Unfinished business awaits Siena as Saints return to Atlantic City

Regular season MAAC champion for a second straight year, Siena enters conference tournament with mindset of overcoming obstacles and cutting down nets for first time since 2010. (Photo by the Albany Times Union)

If any Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference school was decimated most by last season’s abrupt end, it was Siena.

Winners of 10 straight when COVID-19 claimed March Madness in its tidal wave of destruction a year ago, the Saints were on track to winning the MAAC tournament for the first time since 2010, bringing with them the aura of a Cinderella in the NCAA Tournament. Alas, it was not to be, and a retooled roster that did not see its first action until January 3 due to several COVID-related pauses won its first six games and continued to build to where it stands now, regular season champion for a second straight year with one clear goal this week in Atlantic City.

Survive and advance.

“It was tough how things ended last year,” senior Manny Camper, the favorite for player of the year honors in the MAAC, imparted on Monday. “We were able to get in the tournament, got the first win, and then things shut down, so from that point, it’s always been a goal of ours to get back to the tournament. It’s a big moment for us. I think everyone’s looking forward to the opportunity.”

“Obviously it’s two different animals, but being the hunted every game out, I think our guys did a tremendous job limiting the noise and distractions,” head coach Carmen Maciariello concurred, highlighting the differences between earning the top seed last year — when the Saints were picked sixth in the preseason — and this year, when Siena was the unanimous league favorite. “We never played a game with a full roster and we still won the league, so it’s a credit to these guys, a credit to their resolve and especially everything that went on, I think it just shows the type of people we have at Siena, especially our team, and I’m proud to be their coach.”

The creativity in rotations and lineups this season has actually been more of a boon than a bane to Siena’s existence, with the various absences being a blessing in disguise as it relates to cultivating a stronger culture and team camaraderie.

“I think it’s given our freshmen some time to get on the floor and compete,” junior guard Jalen Pickett assessed. “Colin Golson has got starting minutes and Rob (Mahala) has been getting in there too, just guys who haven’t gotten a chance to play together can build some chemistry, so now our bodies are fresh and I think we’ll be ready to go.

While Maciariello glossed over the notion of there being a sense of wanting to atone for a stolen opportunity last year, the coach took a chance to display his confidence a little bolder than usual, gushing over how his team has found ways to rise above despite the various curveballs it has been dealt, while at the same time flying under the radar in a season filled with buzz about other teams in the MAAC, such as Iona with Rick Pitino, Monmouth’s senior class, and Saint Peter’s taking the next step after arriving on the scene as a contender last season.

“I think it’s actually a positive,” he said of being able to operate somewhat in the shadows. “We like being the team that no one really talks about, regardless of if we win the league or not. We hear noise about everybody else in the league but us, to be honest with you, but I think these guys will be ready. They cherish the opportunity to get on the court, where every game matters, and with that being said, I think this team has always risen to the challenge. When we’ve needed to win games, we win games.”

“I think we’re in a good spot. All of the stuff that happened, we overcame it and we still won the league. No one really wants to talk about that. Everyone wants to talk about this, that...it’s easier when you’re not picked to win the league and you win the league. We were picked to win the league and we still won the league with a bunch of adversity that happened, so that’s what I’m most proud of, and the fact that these guys can kind of put that in their back pocket with anything they encounter, we’re going to be able to overcome.”