Former Siena assistant coach Tobin Anderson has landed a new role as the head coach of St. Thomas Aquinas College, a Division II school located in Sparkill, NY (Rockland Co.). He served the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Siena under former head coach Mitch Buonaguro,

Anderson takes over as the 5th head coach of the Spartans who finished last season with a record of 5-23, 5-13 in the East Coast Conference. This is his third head coaching role having previously led Clarkson (1999-2004) and Hamilton (2004-2011). He has a 185-129 career record.

We have also heard that another former Siena assistant Ben Davis will take over as head coach at Mt. Ida College, a Division III school located in Newton (MA). Davis will lead the Mustangs who are coming off a 7-18 season, 3-15 in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference.

After serving as assistant coach at Siena, Davis will take on his first head coaching role. Prior to Siena he was a lead assistant at D-2 Stonehill College in Easton, MA (2008-11) and D-3 Nichols College in Dudley, MA (2007-08).

Siena has reportedly received a commitment from Patrick Cole, a 6-5 guard from Newark, New Jersey. He reached the decision while on an official visit this afternoon. Cole is a transfer from Coppin State where he just completed his freshman year leaving him with 3 years of eligibility as a Saint.

As a freshman at Coppin State located in Baltimore, MD., Cole started 16 of 31 games averaging 22.4 minutes per game. He was 4th on the team in scoring averaging 10.3 points along with 2.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He was MEAC All-Rookie team selection and had some of his best games against non-league opponents Arizona St. (13 pts.), Texas (15 pts.) and USC (25 pts.). He is said to be a versatile player capable to play the point as well as off guard and small forward positions.

Prior to Coppin State, Cole attended Newark Central High School in Newark, N.J where he helped lead the Blue Devils to a Group II state championship as a senior. He averaged 11.2 points per game that season and earned All-Essex County honors. He also spent one season in post-graduate school at the Robinson School where he averaged 17.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. He had originally committed to Morgan St. And had received offers from Maryland Eastern-Shore, Alabama St., Fairleigh Dickinson and Arkansas Pine-Bluff. Since deciding to transfer, he had also looked at two other MAAC schools, Quinnipiac and Rider as well as Marshall.

Cole will red shirt for the upcoming season per NCAA transfer rules and will have three years of eligibility remaining. Although the roster seemed to be full, his commitment indicates that an opening has occurred perhaps from Maurice White, who despite indicating a commitment, never visited campus. Speculation has also has come up that perhaps RS sophomore Trenity Burdine would not be returning after being suspended twice this season. This has not been confirmed.

It appears new Siena head coach Jimmy Patsos has filled his final roster spot after receiving a verbal commitment from Mike Wolfe, a 6-9, 210 lb. forward from North Bethesda, Maryland. Wolfe, who recently withdrew his verbal commitment to Loyola, becomes the fourth player to follow Patsos to Loudonville after committing to play for the Greyhounds. Wolfe who visited Siena last week, reportedly gave his verbal commitment and is waiting to receive his letter of intent on Thursday as reported by Mark Singelais of the Times Union.

Former Loyola recruits, guards Maurice White and Marquis Wright along with forward Lavon Long have already confirmed their plans to play for the Saints. The incoming quartet from Maryland will be joined by local standout, Javion Ogunyemi to form the freshmen class at Siena.

Wolfe averaged 20 points and 9 rebounds for Georgetown Prep this past season. He was also an AAU teammate with Long with Mid Atlantic Select.

ESPN Analyst describes the 17 year old Wolfe this way:

“Strengths: He brings an athletic presence to the front-court with good size, length, and agility. He runs the floor well, has a cut upper body, and the frame to support more muscle mass once he enters a college weight program. He gets off his feet quickly to rebound, block shots”

In addition to Loyola, Wolfe had received offers and interest from Duquesne, Wagner, Binghamton, Citadel, Florida Gulf Coast, High Point , Holy Cross, Kennesaw St.,Radford, Bucknell, Vanderbilt, Jacksonville, Quinnipiac and Elon.

Georgetown Prep Coach Herb Krusen and Wolfe’s father George have stated previously that Wolfe was considering attending a year of prep school in either Connecticut or Virginia or possibly red-shirting his first year in college in order to further develop physically. It is unclear whether red-shirting was in the plans at Siena.

“Mike’s really good” said Krusen. “I don’t think you’d say there’s anybody in the area with more potential for a young big guy.”

Sophomore guard Evan Hymes has informed head coach Jimmy Patsos that he has decided to remain at Siena. Hymes had previously told Patsos he intended on leaving the program in order to transfer closer to home due to health issues concerning his mother.

Via Twitter on Saturday afternoon, Times Union reporter Mark Singelais told of the news.

G Evan Hymes is staying at Siena, head coach Jimmy Patsos says via text.

— Mark Singelais (@MarkSingelais) April 27, 2013

Patsos said Hymes notified him this morning he’s staying. “High character kid. Will really fit into our system,” Patsos said.

— Mark Singelais (@MarkSingelais) April 27, 2013

Hymes had said as recent as Thursday that he was unsure whether he would return and that he intended on taking his time on a decision due to his mother’s upcoming glaucoma surgery this summer.

Hymes is likely to flourish in a more up-tempo run and press style that Patsos brings to Siena.

With Hymes’ announcement, the Saints roster seems to be coming into focus now. With his decision to stay and this week’s news that Lavon Long and Marquis Wright had given their verbal commitments, along with Stephan Jiggetts decision to rescind his commitment, Patsos is left with just one roster spot to fill.

Hymes was the teams 4th leading scorer this season averaging 10.6 points per game, starting 30 of 31 games. He led the team in 3-pointers made with 59.

As a freshman he was named to the MAAC All-Rookie team and the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major All-American team averaging 13.4 points per game and was the team’s leading 3 point shooter making 61 threes (10th in the MAAC). He was a four time MAAC Rookie of the Week and was 4th in the MAAC in assists averaging 3.7 per game.He showed great promise from the start scoring 30 points in his second career game (at Mount St. Mary’s 11/19) – the most by a Siena freshman in 16 years.

Just prior to the news on Thursday that Siena had received commitments from Lavon Long and Marquis Wright, word came down that Stephan Jiggetts, a 6-1 combo guard from Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville Md., who had originally committed to Siena last September, had chosen to de-commit to play for the Saints.

The news was in a way not a total surprise as Marcus Helton of D.C. area hoops website dmvelite.com had written that Jiggetts’ father Steve, who coached both his son and Wright with the Maryland Ruff Riders AAU team, had expressed concern about having both guards competing for playing time if they chose the same school. However at Siena’s year-end celebration Thursday night Siena coach Jimmy Patsos told local media he had spoken to Jiggetts Wednesday night and all seemed fine.

Seeking to clarify her son’s position, Jiggetts mother, Tenisha stated Friday morning via Twitter:

“Let me set the record straight… I (Love) Marquis. He followed HIS coach to Siena. Stephan’s coach was let go. It’s that simple. I (Love) my son Stephan! He decided it was in HIS best interest to de-commit from Siena. I am proud of his wise decision! A new chapter begins… “

So following a whirlwind of a day, Patsos is left with at least one scholarship to fill. Whether another becomes available is still unknown. Regarding two uncertainties involving current players, one question seemed to be answered by Patsos, and one remains. While some had questioned the status of Trenity Burdine and any connection he may have had with the incident involving Rakeem Brookins, Patsos seemed to clarify the issue somewhat by saying as far as he was concerned Burdine had a “clean slate”. However, Evan Hymes told reporters he is still undecided whether he will opt to transfer or not and that he plans to take his time making a decision.

Two possible candidates to fill a remaining scholarship opening are 6-8 forward Marko Pirovic who was in town earlier this week for a visit and Mike Wolfe, a 6-9 forward who will visit on May 2nd and 3rd. Both are Patsos’ former Loyola recruits who may join the other three, Long, Wright, and Maurice White who have all opted to play for the Saints. Stay Tuned…

According to multiple sources, Siena has reportedly received a verbal commitment from 6-1 point guard Marquis Wright to play for the Saints beginning in the fall of 2013. Wright who originally agreed to play for Loyola, opted to follow coach Jimmy Patsos to Loudonville. He will not be joined by long time friend and Maryland Ruff Riders AAU teammate Stefan Jiggetts who had previously signed with Siena but has reportedly now de-committed.

The news came soon after Lavon Long, another former Loyola recruit, announced he had also committed to Siena. Wright and Long were both in town for an on campus visit to Siena when news of the decisions was announced.

A four-year varsity player for North Point H.S (Waldorf, Md.), Wright averaged 16.6 points, 6.1 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 3.9 steals this past season, leading the Eagles (24-3) to the Class 4A semifinals for the third straight year. He is a two-time Southern Maryland Athletic Conference MVP and finished his high school career with 1,084 points, 560 assists, 325 rebounds and 290 steals.

He averaged 13.0 points per game as a junior and as a sophomore, Wright helped guide a veteran team to a perfect 27-0 record on the way to the Eagles’ first Maryland 4A championship.

The Washington Post described Wright as “an electric ball handler and passer” and ESPN Analyst describes his game this way.
Strengths:
“Wright is a true point who runs the show on the defensive end of the court. He strikes a good balance between staying under control, but still having the quickness to make plays at appropriate times. He plays a pass first distributing style, but is quick to the rim .”

Wright was named the 2013 Gatorade Maryland Boys Basketball Player of the Year. The winners are selected based on athletic production and impact in season. Each winner also demonstrates high academic achievement and exemplary personal character, including volunteerism, sportsmanship and community leadership.

At the time of his original commitment to Loyola last fall, Wright had also been weighing an offer from Jacksonville. North Point Coach Jimmy Ball said, “They’re getting one heck of a point guard. He’s picked up his scoring each year, but he’s taking what the defense gives him. He looks to give assists first.”

Besides Loyola and Jacksonville, Wright also had interest from George Mason, High Point, Saint Francis (PA) and William & Mary. Following his release from Loyola interest picked up once again and Wright tweeted the following regarding those involved.

@trell_5 Siena, Furman, they said Maryland was goin to offer but I doubt ill play a lot, they said Missouri was goin to offer and high point

— Quis Wright (@Quis_Jurell) April 24, 2013

Siena has reportedly received a commitment from 6-7, 230-pound forward Lavon Long of Maryland to play for the Saints beginning this fall. Long who had originally committed to play for Loyola, received his release from that school and opted to follow new Siena coach Jimmy Patsos to Loudonville. Long committed today while on an official visit to the Siena campus and announced his commitment via twitter.

Long, who began his high school career at Mount St. Joseph, transferred to Oakland Mills for his senior year where he was named Howard County Player of the Year after averaging 15 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.6 blocks 3 assists and 2.5 steals a per game, leading his team to a 22-1 record and a trip to the regional finals.

Long’s AAU coach James Lee with Mid Atlantic Select described him as a “very versatile player. He can, with his size, go down and take on bigger players. And he has the versatility and skill-set to play on the perimeter, which was very intriguing to me. What I like about him the most is his competitiveness. No matter who he’s playing against, he’s going to compete to the fullest on both ends, offensively and defensively.”

Originally recruited by Siena, Long had received interest and scholarship offers over 20 schools including Loyola, Binghamton, Bryant, Dayton, Delaware, Fairfield, FDU, Kennesaw St., LIU Brooklyn, Northeastern, Radford, Rider, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, Towson, Wagner and VCU.

Following his arrest earlier this month, it appears that RS sophomore Rakeem Brookins is no longer with the Siena Basketball team. Although the school has released no official statement as to his status, Brookins is no longer listed on the team roster and an athletic department spokesman acknowledged that the names listed are the current members of the program.

Brookins faces felony burglary and larceny charges following an on-campus incident.

Brookins was this team’s third leading scorer this past season, averaging 11.3 points per game. After an early season 3-game suspension for violating athletic department policy, he missed an additional 9 games over the course of the year with a recurring back injury.

As a freshman, Brookins started in 25 of 31 games, averaging 9.0 points and 4.3 assists per game. He redshirted and sat out the entire following year due to a back injury which continued to plague him throughout this season.

Former local hoop star Lucious Jordan is joining the staff of Jimmy Patsos to serve as assistant coach at Siena. A graduate of nearby Colonie High School as well as U Albany, Jordan, 29, has local ties as a player and coach which will prove valuable for Patsos who has expressed his intentions of attracting locally based talent to play for the Saints.

Jordan spent this past season as the Director of Basketball Operations at James Madison University working under JMU head coach and former Siena point guard Matt Brady. Former Siena head coach Mike Deane also served with Jordan on Brady’s staff as an assistant coach. Together they led the Dukes to an NCAA tournament victory in the First Four over LIU Brooklyn followed by a loss to number 1 seed Indiana in the second round.

In the few seasons prior, Jordan began his coaching career with the Albany City Rocks AAU Program 16U team and the Albany-based Green Tech Charter School freshmen team. He has also worked as a trainer and skill development coach for Rise Up Basketball in Albany and worked the Nike Youth Pre-Draft Camp.

Following a successful career at Colonie High School where he scored nearly 2,000 points, Jordan was named second team All State. He then began his collegiate career at Loyola playing for Scott Hicks who had previously coached at U Albany. As a freshman, Jordan averaged 13.1 points per game and was named to the MAAC All Rookie Team. After a sophomore season in which he averaged 13.2 points per game to go with 53 assists and 101 rebounds, he opted to transfer back home to play for U Albany.

As a Great Dane, Jordan scored 413 points with 48 three-pointers made, 138 rebounds, 65 assists and 40 steals in his junior season. He was named Second Team All-Conference. As a senior, he tallied 270 points, 107 rebounds, 51 assists and 38 steals while helping to lead the Great Danes to their first America East title. In their first ever NCAA Division I Tournament appearance, they challenged Connecticut in a 72-59 loss. In all he scored 1,420 points over the course of his college career.

After earning his bachelor’s degree in communications and sociology with a minor in African American studies from the University at Albany in 2006, Jordan went on to play professionally with the Emmen Eagles of the Netherlands as well as the Albany Patroons in the Continental Basketball Association.

Jimmy Patsos has added Luke D’Alessio to his coaching staff to serve as an assistant coach at Siena. D’ Alessio along with Greg Manning, come to Siena having served as assistants on Patsos’ staff at Loyola. D’Alessio just finished his third season with the Greyhounds where he aided in all aspects of the program including recruiting, scouting and player development.

D’Alessio began his coaching journey soon after completing his collegiate career playing under Jack Bruen at Catholic University. He was a two time all-conference player accumulating 936 career points. After coaching briefly at Good Counsel High School in Maryland, D’Alessio returned to Catholic University where he spent six seasons as an assistant coach under Bruen (1986-1989) and Bob Valvano (1989-1992). Among those who played during that time, new Siena head coach Jimmy Patsos.

The next stop for D’Alessio was CCBC-Catonsville, a community college in the Baltimore area where he led a major turnaround to a program which had experienced 14 straight losing seasons. In his six seasons there, D’Alessio held a record of 124-52 (.700) including 4 straight 20-win seasons. In 1996, his third season, the Cardinals finished with a record of 28-7 advancing to the JUCO Elite Eight.

D’Alessio continued his success at Division II Bowie State, where by his second season, he led the Bulldogs to a 19-9 record, their first winning season in 30 years. He went on to tally a 199-96 record over 10 seasons that included three consecutive trips to the National Tournament (2002-2005) and a trip to the 2003 NCAA Division II Final Four. After coaching for one season in Ireland as the head coach of the UCC Blue Demons, he joined the staff at Loyola as an assistant to his former player, Patsos.