Clareth, Degnan take leadership role on senior-less Siena

Patsos appoints juniors as captains with four starters departing

Siena men's basketball coach Jimmy Patsos said he looked at a team that will have no seniors next season and decided it was time to name captains right away rather than wait until the fall, which is the normal custom.

Just because with a young group and you lose four (seniors), it's weird because those guys were so dominant in our program,'' Patsos said Tuesday after returning from a vacation in Vietnam.

Siena graduates Brett Bisping, Lavon Long, Javion Ogunyemi and Marquis Wright, four starters who fell one victory short of the NCAA Tournament.

Degnan, on the other hand, has never played a game in a Siena uniform after sitting out last season as a transfer from Fairfield University.

Patsos said in January the 6-foot-5 shooting guard didn't seem fully committed to the team before Clareth left the team for seven games and returned in early February.

Clareth played better when he came back, including an unforgettable 27-point second half in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference semifinal upset of top-seeded Monmouth.

[...] he came back, played well, competed, was a good teammate and he's been doing great in school.

Patsos said when he picked the captains, he did so with input from his assistants and players, including the departing seniors.

Honestly, I was a little surprised because I didn't play this year, but seeing the guys we have right now, I feel I can really make a difference leading up to next year's season, how old I am.