SIENA BASKETBALL UPDATE
A breakdown of every player
LOUDONVILLE » Nearly the entire Siena basketball team has reported to campus for summer workouts. It had taken a while for Canadian freshman Christian Bentley to get here because of a travel form. And his high school teammate, Prince Oduro, was off winning the U-19 World Championship for the Canadian team in Egypt.
But now that nearly everyone is there, the coaching staff is getting a chance to gauge what they have for the upcoming season. Here’s a breakdown of each player.
Nico Clareth: The brand new, and albeit surprising, captain has relished his new role. He said at the beginning of summer workouts that Clareth was one of two proven entities on the roster. They’ve been trying to get him to pass and drive more — his 2-point percentage is better than his 3-point percentage. Head coach Jimmy Patsos said he’s happy that Clareth decided to stay at Siena after a rocky sophomore campaign that saw him suspended, injured and take a separate leave of absence.
“He’s been good,” Patsos said. “Him and (Ashante) Shivers were going at it.”
Sammy Friday: Patsos thinks that Friday will be good for fourminute spurts, much like he was as a freshman last year. There is some disappointment that he hasn’t gotten himself into better shape. The plan for the offseason was to create a 50-50 system with him and Evan Fisher at center, but Fisher might be taking over that role, especially as a vocal leader. Patsos also said that Kevin Degnan, primarily a power forward, could see time at the center position. And that’s where Friday’s minutes could see a significant cut.
“Evan seems to be outplaying him right now,” Patsos said. “But it’s summer, Sammy can still get in shape.”
Manny Camper: Camper has been dealing with knee injuries and likely won’t be ready until early fall. As a result, Patsos expects him to redshirt his freshman season.
Khalil Richard: Richard was a force at times off the bench as a freshman, and filled in well when Clareth was out and Marquis Wright was suspended. Patsos thinks it’s important for Richard to realize he’s a shooting guard – even if he has the body of a point guard. He could provide solid scoring off the bench for the Saints, and will probably crack the regular rotation.
“Khalil can score in bunches,” Patsos said. “He’s just got to accept his role of being a twoguard and really scoring the ball.”
Jordan Horn and Christian Bentley: Both of these freshman guards are making any sort of job security for the incumbents a thing of the past. Patsos has been very impressed with both, especially Horn, who he called “game ready”.
“There’s really one or two (rotation) spots open, and who’s going to grab it,” Patsos said. “And this guy Christian is not giving up any ground in two days.”
Kadeem Smithen: Patsos said Smithen has been battling in practice. Early in the summer, Patsos didn’t seem to have high stock on his redshirt junior guard. All of last season, he was really hard on the Richmond transfer, expecting big results that never really came. He also battled a shoulder injury that he only recently came back from. Smithen’s main competition are guys like Horn, Bentley and Richard.
Kevin Degnan: Right now Degnan would probably be the starting power forward for the Saints. Though the impending arrival of Oduro, Siena’s most prized recruit, could shift the pendulum of playing time significantly. Patsos thinks Degnan, a transfer from Fairfield, could play at center. He doesn’t think he’d succeed there against the likes of Louisville, but might hold his own against the powers that be in the MAAC.
Ashante Shivers: Shivers is the other of the two-person tandem of proven Siena players. He was a force in multiple facets of the game — as a scorer, rebounder and defender. He also found a 3-point touch late in the season that materialized at an important time to get a big road win at Iona in late February. By the end of the season he was a regular starter for the Saints, and will be again this year. Now, he’ll see increased playing time.
Thomas Huerter Jr.: Huerter is in the second line of players who could see time at the forward positions. He does some good things in practice, Patsos said, but certainly doesn’t seem like a lock to get significant minutes for a while.
Evan Fisher: Patsos has been as high on Fisher as he’s been on anyone. Though, it’s worth noting that he was always supportive of him, even during an extremely turbulent sophomore season. Fisher has lost weight and will play center this season, relying less on his outside shooting to be a factor.
Roman Penn: As of a few weeks ago, Penn was the favorite to start at point guard this season. Arriving at Siena in January gave him a massive leg up, but the competition might be stiff with the impressive showing of his fellow classmates.
Prince Oduro: Oduro showed he belonged by contributing on the U-19 championship team. Patsos said he wouldn’t hold it against him in any way that he wasn’t here for the start of summer workouts. He’s also noted that Oduro could play at a Power-5 school right now, but the Saints are lucky he stuck with them.
Other News and Notes:
• Siena has games at Bucknell and at Lehigh in the nonconference. That will be part of one roadtrip. They’ll also face Holy Cross at home.
• Patsos said that Lavon Long and Wright are playing well in Vegas at an international teams showcase. Long will be playing at a Korean basketball league showcase next week.
• Patsos is not confident about the future of scheduling the Albany Cup with UAlbany. Following the home court drama of last season, Siena will host at the Times Union Center in 2017. After that, it’s anyone’s guess. “That’s going to be a disaster in a year,” Patsos said. “Wait and see how that plays out.” Upon reading that quote, UAlbany coach Will Brown tweeted “#SEFCU18”.