Sischo gets award again
Guilderland grad snags his third preseason honor
Andrew Sischo was named East Coast Conference preseason Player of the Year last Friday, and the 6-foot-9, 240pound center will get a chance to live up to that billing when the Daemen College men’s basketball team opens its shortened season when it is scheduled to travel to Erie, Pennsylvania, to face Mercyhurst Saturday.
It is the third time that Sischo, from Guilderland and a Guilderland High graduate, was named prior to the start of the season. The previous two times he earned Player of the Year at season’s end. And he earned D2 College Coaches Association East Region Player of the Year honors the past two years as well.
Sischo hopes to wrap up a standout career with the Wildcats with a big effort. In 89 career games, he’s scored 1,820 points and pulled down 906 rebounds and has a chance to be the first Daemen player to reach 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. He stands fourth in field goals and ninth in rebounding in the ECC record book and has a good chance of breaking into the conference’s top-10 career scorers.
Jenna Giacone (Delmar)
The Dayton women’s basketball team is 5-1 overall and 4-0 in the Atlantic-10 Conference, and a big reason why is the play of the 6-1 redshirt senior guard. The Bethlehem High graduate had a season-high 17 points, four rebounds and four assists in a 67-54 league victory over George Washington last Sunday. Giacone is averaging 10.8 points and 4.3 rebounds a game with 10 assists and six blocked shots. In her first three seasons with the Flyers, she was the team’s “Super Sub,” playing in 74 games off the bench.
Alyssa Drapeau (Glenville)
The Burnt Hills-ballston Lake High graduate and Rachel Shine of Clifton Park (Shenendehowa High), both former Oneonta standouts, were named to the SUNYAC All-decade team in cross country, it was announced Monday. Drapeau was the school’s first All-american in women’s cross country when she finished 18th in the 2015 NCAA Division III Championship. Former teammate Shine followed suit in 2016 when she earned Allamerican by finishing 23rd in the NCAAS.
Sloan Seymour (Albany)
The 6-9, 215-pound junior transfer is coming off the bench for the George Washington men’s basketball team. The Colonels are 3-7 overall and 2-1 in Atlantic 10 Conference play after a 75-73 league victory over Duquesne on Jan. 3. The Shaker High graduate is averaging 3.6 points a game and has hit 10 of 26 3-pointers (38.5 percent). He had 11 points, aided by three 3s, in a 71-47 league triumph over Fordham. Seymour played at Siena as a freshman and was named to the Middle Atlantic Conference All-rookie team after connecting on 94 3pointers and averaging 9.1 points a game. He sat out last season.
Graceann Bennett (Lake George)
The 6-3 sophomore forward has started both games for the 1-1 Georgetown women’s basketball team; the Hoyas have had 11 games either postponed or canceled thus far. The Lake George High graduate is averaging 8.0 points and 5.0 rebounds and had 10 points, four rebounds and two blocked shots in a 56-45 Big East Conference victory over Butler on Dec. 31. Bennett was Times Union Smallschool Player of the Year in 2017.
Shyla Sanford (Latham)
The 5-8 junior guard is starting for the Long Island University women’s basketball team; the Sharks are 1-3 in the Northeast Conference after a 66-62 loss to St. Francis last Saturday in Loretto, Pennsylvania. The Shaker High graduate is averaging 8.5 points with seven assists and nine steals. She had nine points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal in the St. Francis loss. She had 44 steals and 39 assists with a 2.2 average in 24 games and 16 starts as a sophomore.
Kelsey Wood (Wynantskill)
The 6-1 freshman was named Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week on Monday after back-to-back solid performances last week for the Sacred Heart women’s basketball team. The Averill High graduate had eight points and 10 rebounds in a 67-62 league loss to Wagner on Jan. 7 and came back with nine points and eight rebounds in a 5850 triumph over Wagner last Friday, both games in Fairfield, Connecticut. Wood is averaging 7.2 points and 6.8 rebounds for the 2-4 Pioneers.