We can compete with anybody."
With a banner highlighting back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament perched behind them, it's hard to disagree. The latest mid-major heartthrob has grown into a legitimate contender. After upsets over Vanderbilt and Ohio State in the last two tournaments, Siena, playing at NASCAR speeds, believes it can take the next step.
"Our goal is to always win the championship at the end of the year," Franklin said.
Not exactly something you'll hear at any old Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) school. But here, such hopes are realistic. Five years ago, Siena was a 6-24 bottom-feeder. Fran McCaffery took over as head coach, dipped into his rich Philadelphia roots and, most of all, instilled a dizzying end-to-end style that gives Siena a chance to knock off Goliath any night.
As soon as a shot is missed or made, the ball must instantly reverse direction. The slightest pause is scolded. Every player must be moving every play in Siena's center-less offense. The Saints have half court plays, sure. But those are only used if needed.
Siena would much rather rev the game into a blur of wind sprints.
At one point during a 5-on-5 segment at practice, the offense deflated into a half-court set. For a microsecond, players were frozen like mannequins. Nothing too stale to the naked eye. A nearby assistant coach yelled.
"Keep moving!" he screamed.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 3
sienafanallyearlong
posted 11/06/09 @ 9:03 AM EST
thanks tyler. siena is very much deserving of the hype because this year should be their very best team to date and even better than the previous two years when a team made up of mostly sophmores and juniors played toe to toe with some of the best teams in the country as underaged newbies; beating a couple of them along the way. (Continued…)
uncle joe
posted 11/08/09 @ 9:21 AM EST
its all useless hype. in the real world these games mean nothing. greedy greedy people. training grounds for prof basketball careers and majority financial aid or sport scholarships (provided by taxpayers and/or school supporters) paying for these jocks. (Continued…)
Post a Comment