Pickett, Fisher two of Siena's bright spots in season with mounds of upside

Although not recruited as a point guard, Jalen Pickett's adaptation is one of many reasons why Jamion Christian is encouraged with Siena's start to his first season in charge of Saints. (Photo by the Albany Times Union)

HEMPSTEAD, NY – Shortly after his hire this past May, Jamion Christian stated his first job as head coach at Siena was to maximize the resources he inherited and make the most out of every player on the Saints’ roster.

Seven games into his maiden voyage at the helm, even if the charismatic 36-year-old has only two wins to show for it, have begun to vindicate Christian’s faith in making the most out of what was predicted to be the least – Siena was picked last of eleven teams in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference preseason poll – as he and his players continue to navigate the waters of non-conference play.

“I’m really pleased with our team’s effort and energy,” Christian remarked after Siena’s defeat Wednesday at the hands of Hofstra, a loss that showed the Saints’ mettle – after trailing by 20 points with seven minutes to play, a 16-2 run trimmed the deficit to a more manageable six markers four minutes later – and progress over the past several weeks. “Most teams fold there under six minutes with the score where it was. Our team didn’t do that.”

“We’ve got a great fight within that locker room. We’re getting better every single day, the things we’re adjusting and working on, we’re getting better at. I’m telling you, we’ve got a special group of guys in that locker room.”

Since taking over for Jimmy Patsos six months ago, Christian has overhauled the roster and changed both the culture on and off the court, as well as the product with which the Saints take the floor, bringing his Mayhem brand of basketball – an uptempo system predicated on three-point shots and pressure defense that looks to force turnovers on every possession – with him from Mount St. Mary’s. The results have shown handsomely despite a relatively small sample size, with two prime exhibits being freshman Jalen Pickett and senior Evan Fisher, the latter of whom having since been recast from the perimeter-oriented game he played his first three years in the green and gold.

“I played the four a lot last year, a lot of perimeter game,” Fisher admitted after scoring 25 points against Hofstra as Siena’s de facto center. “I’m primarily in the paint this year, where I’m comfortable, where I played in high school, so I think that’s just suited me well.”

“In games where he keeps his composure, man, what a special player,” Christian added, gushing over Fisher’s poise. “In my conversations with him, that’s what everything’s been about. It’s like, ‘You’ve been this level player all your life, your composure hasn’t been at the level it needs to be at. Now you’re at the level where you’re composure’s excellent.’ And now we’re really getting to see the best part of Evan Fisher, a guy who’s level-headed, but still competitive, still fiery, being able to think clearly, and when he’s able to do that, he’s only going to continue to get better.”

In Pickett, Siena has a legitimate MAAC Rookie of the Year contender, one whose skill set is enhanced by playing out of position in his freshman campaign. Initially recruited as a wing, the 6-foot-4 guard was thrown into the fire at the point guard spot in the wake of Khalil Richard’s season-ending injury in the preseason, and has turned heads on a nightly basis, most recently to the tune of 27 points and 13 assists against a Hofstra team featuring the nation’s third-leading scorer in Justin Wright-Foreman.

“He’s just got a great ability to learn,” said Christian of Pickett. “He’s just one of those guys that, moments after this game, he’s going to text me asking, ‘What do I need to do better?’ He’s always looking to play better, he’s always trying to find ways to improve his game and improve our team. He’s a guy that, when the situation came up with Khalil going down, he was a guy we knew would be able to handle it. When you look at a guy playing point guard for the first time in his life, in a system that really has a lot of different facets to it, he’s just doing a great job of learning the ins and outs of it, being a guy that’s a team-first guy, and he’s having a lot of success because of it.”

“That’s what’s so impressive about him, that he’s not even a point guard,” Fisher said. “But I think what works for us – me and Sammy (Friday) in the pick-and-roll with Jalen – is that he’s such a dangerous player. He can really score off the bounce, so teams have to show a lot of help for him. He just does a great job with the reads, finding us, and just puts us in a great position.”

Pickett’s ability to facilitate for his teammates, and the potential to only burnish that quality, is fast becoming the embodiment of what could be an overachieving year for Siena in a season of retooling for the MAAC as a whole, fitting in with its coach’s vision of a possible year to remember.

“We’re going to have a special season,” Christian said, reaffirming his words from the offseason. “We’ve just got to keep taking these opportunities and learning from them. If we do that, we’re going to be really special.”