Siena Men's Basketball Yearbook

Tradition Since the year after its founding in 1937, Siena has boasted a men's basketball team that has captivated audiences in the Capital Region and beyond. In the original glory days of the late 1940s and early 1950s, the then-Indians advanced to the National Catholic Invitational Tournament four straight years, winning the title in Albany in 1950. The Rev. Maurus Fitzgerald served as the department's first athletic director, publicizing his vision "that one day Siena would gain the same national fame in basketball that has been achieved in football by Notre Dame." Following the success of the early 50s, the program was well on its way, as the Indians found themselves ranked in the AP top-20 in successive seasons, catapulting as high as 11th following an upset of Seton Hall in Albany's Washington Avenue's Armory. Siena Hall of Famer Billy Harrell was a big part of the team's success in its teenage years, drawing the praise of national publications on his way to being drafted by both the National Basketball Association (Minneapolis Lakers) and Major League Baseball (Cleveland Indians). "The Flash" was a United Press Honorable Mention All-American as a senior in 1952. Over the next 20 years, the program struggled, winning no more than 14 games in any season. During that time, the Saints played in the longest game in NCAA history, a six-overtime loss to Niagara in 1952-53 (now the second longest). The following year, the player who provided the brightest moments during the "dark years", Bill Kirsch, a 5-8 guard who was described as a "set-shot artist," supplied one of the most memorable moments in program history, sinking a 60-foot shot at Madison Square Garden to beat Iona at the buzzer. Sportswriter David Eisenberg described the shot as "the most sensational basketball shot in Madison Square Garden history, a three-quartercourter from 60 feet out." In 1972, the former set-shot standout took over as head men's basketball coach and athletic director. It was under his leadership, and through his imagination, that Siena was given Division I status in 1976. After a brief incubation period, the program began to flourish, and has since periodically experienced the national acclaim Fitzgerald dared dream of over 60 years ago. Head Coach Mike Deane guided Siena to the promise land of college basketball, the NCAA Tournament, for the first time in 1989—the year after the program made its initial NIT appearance. After capturing the nation's attention throughout the season as a result of a measles outbreak on campus that forced several games (including the North Atlantic Conference Tournament) to be quarantined, Siena knocked off third-seeded (and 13th ranked) Stanford in Greensboro, N.C., to become one of the NCAA's first "Cinderella teams." "Showbiz" Mark Brown, Siena's alltime leading scorer with 2,284 career points, keyed the win with a game-high 32 points. Deane's teams won 20 or more games four times in his eight years with the program and advanced to the NIT three times, capped off by an unforgettable 1994 run. In his final season at the helm, the Saints played well into March, thanks in large part to the efforts of another 2,000point scorer, Doremus Bennerman. Bennerman went on to earn NIT Most Valuable Player honors after setting the Marc "Showbiz" Brown Tournament record with 174 points (including a schoolrecord 51 at Madison Square Garden against Kansas State) Former Siena president, Fr. Kevin Mackin, O.F.M., presents Billy Harrell with a replica banner and a proclamation from the governor's office. Howie Tucker was a member of Siena's first team in 1938. He was the first person inducted into the Siena Sports Hall of Fame. Kenny Hasbrouck '10 greets Billy Harrell '52 as Marc Brown '91 looks on during the 2012 Siena Legends game. At the time, the three players were the only Saints to have their jersey number retired. On December 29, 2012, Fred Shear's '73 No. 50 became the fourth jersey to be retired. Siena College 2013-14 Men's Basketball page 7

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