Saints excited season to start
Despite no fans to begin, optimism for MAAC plan
Siena senior guard/forward Manny Camper played in front of the largest home crowds of any Division I mid-major school in the Northeast last season.
This year, it’s very possible he won’t be in front of any fans at all, at least through the nonconference portion of the schedule.
But it’s more tangible Camper will be playing, period, after the NCA A Division I council on Wednesday set a start date of Nov. 25 for the regular season, moved back from Nov. 10 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our fans are big,” Camper said. “They’re a huge reason why we were undefeated at home (14-0) last year. But, again, we’re just excited to be able to play the game we love. So fans or no fans, we’re going to go out there and give an extreme amount of energy and effort, play our hardest to get in the position we were in last year.”
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference officially released its schedule model on Thursday, which allows for nonleague games from Nov. 25 through Dec. 6 and Dec. 22 and 23. MAAC play will start Dec. 8, with league games on Tuesdays and Fridays.
The MAAC plan calls for no fans through at least Dec. 23, though Siena athletic director John D’argenio said that’s open to review if individual states change their COVID-19 protocols.
Siena men’s basketball coach Carmen Maciariello, like many Division I coaches, is working the phones to revise his nonleague schedule to fit several games into a much smaller window.
He said it’s unlikely any of those nonleague games will be home, especially if no fans are allowed. Siena drew 6,228 fans per game at Times Union Center last year, best in the MAAC and among Northeast mid-major programs.
D’argenio said Siena will play home games at Alumni Recreation Center on campus if fans aren’t allowed.
“It doesn’t matter to me,” Maciariello said. “I just want to play, so I’m excited about that. To be honest, I think you have to look at, what the cost is (of
playing at home), right? … Obviously, I think it still helps for games that are (live) streamed because of recruiting and it is our home arena and guys love playing there, but at the end of the day, I know they just want to get out and compete and have a chance to take another step on this journey we’re on.”
Maciariello is faced with the challenge of putting together a nonleague schedule that gets Siena ready for MAAC play, while also balancing the safety of his players during COVID-19.
Maciariello mentioned St. Bonaventure, Bucknell, Holy Cross and Army, teams that were already under contract this season, as possibilities. All were set to be away from home. He’s also pursuing a multiteam event that would be counted as just one contest under NCAA rules.
“Trying to stay in the region and bus trips make the most sense,” he said. “Then you have to look at the budgetary constraints of where is there an ability to make some money or play in an event close by where there can be some negotiations. I think we’re just trying to play the best schedule we can to get ready for conference play.”
That plan doesn’t include Siena’s scheduled participation in the Orlando Invitational on Thanksgiving weekend. Maciariello, who said Tuesday he “can’t see that happening” if Florida is on New York’s two-week quarantine list, repeated that stance on Thursday.
For now, the Saints are working out in smaller groups in the gym under COVID restrictions until college basketball begins official practice on Oct. 14.
“We still haven’t been able to have our whole team in the gym at one time,” Camper said. “We haven’t had that game-like simulation where we have to focus on transition defense and thinks like that. But coach has been doing a great job of implementing our offense and different cuts and things we need to do. The biggest thing for us is just learning the attention to detail and being able to implement it when we all get together.”
Note: At a ceremony in the ARC, Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara (Rotterdam) and his son, Michael, presented Marciariello and Camper and teammates Jalen Pickett and Jordan King with the Autism Action Award for their ongoing support of individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Siena has hosted a Sensory Friendly and Autism Awareness Game for the past two seasons.