quarantined, Siena knocked off third- seeded (and 13th ranked) Stanford in Greensboro, N.C. to become one of the NCAA’s first “Cinderella teams.” “Showbiz” Mark Brown, Siena’s all-time leading scorer with 2,284 career points, keyed the win with a game-high 32 points.
Deane’s teams won 20 or more games four times in his eight years with the program, and advanced to the NIT three times, capped off by an unforgettable 1994 run. In his final season at the helm, the Saints played well into March thanks in large part to the efforts of another 2,000-point scorer, Doremus Bennerman. Bennerman went on to earn NIT Most Valuable Player honors after setting the Tournament record with 174 points (including a school-record 51 at Madison Square Garden against Kansas State) as the now-Saints cap- tured third place in the Mecca of college basketball.
After taking a step back after Deane’s departure, a period of time memorable only because of the full-time move to Pepsi Arena prior to the 1996-97 season, the program enjoyed a great renais- sance that coincided with the arrival of Head Coach Paul Hewitt in 1997. Following seventh- and eighth-place finishes in the eight-team Metro Atlantic Athletic Confer- ence in the two years prior to his arrival; the Saints averaged 22 wins in Hewitt’s three seasons at the helm. The run was highlighted by successive postseason appearances in his final two years, the first of which was a return-trip to the NCAA Tournament in 1999.
Louis Orr continued the success in 2000-2001, leading the program to another 20-win season. The following season, the Rob Lanier
era began. Lanier became the first coach in program history to orchestrate consecutive post- season appearances in his first two years as head coach. In 2002, the Saints rallied from a sub-par regular season to win four MAAC Tournament games, advancing to the NCAA Open- ing Round where they became just the second team in Tourna- ment history to win a game with a losing record. Siena knocked off Alcorn State 81-77 in Dayton, Ohio before succumbing to eventual National Champion Maryland in Washington, D.C. two days later. In Lanier’s second year of work, the Saints won 21 games including two Postseason NIT clashes on their home floor.
Jack Hogan, amember of the 49-50 NCIT Championship teamwas one of nine former players in attendance at the recognition ceremony. He is escorted to center court by Siena cheerleader JoaWhite.
Just over five years ago, an exciting newchapter in Siena basketball began as Fran McCaffery became the 14th coach in program history. McCaffery made an immediate impact, guiding Siena to the fifth greatest turnaround in all of Division I in his first year, and
to a 20-win season andMAAC title game appearance in his second season. In his third season, the Saints enjoyed one of the great years in program history,
Doremus Bennerman
winning the MAAC regular season and
postseason cham-
pionship before stunning #4 seed Vanderbilt in the NCAA Tournament First Round. During the 2008-09 season, McCaffery’s Saints equaled a program record with 27 wins and made another run to the Second
Round of the NCAA Tournament. They won the MAAC regular season and Tournament Championship before knocking off Ohio State 74-72 in double overtime in the First Round of the Big Dance. During McCaffery’s final season
Siena president, Fr. Kevin Mackin, presents Billy Harrell with a replica banner and a proclamation from the governor’s office.
2010-11 SIENA COLLEGE BASKETBALL 71
in 2009-10, the Saints won their third straight MAAC Tournament Title and made a third straight postseason appearance.
From four Catholic Invitational Tourna- ment appearances, to five National Invitation Tournament bids, to six berths in the NCAA Tournament. From the Washington Avenue Armory, to the Alumni Recreation Center, to the state- of-the-art Times Union Center. The scope of Siena basketball has changed in the 69 seasons leading up to this milestone year, helping to carry through the bold ideals set forth that many years ago by Rev. Fitzgerald.
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