Siena men's basketball prepares for Providence

New Siena men's basketball coach Jamion Christian and his "Mayhem" system get their first test in a real game on Tuesday, when the Saints open the regular season at Providence of the Big East in the Air Force Reserve Tip-Off Tournament.

Though the Saints were already scheduled in this event before Christian was hired in May, he said he welcomes the chance to play "up" against a major-conference opponent.

"In my career, I've opened up against high-major teams every year,'' Christian, formerly at Mount St. Mary's, said before Thursday's practice. "I'm very comfortable with that. It's great to go into a great environment where fans are passionate about the game. You're going against a great head coach (Providence's Ed Cooley). That's what you want.

"You want to be able to sign up and say we're going against the very best and see on that day if our very best can be as good as theirs,'' Christian continued. "As many times in the year that you can line up against those opportunities, the better off you're going to be, the more you learn about your group and the more you're going to be able to show as the season goes on."