Looking back at Siena men's basketball coaching hires

PHOTOGRAPHER: File Photo

Former Siena coach Fran McCaffery, left, and Jimmy Patsos at a Coaches vs. Cancer banquet at Franklin Plaza in Troy in 2015.

LOUDONVILLE — With Jimmy Patsos’ resignation, Siena College is now searching for its 17th men’s basketball head coach in program history.

While a pair of young coaches — Le Moyne head coach Patrick Beilein and Syracuse assistant coach Gerry McNamara — have gained traction as early front-runners for the job, Siena has hired coaches from a wide range of backgrounds.

Going back, here is a look at the backgrounds, Siena tenures and post-Saints careers for the seven coaches hired to coach the Saints once they were MAAC members.

JIMMY PATSOS, 2013-2018

PREVIOUS JOB: For nine seasons, Patsos was the head coach at Loyola (Md.).

BEFORE THAT: Patsos was an assistant at Maryland for 13 seasons. Patsos was a member of Maryland’s coaching staff when the Terrapins won a national championship in 2002.

WITH THE SAINTS: In five seasons, Patsos’ teams went 77-92. Siena played in one MAAC tournament championship game, won a CBI title, and recorded a pair each of 20-win and 20-loss seasons.

AFTER LOUDONVILLE: TBD.

MITCH BUONAGURO, 2010-2013

PREVIOUS JOB: For five seasons, Buonaguro served as the lead assistant to head coach Fran McCaffery at Siena.

BEFORE THAT: Buonaguro was an assistant coach for several programs and was a head coach at Fairfield for six seasons. Before coaching Fairfield from 1985 to 1991, Buonaguro was an assistant coach at Villanova for nearly a decade and won a national championship in 1985 with the Wildcats.

WITH THE SAINTS: In his three seasons as head coach, the Saints went 35-59. Buonaguro’s teams never reached a .500 record in MAAC play. Siena went 8-24 in his final season, an identical mark to the last season for Patsos’ Saints.

AFTER LOUDONVILLE: After a season away from coaching, Buonaguro joined Fairfield as an assistant coach. He has been a member of the Stags’ staff for the past three seasons.

FRAN McCAFFERY, 2005-2010

PREVIOUS JOB: Head coach at UNC-Greensboro for six seasons.

BEFORE THAT: Prior to amassing a 90-87 record at UNC-Greensboro, McCaffery was a head coach at Lehigh for three seasons before working as an assistant at Notre Dame for a decade.

WITH THE SAINTS: In five seasons at Siena, McCaffery brought the Saints’ program to its greatest heights. Siena went 112-51, made three appearances in the NCAA tournament and twice advanced to the round of 32. Before leaving to take the head coaching job at Iowa, McCaffery posted four consecutive 20-win seasons.

AFTER LOUDONVILLE: McCaffery remains at Iowa. In his eight seasons at Iowa, McCaffery’s teams have gone 151-120 and played in three NCAA tournaments.

ROB LANIER, 2002-2005

PREVIOUS JOB: For two season, Lanier was an assistant coach at Texas under Rick Barnes.

BEFORE THAT: Lanier had three separate multi-year stints as an assistant coach. Lanier got his start at Niagara before heading to St. Bonaventure and Rutgers.

WITH THE SAINTS: In three seasons, Lanier went 58-70 before he was fired following a 6-24 campaign. Lanier did guide the Saints to one NCAA tournament and a win in the tournament’s play-in round.

AFTER LOUDONVILLE: Lanier has not served again as a head coach. He first worked as an assistant at Virginia and Florida before reuniting with Barnes, first at Texas and then at Tennessee.

LOUIS ORR, 2000-2001

PREVIOUS JOB: Orr was an assistant coach for four seasons at Syracuse, his alma mater.

BEFORE THAT: After playing eight seasons in the NBA, Orr worked as an assistant coach at Xavier and Providence.

WITH THE SAINTS: In one season, Orr led Siena to a 20-11 mark.

AFTER LOUDONVILLE: Orr accepted the head coaching job at Seton Hall and led the Pirates to an 80-69 record before he was fired after five seasons. Orr later coached at Bowling Green and went 101-121 in seven seasons. Now, Orr is an assistant coach for Patrick Ewing at Georgetown.

PAUL HEWITT, 1997-2000

PREVIOUS JOB: For five seasons, Hewitt was an assistant coach at Villanova. He helped lead the Wildcats to three appearances in the NCAA tournament, and was on the Villanova staff when the Wildcats beat Siena in the 1994 NIT semifinals.

BEFORE THAT: Hewitt was an assistant coach at three schools, including Southern California.

WITH THE SAINTS: In three season, Hewitt’s Saints went 66-27 and made an appearance in the NCAA tournament. Twice, Siena won regular season MAAC titles with Hewitt.

AFTER LOUDONVILLE: Hewitt left Siena for Georgia Tech, where he coached for 11 seasons and went 190–162. His 2003-04 team finished the national runner-up. Following Hewitt’s dismissal from Georgia Tech, he coach at George Mason for four seasons.

BOB BEYER, 1994-1997

PREVIOUS JOB: Beyer worked as an assistant coach at Wisconsin for one season.

BEFORE THAT: Beyer was an assistant for three programs, including for Siena and UAlbany.

WITH THE SAINTS: Siena’s first hire as a MAAC program lasted three seasons, as Beyer compiled a 22-59 record and never won double-digit games in a single season. He was fired after a 9-18 campaign.

AFTER LOUDONVILLE: Beyer has never served again as a head coach. Instead, he has been an assistant coach, splitting time between the college game and the NBA. Currently, he is with the Detroit Pistons.

Reach Michael Kelly at [email protected] or @ByMichaelKelly on Twitter.