Siena College - Saga Yearbook (Loudonville, NY)

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THE SPIRIT of Siena basketball is generated each season by the annual pep rally. From the steps of the Capitol Father Mark Kennedy, O.F.M., addresses When the Siena College Varsity walked off the Hoor of Washington Avenue Armory on the night of April 1, 1950, the team had captured the National Catholic Intercollegiate Tournament. This team of teams had shat- tered twenty-two of thirty-two school records. Individual honors went to Ed Lange and Billy Harrell. Lange had scored the incredible total of 1,012 points in his four years of play. Harrell, as a sophomore, had grabbed three hundred and eighty-seven rebounds in one season. This team, which had defeated Man- hattan College at Madison Square Garden, had a season record of twenty-four wins and five defeats. Siena College was thus permanently placed on the basketball map. The Siena Basketball story would not be 13 the student body, arousing them to the support of their team. fully told if mention were not made of great individual play. The name of Billy Harrell is familiar to every Siena student. Thislathlete from Troy set numerous scoring and rebound- ing records during his four years of basketball. At a half-time ceremony in January, 1952, he was presented with a trophy giving tribute to 0a great basketball player, a fine student, and a gentleman. When one considers scoring there can be only one name, Tim Hill. In four years of play Tim scored 1,092 points and established six other records ranking him as the greatest scorer in Siena history. In more recent years the squad, although handicapped by a deficiency in height, has continued to give its best in the Siena spirit of determination and pride.

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When the green and gold clad Mohawks of Siena College took the court against a for- midible Albany Business College, an important aspect of the Colleges extracurricular life com- menced. Under the mentorship of Jack Carrol the Siena basketball team won their first inter- collegiate contest in the winter of 1938. The men who have participated in this sport throughout the twenty-five years of Siena Col- lege have played a unique part in the incredible story of the prodigious expansion of the school. Skilled coaching, energetic playing, and ardent cheering have characterized the place of this sport in the fame of the College. The ascent of the Siena Indians, as the team was later called, to basketball glory was one of singular swiftness. On December 12, 1941, this tiny institution stunned collegiate basket-- ball with an upset victory over Villonava. This was the first season that Siena, under the di- rection of Henry Bunoski, could play their home games at Gibbons. Hall. Led by its high scorer, Howie Tucker, the Siena team had arrived. The Capitol District sports enthusi- asts became keenly aware of the athletic en- deavors of the Siena quintet. In 1941, Daniel Cunha, a Notre Dame gradu- ate, was named as coach of the team. Through- out the war years the extracurricular activities were extremely limited. The basketball seasons were often forced to be concluded before the completion of the schedule. Mr. Cunha in- structed the Navy and Army personnel in physical fitness programs as a preparation for the demands of warfare before he himself was called to active duty. TIM HILL, Siena's great scorer, drives for two points. BILLY HARRELL scores against Manhattan in Albany Armory. A CANISIUS PLAYER finds the long arm of Tom Pottenburgh an obstacle. 12

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INSTRUCTION is given to the student body in St. Mary of the Angels Chapel. 14 The Post-war era had been one of phe- nomenal growth for Siena College. The student body had increased to such an extent that the subsequent decade had to be devoted to a constant building program. On April 25, 1949, a big step in this pro- gram was taken when the Rev. William A. Scully, D.D., Coadjutor Bishop of A1- bany, blessed the cornerstone of the Siena Friary and St. Mary of the Angels Chapel. The friary was the first building con- structed on campus strictly for the use of the Franciscans. This new structure en- abled the clerical faculty to reside in a truly communal dwelling. The chapel was a signal triumph for the Friars and further evidence of the rapid development of this Catholic college.