Siena to retire Doremus Bennerman’s jersey Sunday

LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. — A recent Siena Athletics Hall of Fame inductee and men’s basketball legend, Doremus Bennerman is set to have his storied career further immortalized Sunday. Bennerman will have his No. 23 jersey retired and unfurled from the MVP Arena rafters to highlight the 30th Anniversary celebration of the historic 1994 Siena Men’s Basketball NIT team at halftime of Sunday’s men’s basketball game vs. Canisius tipping at 2 p.m.

Bennerman will become the fifth Siena Men’s Basketball legend – and first in a dozen years – to have his number retired and hung from the MVP Arena rafters, joining former teammate Marc Brown ’91, HOF ’98 (No. 4), the late Billy Harrell ’52, HOF ’66 (No. 10), Kenny Hasbrouck ’09, HOF ’14 (No. 41), and Fred Shear ’73, HOF ’78 (No. 50), who was the most recent Siena great to have his number retired back in 2012.

One of only two players in the storied history of Siena Men’s Basketball to eclipse 2,000 career points (Brown), Bennerman completed his undergraduate degree in 2022 which was followed by his first-ballot induction (eligible upon graduation) into the Siena Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the 16-member Class of 2023 which was formally enshrined earlier this month. The Stratford, Connecticut standout, who is a longtime resident of Sweden following his decorated professional playing career (1994-08), totaled 2,109 career points while starring for the Saints from 1990-94.

A two-time USBWA District 2 All-Region selection (1993, 1994), Bennerman was the 1994 MAAC Player of the Year. He is the Siena Men’s Basketball all-time career leader in free throws made (579), and holds the program single-season records for points (858), points per game (26.0), three-point field goals (102), and made free throws (248), all set during his historic 1993-94 season. Bennerman, who bookended his storied career with National Invitation Tournament appearances, also ranks third all-time in program history in career three-point field goals (228) and assists (577).

Yet Bennerman will be most remembered for his legendary performance during the historic 1993-94 Siena Men’s Basketball NIT run which culminated in a third-place finish. Bennerman scored an NIT record 174 points spanning just five games, punctuated by a program single-game record 51-point performance to lead the Saints past Kansas State in the third-place game at Madison Square Garden and earn him NIT MVP honors.

The halftime ceremony Sunday will feature the introduction and recognition on-court of the 1993-94 Siena Men’s Basketball team to kick off the NIT 30th Anniversary Celebration. More than a dozen former players and coaches from that team are expected to be in attendance. The ceremony will conclude with Bennerman’s formal induction into the Siena Athletics Hall of Fame, and the unfurling of his No. 23 jersey from the MVP Arena rafters.