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Siena Basketball: 2019-20 season preview for Saints

By Jason Burgess

DAYTON, OH - MARCH 20: The Siena Saints celebrate after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes in overtime during the first round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the University of Dayton Arena on March 20, 2009 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
DAYTON, OH - MARCH 20: The Siena Saints celebrate after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes in overtime during the first round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the University of Dayton Arena on March 20, 2009 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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BUFFALO, NY – MARCH 16: Head coach Jamion Christian of the Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers reacts in the first half against the Villanova Wildcats during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at KeyBank Center on March 16, 2017 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY – MARCH 16: Head coach Jamion Christian of the Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers reacts in the first half against the Villanova Wildcats during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at KeyBank Center on March 16, 2017 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Siena Basketball finished one game out of first in the MAAC last season. In 2019-20 they have a title in their sights, with a first-year head coach.

This is the first season for Siena Basketball under new head coach Carmen Maciariello. Under previous head coach Jamion Christian, the Saints went 17-15 last year which was a nine-game improvement over the season before. They would earn the 5th seed in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament, where they would eventually fall to top-seeded Iona. Coach Chrisitan left this past offseason for George Washington, paving the way for Maciariello to come in.

Siena hasn’t won a postseason game since 2014 when they won the CBI, and haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2010. Those streaks may or may not end in 2019, but the first season with a new head man was a step in the right direction for the Saints. That season could’ve been even better for Siena, they finished with a league mark of 11-7, and all seven of those losses came by 10 points or less, in fact, five of the seven were by six points or less. Being one of four teams that finished just one game behind league champ Iona, as good as it was, Siena was just a few baskets away from it being a special season.

As the Saints prepare for the 2019-20 season, excitement abounds as the program as they further themselves from the end of the Jimmy Pastos era and on to bigger things. Siena proved last season that they had the ingredients of a competing team last season, the recipe just needed some tweaking. This season Maciariello hopes his squad had the right mix cooked up to serve up a higher finish in the MAAC and if the season comes out just right, a possible title.