Watervliet native Brian Fruscio still has fond memories of the one year he spent as a Siena men’s basketball assistant coach, even though it was a trying season.
The Saints only had six victories in 2004-05, but at least one of them was memorable. Siena won at Youngstown State 79-78 in four overtimes on Dec. 14, 2004, still the program’s longest game since upgrading to Division I in 1976-77.
“I remember we were so heavily dominated by our freshmen that year,” Fruscio recalled Friday. “So it was good for a young team to get a win on the road and battle like that.”
It’s still a game that Fruscio, now Albany Academy’s head coach, mentions to his players as example of perseverance and the important of every possession. And the marathon contest came to mind again on Wednesday night.
That’s because former Siena head coach Rob Lanier led Georgia State to a four-overtime win over Atlanta rival Georgia Tech on Division I basketball’s opening night.
Fruscio was Lanier’s assistant on that team that outlasted Youngstown State 16 years ago. The two still keep in touch every month or so.
“I texted him right away,” Fruscio said. “I’m thrilled for Rob. It’s great to be the best team in the city that you play in, so now that have bragging rights at Georgia State.”
Lanier told the Atlanta media after the game he wanted his players to appreciate how rare a four-overtime game is.
“During the timeouts, we were talking about getting stops and rebounding the basketball but we also talked during the game about loving the opportunity, loving what’s going on and enjoying every minute of it and continuing to be tough and sticking together,” Lanier said.
That’s also what it took for the Saints against Youngstown State, a game the Saints played without two injured regulars, Michael Haddix and Kojo Mensah, who were both limited to a dozen games that season.
Then-freshman guard Jack McClinton played 57 of a possible 60 minutes. Already depleted, the Saints had three players foul out – David Ryan, Tommy Mitchell and Gary Holle.
“I remember everyone just being so exhausted,” Fruscio said. “Especially those young guys and this is like six, seven, eight games into their college careers, so they’re just trying to get a feel for all of that. That was unique.”
The longest game in Siena history was a six-overtime loss to Niagara at the Washington Avenue Armory on Feb. 21, 1953.
Siena’s Tay Fisher, also a freshman in 2004, ended up making the difference against Youngstown State. His 3-pointer with eight seconds left in the fourth overtime was the winning basket, a sign of things for come for Fisher, who is still second in team history with 229 3-pointers.
“Tay Fisher was a good one,” Fruscio said.
Though the Saints enjoyed the win, Fruscio remembered he had more on his mind because he was the assistant in charge of tracking the players’ academics. Siena flew back to campus the next day for final exams.
“Siena’s not a place where (not) everybody’s the same,” Fruscio said. “Everybody takes their finals, so I remember I was a little on edge even though we had the win. I was on to the next day already.”
Even after the victory, the Saints were only 2-7 and it didn’t prove to a be a turning point. They finished 6-24 and Lanier and his staff were let go after the year.
McClinton transferred to Miami and was taken in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft. Al Fisher, no relation to Tay, moved on to Kent State and was named the 2008 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year.
“We had really talented kids,’’ Fruscio said. “We just had a short bench because of injuries … We never played a game with like a full roster. That puts a damper on it.”
Fruscio said he remains grateful for the year he spent at Siena, following a childhood in Watervliet, where he grew up pretending to be Siena stars Mike Catino and Fred Daniels.
“I’ve always been a Siena fan,” he said. “So to have a dream to coach at Siena and then get that opportunity from Coach Lanier was always very special. It’s great to see what Carm (Maciariello) has been able to accomplish.”
msingelais@timesunion.com • 518-454-5509 • @MarkSingelais
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