Coach Christian is one and done
After Saints’ turnaround, George Washington hires him to guide the Colonials
Jamion Christian beat George Washington in the nation’s capital for his first victory as Siena men’s basketball head coach in November.
Christian flexed his arms as the clock wound down, a powerful image for a coach who said at his introductory news conference he was going to set a “new standard” for the downtrodden Saints program.
A photo of that moment, with a George Washington banner that happened to be in the background, was the new profile picture on his Twitter account Thursday evening. Underneath it was his new job description: “Head Basketball Coach The George Washington University Colonials.”
In a quick and stunning turn, George Washington hired Christian, just 11 days after he wrapped up his first and only season with the Saints. His final game was a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference semifinal loss to Iona on March 10, wrapping up
an impressive season in which the Saints went 17-16 and tied for second after being picked to come in last.
“You never think it’s going to be one year, but we’ve been around this long enough, and realistically you know it’s not going to be forever, either,’’ Siena athletic director John D’argenio told the media in Alumni Recreation Center. “When you have success at Siena, that’s the kind of step you can take. Those are the opportunities you get from this program.”
D’argenio said he was very surprised by how quickly Christian’s departure happened. The process took less than a day, according to D’argenio, who found out Thursday afternoon that Christian was going to accept George Washington’s offer. There is a buyout clause in Christan’s contract, though D’argenio declined to reveal the amount.
Christian didn’t respond to phone calls or text messages. He leaves Siena for more money in a better conference, the Atlantic 10. It’s also a move closer to home for Christian, a Virginia native, whose son from his first marriage lives with his mother in that state.
In a statement issued by George Washington, Christian said, “It was a difficult decision to leave Siena, because I loved the people, but there were only a few jobs that could take me away.”
He becomes the first one-anddone Siena coach since Louis Orr, who left for Seton Hall following the 2000-01 season.
D’argenio quickly promoted assistant coach Carmen Maciariello, a Shenendehowa graduate, to interim head coach. D’argenio said he didn’t think a coaching search will take long, and his praise of Maciariello indicated he’s a strong candidate for the opening.
Maciariello, a 2001 Siena graduate, would become the first Saints alumnus to serve as head coach since the late Bill Kirsch led the program from 1972-82. Maciariello played for the Saints’ regular-season co-champions under Orr.
Maciariello also worked under then-siena head coach Fran Mccaffery in 2005-06 before returning under Christian last year.
“He has as much experience in this program as anybody around,’’ D’argenio said. “He’s coached for a lot of great coaches from Fran Mccaffery to (Providence’s) Ed Cooley, so he knows what it means to be a Siena Saint. I think that’s what is important for these guys in this program to keep moving forward.”
D’argenio said he must still meet with college president Brother F. Edward Coughlin and the board of trustees to discuss the opening.
“I don’t want to speak for Carm, but I’m sure he does have interest in it,’’ D’argenio said. “As he should. He’s a great coach, a great community person, has a lot of connections in this area. There’s no better coaches in this business than Fran Mccaffery and Ed Cooley and they both have great Xs and Os background and they’re both people persons. So Carmen has all those skills.”
Maciariello doesn’t have head coaching experience, which was a requirement for Siena’s search that produced Christian a year ago. But asked if that’s necessary this time around, D’argenio said it’s “very wide open” because the process had just started.
Maciariello’s promotion will be necessary to keep MAAC Rookie of the Year Jalen Pickett, according to Jim Hart, his AAU coach with the Albany City Rocks.
Hart said he was already fielding inquiries from higherlevel programs about the possible availability of Pickett, who set the program freshman scoring record and led the MAAC in assists.
D’argenio said the players were “a bit somber” when he broke the news about Christian, but that none had asked for their release to transfer yet.
Players have to notify Siena in writing they want to go into the NCAA’S new transfer portal. The college has two business days to respond and then players are free to talk to any school.
Christian came to Siena after taking his alma mater, Mount St. Mary’s, to two NCAA Tournament appearances in six years. To Siena, 8-24 under Jimmy Patsos in 2017-18, Christian brought “mayhem,” built on pressure defense and 3-point shooting.