No…not UNCW.
Siena College is heading to the NCAA Tournament. Never heard of them? You’re not alone.
Its a small college in tiny Loudonville, NY – a suburb of Albany. It also happens to be the team of my youth.
Dad and I had season tickets for the Siena Saints when I was in high school. Its one of the main reasons I like UNCW games – I’m a sucker for mid-major basketball. Saw some great teams and players at the Pepsi Arena (now Times Union Center).
In fact, one of my favorite sports memories involves Siena. In 1994, they went to the NIT Tournament, and made it to the final four at Madison Square Garden. Dad was able to score us tickets and off we went. The first game was a snooze-fest – the arena was dead silent despite being sold out. And then Siena took the floor, and the place went NUTS. 95% of Madison Square Garden was rooting for Siena. They lost – but the memory of that crowd is something I’ll never forget.
Even Siena’s opponents stick with me. To me, Fran Fraschilla isn’t the commentator on ESPN. He’s the coach from Manhattan who used to give Siena fits year after year. His teams always seemed to walk away with the win – and the eventual trip to the NCAA Tournament.
I still follow Siena as best I can (they aren’t exactly on tv a lot), and its still one of those things that Dad and I chat about every so often. Hopefully their first round game will be on TV and I’ll get to catch a couple of minutes. I’ll be wearing green and gold.
kevin
Photo courtesy: sienasaints.com
