Men's Basketball Team
| Year: | 1996-97 |
| Class: | 2009 |
| Team: | Men's Basketball |
The following was printed on The 1996-97 Men's Basketball Team's HOF plaque:
There were some outstanding Siena Heights men’s basketball teams before and after the ’96-’97 team; but none of them reached the heights and savored the journey like this team. Coach Fred Smith’s club became the third Saints’ team to win 30 games in a season.
The Saints, who were ranked in the top ten nationally all-year, had a regular season which saw them win their tenth Maple City Classic Championship. They also finished the regular season in a tie for first place for the WHAC regular season title with Spring Arbor, who finished in the final eight that year.
An 87-75 victory over league rival Cornerstone in the conference tournament championship game gave the Saints momentum for their memorable national tournament run in Nampa, Idaho. The Saints made their disappointing first-round loss in the 1996 national tournament a distant memory with an 87-79 win over South Dakota Tech in the first round. The second round game was an 83-79 nail biter over Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and the ’97 Saints became the first basketball team in school history to reach the Final Four with an 84-74 win over the College of the Ozarks in the quarterfinals.
With an 89-80 win over Tabor College in the national semi-final, the Saints set another first in Siena Heights’ athletic history by becoming the first team to advance to a national championship game. The Saints locked up with perennial NAIA Division II basketball power Bethel College in an exciting and memorable championship game that saw the Saints fall to the Pilots by a score of 95-94.
The Saints’ memorable season was also the pinnacle for head coach Fred Smith and one of many accomplishments that led to his induction into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 2006.
Joe Dettling averaged 10.2 rebounds per game and was the top rebounder in the national tournament. He joined teammates Byron Johnson and Ryan Sanford on the All-Tournament Team. Anthony Staffney matched Tournament MVP Rico Swanson step for step and was named the winner of the Tournament Hustle Award. The ’97 Saints still hold the national tournament record for fouls in a tournament with 115.
Other members of the 1997 Siena Heights men’s basketball team included seniors, Andy Bakus, Roger Williams, Daniel Winston, juniors, Rob Camperlino, Chadvis Carroll, sophomores, Steve Bennett, Sam Lofton, Don Marcero, Kiefer Oliver; and assistant coaches Al Sandifer, Dave Briggs and Steve Moore.
