Evan Hymes Not Transferring, Will Remain At Siena

Evan Hymes, who had intended to transfer earlier this month, has changed his mind, and will return to Saints for his junior season.  (Photo courtesy of 4 Guys In Blazers)

He may not be an incoming recruit since he has already been in the program for two years, but Evan Hymes' return to Siena provides a similar effect for new Saints coach Jimmy Patsos that signing a new freshman would.

Hymes, who had reportedly been looking to transfer out of the Siena program earlier this month to be closer to his family in North Carolina, has apparently had a change of heart; and in a story broken yesterday by Mark Singelais, who covers the Saints for the Albany Times Union, announced his intent to come back to Loudonville for his junior season.

The 5-8 point guard was Siena's fourth-leading scorer last season, averaging 10.6 points per game in an 8-24 campaign for former coach Mitch Buonaguro, averaging 3.7 assists per game and shooting 34 percent from three-point range.  When we spoke to Patsos two weeks ago for the first time since becoming the head coach at Siena, he was optimistic about getting to coach Hymes, telling us "I really hope he stays" and that he thought he was leaning toward a return because he is "experienced and fast," two key attributes for Patsos as he implements his flex offense and uptempo attack that he honed to perfection both as an assistant to Gary Williams at Maryland and over nine years at Loyola, where he won a MAAC championship and made two postseason appearances.

Please continue to follow A Daly Dose Of Hoops throughout the offseason for news and notes involving not just Siena, but the entire MAAC as well.