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Upstart Siena Is Ready For Its Day In The Sun

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By MARTIN FENNELLY | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 20, 2008

And so they're here. Southwest Airlines Flight 175, nonstop from cold and rainy Albany, touched down in Tampa shortly before noon Wednesday. The Siena College basketball team, our lovable upstart from upstate New York, had arrived at the NCAA Tournament.

There weren't official greeters for Siena coach Fran McCaffery and his lads, unless you count freshman forward Ryan Rossiter's dad. Steve Rossiter, a retired New York City firefighter, is here for Friday's game against Vanderbilt. His older son, Stephen, plays for NCAA team Davidson.

"It's a special time," Dad said.

Later, Siena senior and co-captain Tay Fisher gave you the Albany weather report.

"It was raining, and possibly it will be snowing later. That's something that it's been doing for about the last three months. It's good to see the sun."

Hotel Staff Clapped For Them

Who knows how long Siena will be in the sun. You wouldn't have known it by the faces at baggage claim Wednesday. Those eyes said something might happen. Siena might happen.

"I've been waiting on this," Fisher said as he captured teammates in his camcorder lens.

The balloons at the hotel were green and gold - Saints colors.

"The hotel staff clapped for us," Siena junior Kenny Hasbrouck said.

It's the fun part.

When the team bus pulled up to the gym at Tampa Prep for a practice Wednesday afternoon, reporters were waiting. One of the team managers carried in a cardboard box filled with shiny new basketballs just for the tournament.

Tampa Prep boys basketball coach Joe Fenlon waited for the Saints. He goes way back with Siena coach McCaffery, who has recruited Tampa Prep. They shared a laugh before practice. Fran McCaffery might have the best coach's laugh in the tournament.

"Fran is one of my favorites," Fenlon said.

Siena will be everyone's favorite if they beat Vanderbilt. They'll go national.

"It's different, it's obviously different," McCaffery said. "They're not usually waiting for your bus at practice two days before the game."

It's different. You knew it this week as Siena players asked each other if they were bringing shorts and flip-flops on the trip, or when a Siena assistant coach asked about a good Italian restaurant for a team meal after work.

And work there will be.

The sun might get lonely.

"We got to walk down the street from our hotel about 10 minutes today," Hasbrouck said. "Just walked down to the Marriott, looked at the pool, then walked back. That's our sightseeing right there. Probably walk the opposite direction tomorrow, then come right back."

Hoping For Saints Fever

Siena fans are trickling into town. The Saints will practice this morning then shoot around tonight at the Forum and do interviews. They ate dinner at Lee Roy Selmon's on Wednesday.

Hasbrouck said they're not going near the hotel pool ("Wears you out"), which is fine by Fisher, who doesn't swim.

"They call me Tay Fisher, but I don't where the Fish came from."

He laughed. It was that kind of day, with cameras waiting on buses and balloons in the hotel atrium and shiny new basketballs still in their wrappers.

The only other Siena team to pull a first-round shocker was the school's first NCAA Tournament team in 1989. That's the Siena team that was forced to play late-season games in empty road arenas because of an outbreak of measles at Siena - Cinderella in a quarantine ward.

"I hope we don't have to top that," McCaffery said. "What, plague?"

Saints Fever will have to do.

At baggage claim Wednesday, one Siena freshman left his computer on the airport rug and started for the bus. Somebody called him back.

"Man, my mind's racing," Freshman said.

Team managers, equally affected, left a coach to carry about 11 bags, straps hanging everywhere on his neck.

"What's wrong with this picture?" Coach said.

Then he laughed.

It was that kind of day in the sun.

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