ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — No one can say the 2022-23 Siena men’s basketball team was boring. Surprising, uplifting, frustrating, all of the above. But not boring.
The Saints started the season picked to finish sixth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. After sitting in first place midway through the season, Siena (17-15) ended the campaign with six consecutive losses, capped by Thursday night’s 71-65 defeat to Niagara in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament at Boardwalk Hall.
Siena had significant wins early in the year (Florida State, Seton Hall) and perplexing close losses late. They won games when they were short-handed (Iona, Rider) and lost them when they were closer to full strength.
They persevered through the cancer deaths of two people close to the program on back-to-back days in January: John Baer, the father of Siena forward Michael Baer, and honorary team member Evan Franz, a Tamarac High student.
“It’s always kind of tough when the season ends,” Siena coach Carmen Maciariello said late Thursday night. “You’re around these guys more than you’re around your families and your kids. This is our family, and we had a year where we lost loved ones and we went through that. We had a year we were beating BCS teams on national television. We had a year where we were in first place for the majority of the time and started undefeated (6-0) in conference. It’s a learning lesson when the target’s on your back. These guys, I don’t think expected that.”
Thursday’s defeat marked the end of the careers of six Saints: graduate center Jackson Stormo, graduate guard Andrew Platek of Guilderland, graduate forward Michael Baer, fifth-year guard Jayce Johson, fifth-year center Eduardo Lane and senior forward Jordan Kellier, who missed the final two months following foot surgery.
Maciariello mentioned all the…
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