The NCAA transfer portal affects roster turnover in a variety of ways, perhaps one of the less important ones being that competition suffers because there isn’t much emotional carryover from year to year and there are too many new players with unknown history.
The responsibility for delivering this lies with the small group.
But just because the revenge factor is down, that doesn’t mean the Albany Cup match between Siena and UAlbany will lack its usual energy.
The Saints and Great Danes will feature a variety of storylines that add interest beyond the usual brag topics on Saturday at 7pm.
If revenge is needed, Siena is the team looking for it after the Great Danes won 86-51 last season.
“I saw the score last year. I’m taking notes,” Siena coach Gary McNamara said with a smile at the annual Coaches vs. Cancer event Sept. 30 in Albany.
McNamara, in his first college role, will get his first taste of the Albany Cup being hosted at UAlbany’s 3,800-seat Broadview Center for the first time since the stadium was renovated.
This will be the third Albany Cup for UAlbany coach Dwayne Killings, whose team lost 75-62 in the 2022 MVP when the series was revived after a three-year hiatus.
Despite the presence of new faces on both rosters, he recognizes that the rivalry still creates a passionate desire to win on both sides.
“Every time you represent a program, regardless of the player, you take on everything that has happened before,” Killings said. “So in both programs – I’m sure Gerry is doing the same thing – you are representing the people. Many people are invested in your program – student government, donors, organizations, etc. – and a lot is at stake. There are presidents who are in the game. “Regardless of the portal and transfers, I think both programs understand it.”
Speaking of portals, one of the side stories is that Marcus Jackson transferred to Siena after two seasons at UAlbany.
The Amsterdam-born Albany Academy graduate has donned the purple and gold in the last two Albany Cups and will be in the lineup for a different team this time around.
“I was kind of sad that the Albany Cup (MVP) wasn’t happening this year,” Jackson said during preseason. “It’s kind of funny that the first year I played in the Albany Cup was for Siena and now I’m playing for Albany.
“But I’m happy to play for MVP (during the regular season). It’s a great place to play as an away team. It was loud and action-packed and I was ready to go there in my ‘Sienna’.”
“One moment people are there, the next moment they are gone. This is how the portal works,” Killings said. “I thought we invested a lot in Marcus and helped develop his skills and leadership. I know our friends cherish their time with him. I think we’ve done a great job of elevating Marcus’ talent level and who he is as a person. We had a good two years and then he decided what was best for him and we moved on immediately.”
In addition to Jackson, Siena players who earned playing time at last year’s Albany Cup included Brendan Coyle, Bralyn Smith, Michael Ojo and Kyle Winters.
Great Danes on the floor include Amar’s Marshall, Aaron Reddish and walk-on Zane Adnan.
Marshall and Reddish lost the season opener to Army but have missed the last two games due to injury. Each practiced Thursday and Killings said he might be available to play against Siena.
One player who is in his fourth season on the UAlbany roster but missed last year’s Albany Cup is redshirt junior Justin Neely. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee during a 2022 Albany Cup game.
He’s still in the final stages of a long comeback from injury, but showed signs of the play that made him the 2021-22 America East Rookie of the Year in Wednesday’s 87-73 win at Dartmouth.
In 29 minutes off the bench, he scored 18 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the field and had six rebounds, including three of the Great Danes’ 15 offensive rebounds.
“I don’t think he’s anywhere near where we want him to be. Physically, we’re still trying to keep his weight down, still trying to keep his condition where it needs to be,” Killings said.
“Once this happens, you will see Justin Neely in full form. Part of it is confidence. I think he doesn’t have the explosiveness he used to have, and I think he’ll get that back in time. But it was great to see him be so decisive in the paint and rebound the ball as much as he could.”
“As an older guy who’s been through this game before, I’m trying to help the younger players understand what it means,” Neely said in a Zoom interview after the Dartmouth game. “For the city, for bragging rights. It’s a big game. There will be a sold-out crowd at Broadview Arena. We’re playing a lot. So just stay calm. “Keep it simple and we will finish with a win on Saturday.”
It’s still early, but both teams are playing well.
Siena won twice in overtime to improve to 3-0, while UAlbany (2-1) won its second straight game without Marshall and Reddish, who was named to the 2023-24 AE All-Conference third team.
If the Saints win, they will equal their win total for the entire 2023-24 season.
“He’s done a great job,” Killings said of McNamara. “They won games in different ways, different players developed in different ways. They are tough. They do a great job on the offensive glass, and they do a great job with the 50-50 ball as well.
“The most important thing when watching a program is that you want to see faith. His children believe. “That is the first step to growth.”
If the new Great Danes needed clarification on what the series means to their respective programs, they got it in the form of text messages from former players like Courtney Johnson, Chris Wyatt and Jamar Wilson.
“I don’t want to disappoint people,” Killings said. “But every game is important. For us now, growth is about focusing on the details and not letting the environment or outside noise influence us.”
“I understand what it means to the people of this area to have these two teams involved in this, and what it means to the community that goes out of their way to support this,” McNamara said.
