Maciariello, Siena underclassmen continue to learn with experience

 Carmen Maciariello’s growth mirrored that of his younger players at Siena, an encouraging sign as Saints contend for MAAC title this season. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

Carmen Maciariello’s first season as a head coach flew so largely under the radar that it was not even the biggest story in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference last season.

The 42-year-old, who succeeded Jamion Christian at Siena 19 months ago, won his last ten games to vault the Saints from a .500 team to the MAAC’s regular season champion. But it was the arrival of Saint Peter’s, with six freshmen and a true team mentality where no player averaged even nine points per game, that claimed the lion’s share of attention as Shaheen Holloway brought the Peacocks into the league’s upper echelon a year ahead of schedule. Regardless, the lessons learned and experience gleaned in the Capital Region afforded Siena with a golden opportunity to build upon its rich foundation this year, where the Saints will almost certainly enter a unique season among the favorites to win the MAAC.

“We're trying to do this thing and keep it relevant,” Maciariello confidently stated as he prepares to lead his alma mater even closer to the heights it enjoyed a decade ago, when Siena celebrated the last of three straight NCAA Tournament appearances. “We’re trying to keep guys hungry, keep that competition in practice where you do have a lot of interchangeable parts. It’s up to us to put those guys in the right position.”

Rhode Island transfer Dana Tate and incoming freshman Aidan Carpenter have a head start, having joined the program midway through last year. The two will head the Saints’ supporting cast, which includes two more freshmen and at least one graduate transfer in Nick Hopkins, perhaps two if the waiver for Detroit’s Harrison Curry is approved.

“Nick is just another leader, another great guy in the locker room,” Maciariello said of Hopkins. “He’s a guy that can make open shots, he can be a secondary ball handler as well, and he comes from a winning program at Belmont. I think that speaks for itself and the type of person he is. Harrison Curry’s a guy that can play up front for us, the four or the five, can stretch the floor. We’re still waiting on the waiver for him from the NCAA, but those two guys give us veterans that can both shoot the basketball.”

“Bennett (Kwiecinski) and Colin (Golson) are two guys that can play the three and four. Bennett’s probably a little bit better of a shooter and Colin’s probably a little bit better of an athlete, but both guys compete and get better every day, and that helps just continuing to have guys in the program that want to push the guys ahead of them. Aidan is probably the fastest guy on the floor for us, and he’s another gym rat, another guy that can play one through three. And Dana Tate can play two through five, so I think you can kind of see the ability to have so many interchangeable pieces in what we’re trying to do.”

The multifaceted qualities extend beyond the floor, too, as Siena’s leader possesses a wealth of talents and information to impart upon his young charges as well. And much like the young men he coaches, he is also learning on the job, especially after a promising maiden campaign that has only brightened the outlook for a potential rising star in the business.

“I just think you can’t let anyone around you be complacent,” said Maciariello. “You really have to be direct with what you want and how you want things done. Obviously, you want to allow your assistants and your staff to have voices and room to grow through the program and with your players, but I think the biggest thing is to always hold people accountable. If you have a vision for something, you have to make sure you’re going to that nth degree to really show the level of detail and the level of perfection that you want. The more you try to be perfect, the closer you’ll get to it.”

“Also, you’ve got to enjoy it. You can’t get caught up in the little minutiae of stuff. Nothing’s going to be perfect, but you’ve got to be able to roll with the punches and constantly adapting, adjusting and self-evaluating. You’ve got to be comfortable with who you are. I’m not coaching this team like anybody else but me, so it’s really enjoyable, to be honest with you. It’s everything I thought it would be and more. At the end of the day, you have a chance to try to build something special, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”