With Penn out for season, Siena seeks contributions from others vs. Canisius
Siena men's basketball coach Jimmy Patsos has tried 15 different starting lineups with a team that hasn't won two games in a row all season.
"This is a team looking for consistency," Patsos said Wednesday. "Who gets hurt? Our most consistent player."
He was talking about freshman point guard Roman Penn, who isn't coming back this season. On Tuesday, the Saints got the news they expected when an MRI exam confirmed Penn will need surgery on his left heel.
Penn missed the past two games, both losses, after experiencing pain last Thursday. Now Siena knows it must go on the rest of the year without him, starting with Thursday night's game at Canisius.
Patsos said he hopes Penn will be back by July 1 after undergoing a procedure to remove a cyst from his heel.
"It's attached to the bone, it's been in there so long," Patsos said. "They've got to scrape it off his heel. It's a big process. This is not a small surgery."
Penn is leading the Saints (7-18 overall, 3-9 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) in scoring at 9.7 points per game and assists at 3.0 per contest. He's also tied for the team lead with 4.9 rebounds per game despite being 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds.
"I feel bad (for Penn)," Patsos said. "It's a tough break, but he played his heart out. He was probably going to be on the (MAAC) all-rookie team, but I don't think so anymore, which really sucks for him. It sucks for us, too."
The Saints still have six MAAC regular-season games to play, starting with overachieving Canisius (15-9, 9-2). Siena handed the Golden Griffins one of their two league losses this season, a 65-62 victory on Jan. 7 at Times Union Center.
Freshman guard Jordan Horn won that game with a 3-pointer with 5.4 seconds left.
Patsos said Horn's availability will be a game-time decision for the rematch. He's missed two of the past three games with a sprained ankle.
Siena left for Buffalo earlier than planned on Wednesday because of the snowstorm. On the way, they stopped for practice at the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center, the Syracuse University practice facility named for the former Orange star who led them to the 2003 national title. He donated $3 million for the project.
Patsos said several of his players are big fans of Anthony, the Oklahoma City Thunder forward, and were grateful to be allowed to practice there.
"The spirit's very good on the bus," Patsos said. "They're very energized. The team's tight. We're not falling apart at the seams or anything like that. We just have to try to beat Canisius, who we've beaten. Now we also know they're going to be mad at us because we beat them."
With Penn out and Horn questionable, Siena will continue to seek other options for its struggling offense. Sophomore guard Khalil Richard tied his career high with 16 points in Monday's loss at Fairfield with a bruised shooting hand that's improving. He's scored in double figures 10 times.
"He felt better and he was just motivated to win and everything," Patsos said. "He just sucked it up. Now he's playing good."
Patsos said he could give more minutes to redshirt junior forward Kevin Degnan, who had a season-high nine points at Fairfield after scoring only 11 in the first 24 games.
"It's kind of like it's Degnan's turn," Patsos said. "I wasn't mad at him. He just started practicing better. He started playing with a little more confidence."
The Saints will try to improve their 1-12 road record. Patsos said Siena is still capable of winning games even with a team that had junior guard Nico Clareth leave the program at midseason, followed by Penn's season-ending injury.
"We're playing hard," Patsos said. " I just want guys to stay committed to the role that we've assigned to them. We're getting used to each other."
Siena men's basketball coach Jimmy Patsos has tried 15 different starting lineups with a team that hasn't won two games in a row all season.
"This is a team looking for consistency," Patsos said Wednesday. "Who gets hurt? Our most consistent player."
He was talking about freshman point guard Roman Penn, who isn't coming back this season. On Tuesday, the Saints got the news they expected when an MRI exam confirmed Penn will need surgery on his left heel.
Penn missed the past two games, both losses, after experiencing pain last Thursday. Now Siena knows it must go on the rest of the year without him, starting with Thursday night's game at Canisius.
Patsos said he hopes Penn will be back by July 1 after undergoing a procedure to remove a cyst from his heel.
"It's attached to the bone, it's been in there so long," Patsos said. "They've got to scrape it off his heel. It's a big process. This is not a small surgery."
Penn is leading the Saints (7-18 overall, 3-9 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) in scoring at 9.7 points per game and assists at 3.0 per contest. He's also tied for the team lead with 4.9 rebounds per game despite being 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds.
"I feel bad (for Penn)," Patsos said. "It's a tough break, but he played his heart out. He was probably going to be on the (MAAC) all-rookie team, but I don't think so anymore, which really sucks for him. It sucks for us, too."
The Saints still have six MAAC regular-season games to play, starting with overachieving Canisius (15-9, 9-2). Siena handed the Golden Griffins one of their two league losses this season, a 65-62 victory on Jan. 7 at Times Union Center.
Freshman guard Jordan Horn won that game with a 3-pointer with 5.4 seconds left.
Patsos said Horn's availability will be a game-time decision for the rematch. He's missed two of the past three games with a sprained ankle.
Siena left for Buffalo earlier than planned on Wednesday because of the snowstorm. On the way, they stopped for practice at the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center, the Syracuse University practice facility named for the former Orange star who led them to the 2003 national title. He donated $3 million for the project.
Patsos said several of his players are big fans of Anthony, the Oklahoma City Thunder forward, and were grateful to be allowed to practice there.
"The spirit's very good on the bus," Patsos said. "They're very energized. The team's tight. We're not falling apart at the seams or anything like that. We just have to try to beat Canisius, who we've beaten. Now we also know they're going to be mad at us because we beat them."
With Penn out and Horn questionable, Siena will continue to seek other options for its struggling offense. Sophomore guard Khalil Richard tied his career high with 16 points in Monday's loss at Fairfield with a bruised shooting hand that's improving. He's scored in double figures 10 times.
"He felt better and he was just motivated to win and everything," Patsos said. "He just sucked it up. Now he's playing good."
Patsos said he could give more minutes to redshirt junior forward Kevin Degnan, who had a season-high nine points at Fairfield after scoring only 11 in the first 24 games.
"It's kind of like it's Degnan's turn," Patsos said. "I wasn't mad at him. He just started practicing better. He started playing with a little more confidence."
The Saints will try to improve their 1-12 road record. Patsos said Siena is still capable of winning games even with a team that had junior guard Nico Clareth leave the program at midseason, followed by Penn's season-ending injury.
"We're playing hard," Patsos said. " I just want guys to stay committed to the role that we've assigned to them. We're getting used to each other."
