Saints’ streak not on coach’s mind
Maciariello sticking with one-at-a-time philosophy
Wet spot on the court? Siena men’s basketball coach Carmen Maciariello wouldn’t stand for it.
He grabbed a towel and walked out from the bench to wipe off an area near the foul line late in the Saints’ 75-68 victory over Fairfield on Sunday.
Normally, that’s a task reserved for a team manager.
“Probably should have did it a little better,” Maciariello said. “I could have gotten a little workout, maybe … wiped with one hand and then switched to the other. But I just wanted to make sure we didn’t have anybody slip.”
Focused so intently on even the small tasks, Maciariello didn’t have much interest in discussing the bigger historical picture after the victory — his team’s 14th straight dating to last season.
Siena is just one victory from tying the program record of 15 straight wins set by Fran Mccaffery’s final team in 2009-10 — the school’s last one to reach the NCAA Tournament. The Saints play at Rider Friday and Saturday.
“I’m staying right now, right here in the present and we’re going to enjoy this win,” Maciariello said. “Get guys healthy, get them treated and probably have one or two days off just to get these guys re-acclimated and then start working on Rider. I know nothing about streaks, nothing about history.”
Maciariello had no more use for the statistical nugget that he’s off to the best start (24-10) through 34 games of any coach in Siena history.
“I think Mike (Demos, Siena assistant athletic director for communications) made a graphic and put out about number of wins in how many games,” he said. “For me, that’s all garbage. We’re trying to do this thing and do something that hasn’t been done before. We can’t be worrying
about history and stats and all that stuff. We’re worried about the guys in the locker room and doing everything right every single day.”
It must be contagious because senior guard/forward Manny Camper sounded unaware Siena has the third-longest active winning streak in Division I behind Gonzaga and Winthrop, tied for first with 16.
“To be honest, I did not know that until you said that,” Camper said. “Our mindset is to get better every day and take one day at a time. I think coach said we have the next day or two off, then we’re looking to prepare for Rider.”
Siena’s approach fuels sweep
Maciariello said he was especially proud of Sunday’s win over Fairfield because it meant a sweep of the Stags, who had already beaten Iona and Rider on the second day of back-to-back games after losing the front end.
Not only that, but the Saints did it without star point guard Jalen Pickett, out with a hamstring injury suffered in the win over Fairfield the day before.
“To be honest, there’s no chance to relax in a doubleheader like this, and especially when all these MAAC games are going to mean so much,” he said. “And so at the end of the day, Jalen not being able to play may have helped guys focus a little more and not relax. A lot of guys become complacent. You win on the road, and then all of a sudden, last two games Fairfield won against Rider, those teams come in and they relaxed. I told our guys we have to be relentless in our approach in all that we do, and that’s what makes this one so special.”
Carpenter in attack mode in first start
The player Maciariello signed is the player he got when freshman guard Aidan Carpenter scored 19 in his first career start in place of Pickett on Sunday.
“That’s why we recruited him,” Maciariello said. “We recruit guys to come in and play. When we talk and tell how we play, it’s not fluff and smoke. It’s, ‘Hey, we need you to come in and do these things,’ and that’s why we recruited him. We saw how his game translates to how we want to play.”
The program slogan “attack and finish” seems particularly suited to Carpenter, who repeatedly drove right through Fairfield’s defense to the basket.
“He’s in attack mode,” Maciariello said. “He gives us a change-ofpace guard. Obviously, Jalen’s rhythm and pace is different and Manny (Camper) is more knifing through guys and kind of using his body because of his strength. Aidan’s a guy like, I’ve talked from the beginning, he can get north and south quickly, probably our fastest guy with the ball.”
Siena wins both awards
The Siena men’s basketball program swept more than its twogame series at Fairfield this weekend.
The Saints also took home both of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s weekly awards. Senior guard/forward Manny Camper was named Player of the Week for the first time in his career and freshman guard Aidan Carpenter was selected as Rookie of the Week.
Camper averaged 13.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.7 steals as the Saints went 3-0 during the week, starting with a home win over Monmouth last Monday.
Carpenter averaged 13 points while shooting 59 percent from the field in his first two college games against Fairfield. He scored 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting in his first career start on Sunday, getting the nod in place of injured star guard Jalen Pickett.
Siena is off to its first 4-0 start in 22 years.
It’s the first time Siena has swept the weekly awards since Feb. 11, 2019, when since-graduated forward Evan Fisher got Player of the Week and Pickett was Rookie of the Week.
Camper happy to assist
Camper had six assists on Sunday and is now averaging 5.2 per game through four games, compared to 1.5 per game over his first three seasons.
Maciariello said Camper is a “great slasher and driver,” now surrounded by scoring options both inside and on the perimeter.
“He does a good job trusting in the coaching staff,” Maciariello said. “He’s been able to see the game from a guy that, he’s basically a big guard for us.”