Nico Clareth will not return to Siena Saints basketball program

Loudonville

When the Siena men's basketball team went down to Iona last season, guard Nico Clareth made a surprise return from a seven-game absence. He played well and the Saints won to start a run that ended in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship game.

The Saints return to New Rochelle on Thursday but this time it will be the first game of the post-Nico era.

Siena announced Wednesday the team and Clareth have "reached a mutual decision to part ways."

The news ends Clareth's turbulent 21/2-year career with the Saints. Clareth, Siena's leading scorer, will remain on scholarship and transfer following the end of the spring semester.

"Sometimes it's better just to cut the situation off and move toward your new journey," Siena head coach Jimmy Patsos said before practice. "There's no ill will. It's just, what's best for everyone. He was the one who said, 'I think I'm done. I don't want to hurt the team.' "

Siena (5-12 overall, 1-3 MAAC) will play at two-time defending MAAC champion Iona on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Patsos said he met with Clareth on Monday and Tuesday before the decision was reached. Siena athletic director John D'Argenio also sat down with Clareth on Monday before all three got together on Tuesday.

"Nico was very forthright," D'Argenio said. "He just said, 'Look, I think this is what I need to do and step away.' And we agreed."

Clareth didn't respond to a text message.

In a statement issued through the college, Clareth said, "Right now what's best for me, my family, and the team, is for me to step away. I appreciate the opportunity that was given to me at Siena, and I'm thankful for the chance to be able to finish out the school year before transferring to continue my pursuit of a college degree here. I would also like to give a special thanks to the fans for the support I received during my time here."

Patsos said Clareth will remain part of the Siena family. He is still on scholarship. While he lives off campus, he is allowed to continue using the Saints' practice gymnasium to stay in shape.

Clareth averaged 15.1 points and 26.5 minutes per game in 15 appearances for the Saints this season.

In his final game this season, Clareth scored just two points on two shot attempts in a 71-70 loss to Quinnipiac on New Year's Day. Last Friday, Siena announced Clareth had gone home to Baltimore to deal with a family issue. Clareth has since returned to the Capital Region.

Siena assistant coach Greg Manning went to Baltimore over the weekend to meet with Clareth and his mother, Darlene. Asked if Darlene Clareth no longer wanted her son to play for Siena, Patsos responded, "I don't ask that question. Darlene's fine. Darlene wants what's best for her son. That's what we talked about."

His career highlights included winning MAAC Sixth Man of the Year as a freshman, and a memorable 27-point outburst in the second half in a tournament semifinal upset of Monmouth last season.

But he also left the Saints twice last season, a three-game suspension for an undisclosed rules violation followed by the seven-game departure in what Siena described as a leave of absence.

Junior forward Evan Fisher said Clareth hadn't become a distraction.

"I think we do a pretty good job of keeping focus on the court with basketball and not really letting that kind of stuff get to us," he said.

Siena tried to start fresh this season. Clareth was made a team captain and he changed his jersey number from No. 15 to No. 25. He was named preseason second-team all-MAAC.

But Clareth's streaky play continued.

"I don't regret making him a captain," Patsos said. "I don't regret saying, 'Sorry, this is good as it's going to get for you.' He wants a new goal, he wants to pursue that a different way. I fully support that."

D'Argenio said he sees potential in a team that has no seniors and four freshmen in its playing rotation, even with its most talented player gone.

"I like all the players," D'Argenio said. "It's a very young team and they're playing hard and working together. I think when we've seen that, they've been pretty good. Certainly, the record's not what we want it to be. As Bill Parcells used to say, you are what your record says you are. I like the direction the guys are going in. It's nice to see a young guy like (freshmen) Jordan Horn and Roman Penn and (sophomore) Thomas Huerter developing, and I think they're going to be able to do more of that now."

Horn is coming off a game-winning 3-pointer against first-place Canisius on Sunday, a victory that suggested the Saints might be able to succeed without Clareth.

"I think it's just we have to move forward," Horn said. "We have to wish Nico the best. I mean, he's our brother, our teammate. He's family. We'll try to move forward with the group that we have."

msingelais@timesunion.com • 518-454-5509 • @MarkSingelais