Post by frombustawithlove on Oct 12, 2012 15:39:08 GMT -5
blog.timesunion.com/collegesports/author/marksingelais/
Siena men’s basketball team held its first official practice on Friday with something that seemed unfathomable last year: 14 healthy, eligible players.
The Saints survived most of last year with a six-man rotation because of injuries and NCAA issues.
Buonaguro noted with some amusement at Media Day that dividing playing time, which was never a problem last year, suddenly becomes an issue.
“I have a whole different dynamic this year,” Buonaguro said. “Now we have to keep people happy. We went from the one problem where we had no issues with that.”
He’s also got a youthful roster with 10 freshmen and sophomores and only one senior, forward O.D. Anosike.
“This year’s team, obviously, will be a very talented team,” Buonaguro said. “It is young …The challenge will be, can the team get better. I’m hoping we can play well early so we’re going to have to practice well. I think practice this year, I’ve made it a priority, we have to practice well, especially with a young team.”
Buonaguro introduced each player. Here’s what he had to say:
Freshmen
G Chris Leppanen (6-0, 190): “He’s a freshman from Christian Brothers Academy. We’re excited about having him on the team. He played for coach (Dave) Doemel in a great program. I think he’s going to add a lot in terms of intensity, what it takes to win, and certainly he can play in the backcourt. He can play both (guard) positions. If there are injuries and if we need another player in that position, he can certainly fill the bill.”
G Rich Audu (6-3, 194): “He’s from Toronto, Canada, signed early with us last year. Outstanding player. Very good shooter. We wanted to with these freshmen improve our skill level. I think all of them bring a certain expertise to the team. Rich is a smart player. He can shoot. He’s got good size. We’re looking forward to him helping us this year in terms of making some shots and making us a better offensive team.”
G Ryan Oliver (6-3, 186): “He’s from Inglewood, Calif. He’s a late signee. What we tried to do with Ryan is we looked at the team and we felt we really, again, had to improve our 3-point shooting. As you know, last year, we were ninth in the conference in 3-point shooting. We shot 30 percent. We needed guys to come in and Ryan certainly adds a great deal of 3-point shooting to the team. … We expect him to stretch the defense with O.D. (Anosike) inside. We’re going to need people to make shots.”
F Brett Bisping (6-8, 224): “He’s from Morton, Ill. We pretty much wanted to bring a skilled big guy in, a guy who could play away from the basket. He gives us that. He’s skilled on the perimeter, a tough kid. I think what he’ll give us is versatility in the frontcourt. We do have a lot of guys that can really score inside this year, but we need another forward to kind of stretch the defense. We are running some different stuff and taking advantage of his abilities.”
Sophomores
G Evan Hymes (5-8, 147): “He was one of the top freshman point guards in the country. His impact on the team was phenomenal. Tremendous scoring ability, obviously got better as the year went on. Was right there for Rookie of the Year in the league. He did more for Siena than I really think any rookie in the league. So we’re really excited about his play this year. He’s going to lead us. Obviously, we’ll play better because of the experience he got last year and he’s a terrific player.”
G Rob Poole (6-5, 186): He had a very good freshman year. I thought as the year went on he got a lot better. He really improved in terms of just his overall demeanor on the court. Like any freshman, it took some games to get used to what we were doing. I expect him this year to be a real impact player. He can really shoot the ball. Last year, he was a little inconsistent, but this year we expect him to shoot in the high 30s from 3 and obviously be a double-figure scorer.”
F Lionel Gomis (6-8, 215): “We were expecting him to play last year and we got the and we got the bad news from the NCAA pretty much before practice. We’re excited about Lionel. He’s got a very good upside. Very good rebounder, runs the floor well, blocks shots. Also a guy that can score inside. We’re working with him on his perimeter game a little bit. Certainly, he’s going to add depth and athletic ability to an already stocked frontcourt.”
F Imoh Silas (6-8, 218): “Another player that was affected by the NCAA ruling last year. Practiced with us all year and certainly gained a lot. I think he’s a player that’s going to make an immediate impact. I expect him to come in and rebound and score for us and be a guy that’s certainly going to make us a better team. He’s practiced well. He’s got a great attitude. Works hard every day.”
G Rakeem Brookins (5-10, 156): He had a great freshman year (in 2010-11). When he was injured (back problems) last year, it really took a lot out of us, because I think he was a guy we were expecting to obviously score in double figures, really good ballhandler, so having him now with Evan, now we have two guys who can really handle it and really score. I think he’s going to add a tremendous amount to this year’s team. We’ve just got to get a little rust off him. I think he’s starting to practice a lot better. He’ll be a major impact player.”
F Trenity Burdine (6-6, 208): “He was in the same boat at Rahk last year, had a season-ending stress fracture in his foot. I think Trenity’s going to have an outstanding season for us. Very athletic, can shoot the ball, can play him in a number of positions. We were talking the other day about moving him around. Very good in the presses. I think our three-quarter court press is going to be a lot better with him on top because he’s very athletic. I think he’s getting in very good shape, best shape he’s been in in over a year.”
F Marcus Hopper (6-7, 248): “Didn’t get a chance to play much last year. Obviously, this year we’re expecting more from him. He’s a good rebounder. Got good size, can shoot the ball a little bit. He’s at a point in his career where he’s getting in better shape, he’s playing harder, and I expect him to make some contribution to the team this year.”
Juniors
G Steven Cruz (5-6, 172): “He’s a terrific kid. The team has benefited a great deal from having on the team, not in terms of what he gives in basketball stuff, and he’s a good player and he helps us in practice, but he’s beloved by the players. He epitomizes what a walk-on should be.”
F Davis Martens (6-9, 222): “Last year, kind of same boat as Trenity and Rahk in terms of an injury, a hip injury. He is healed now. He’s playing very well, every athletic, a player who’s certainly going to help us in the frontcourt. He can score in a variety of ways on the high post, inside, dribbles well, so we’re really looking forward, I think Davis is going to give us another good frontcourt player and really add a lot of depth to our team.”
Senior
F O.D. Anosike (6-8, 241): “I could talk for 10 minutes about him. He’s been a terrific player at Siena. Any time you’re mentioned as the preseason (MAAC) Player of the Year, you’ve accomplished a lot. What people forget about O.D. is that when he came in, and he knew this, he had work to do. He had an OK freshman year on a great team, got a lot better as a sophomore. He’s a lot like the players we’ve had at Siena. Each year, tremendous improvement. For him to lead the nation in rebounding last year, on a team with six guys, that was a tremendous accomplishment … He’s going to be the focal point of our offense. That’s how I do it. The seniors deserve it. I go to them. I expect them to produce.”
Siena men’s basketball team held its first official practice on Friday with something that seemed unfathomable last year: 14 healthy, eligible players.
The Saints survived most of last year with a six-man rotation because of injuries and NCAA issues.
Buonaguro noted with some amusement at Media Day that dividing playing time, which was never a problem last year, suddenly becomes an issue.
“I have a whole different dynamic this year,” Buonaguro said. “Now we have to keep people happy. We went from the one problem where we had no issues with that.”
He’s also got a youthful roster with 10 freshmen and sophomores and only one senior, forward O.D. Anosike.
“This year’s team, obviously, will be a very talented team,” Buonaguro said. “It is young …The challenge will be, can the team get better. I’m hoping we can play well early so we’re going to have to practice well. I think practice this year, I’ve made it a priority, we have to practice well, especially with a young team.”
Buonaguro introduced each player. Here’s what he had to say:
Freshmen
G Chris Leppanen (6-0, 190): “He’s a freshman from Christian Brothers Academy. We’re excited about having him on the team. He played for coach (Dave) Doemel in a great program. I think he’s going to add a lot in terms of intensity, what it takes to win, and certainly he can play in the backcourt. He can play both (guard) positions. If there are injuries and if we need another player in that position, he can certainly fill the bill.”
G Rich Audu (6-3, 194): “He’s from Toronto, Canada, signed early with us last year. Outstanding player. Very good shooter. We wanted to with these freshmen improve our skill level. I think all of them bring a certain expertise to the team. Rich is a smart player. He can shoot. He’s got good size. We’re looking forward to him helping us this year in terms of making some shots and making us a better offensive team.”
G Ryan Oliver (6-3, 186): “He’s from Inglewood, Calif. He’s a late signee. What we tried to do with Ryan is we looked at the team and we felt we really, again, had to improve our 3-point shooting. As you know, last year, we were ninth in the conference in 3-point shooting. We shot 30 percent. We needed guys to come in and Ryan certainly adds a great deal of 3-point shooting to the team. … We expect him to stretch the defense with O.D. (Anosike) inside. We’re going to need people to make shots.”
F Brett Bisping (6-8, 224): “He’s from Morton, Ill. We pretty much wanted to bring a skilled big guy in, a guy who could play away from the basket. He gives us that. He’s skilled on the perimeter, a tough kid. I think what he’ll give us is versatility in the frontcourt. We do have a lot of guys that can really score inside this year, but we need another forward to kind of stretch the defense. We are running some different stuff and taking advantage of his abilities.”
Sophomores
G Evan Hymes (5-8, 147): “He was one of the top freshman point guards in the country. His impact on the team was phenomenal. Tremendous scoring ability, obviously got better as the year went on. Was right there for Rookie of the Year in the league. He did more for Siena than I really think any rookie in the league. So we’re really excited about his play this year. He’s going to lead us. Obviously, we’ll play better because of the experience he got last year and he’s a terrific player.”
G Rob Poole (6-5, 186): He had a very good freshman year. I thought as the year went on he got a lot better. He really improved in terms of just his overall demeanor on the court. Like any freshman, it took some games to get used to what we were doing. I expect him this year to be a real impact player. He can really shoot the ball. Last year, he was a little inconsistent, but this year we expect him to shoot in the high 30s from 3 and obviously be a double-figure scorer.”
F Lionel Gomis (6-8, 215): “We were expecting him to play last year and we got the and we got the bad news from the NCAA pretty much before practice. We’re excited about Lionel. He’s got a very good upside. Very good rebounder, runs the floor well, blocks shots. Also a guy that can score inside. We’re working with him on his perimeter game a little bit. Certainly, he’s going to add depth and athletic ability to an already stocked frontcourt.”
F Imoh Silas (6-8, 218): “Another player that was affected by the NCAA ruling last year. Practiced with us all year and certainly gained a lot. I think he’s a player that’s going to make an immediate impact. I expect him to come in and rebound and score for us and be a guy that’s certainly going to make us a better team. He’s practiced well. He’s got a great attitude. Works hard every day.”
G Rakeem Brookins (5-10, 156): He had a great freshman year (in 2010-11). When he was injured (back problems) last year, it really took a lot out of us, because I think he was a guy we were expecting to obviously score in double figures, really good ballhandler, so having him now with Evan, now we have two guys who can really handle it and really score. I think he’s going to add a tremendous amount to this year’s team. We’ve just got to get a little rust off him. I think he’s starting to practice a lot better. He’ll be a major impact player.”
F Trenity Burdine (6-6, 208): “He was in the same boat at Rahk last year, had a season-ending stress fracture in his foot. I think Trenity’s going to have an outstanding season for us. Very athletic, can shoot the ball, can play him in a number of positions. We were talking the other day about moving him around. Very good in the presses. I think our three-quarter court press is going to be a lot better with him on top because he’s very athletic. I think he’s getting in very good shape, best shape he’s been in in over a year.”
F Marcus Hopper (6-7, 248): “Didn’t get a chance to play much last year. Obviously, this year we’re expecting more from him. He’s a good rebounder. Got good size, can shoot the ball a little bit. He’s at a point in his career where he’s getting in better shape, he’s playing harder, and I expect him to make some contribution to the team this year.”
Juniors
G Steven Cruz (5-6, 172): “He’s a terrific kid. The team has benefited a great deal from having on the team, not in terms of what he gives in basketball stuff, and he’s a good player and he helps us in practice, but he’s beloved by the players. He epitomizes what a walk-on should be.”
F Davis Martens (6-9, 222): “Last year, kind of same boat as Trenity and Rahk in terms of an injury, a hip injury. He is healed now. He’s playing very well, every athletic, a player who’s certainly going to help us in the frontcourt. He can score in a variety of ways on the high post, inside, dribbles well, so we’re really looking forward, I think Davis is going to give us another good frontcourt player and really add a lot of depth to our team.”
Senior
F O.D. Anosike (6-8, 241): “I could talk for 10 minutes about him. He’s been a terrific player at Siena. Any time you’re mentioned as the preseason (MAAC) Player of the Year, you’ve accomplished a lot. What people forget about O.D. is that when he came in, and he knew this, he had work to do. He had an OK freshman year on a great team, got a lot better as a sophomore. He’s a lot like the players we’ve had at Siena. Each year, tremendous improvement. For him to lead the nation in rebounding last year, on a team with six guys, that was a tremendous accomplishment … He’s going to be the focal point of our offense. That’s how I do it. The seniors deserve it. I go to them. I expect them to produce.”