Athletics Feature
It also created a bit of an awkward
situation: Smith was now Braun’s boss—
while still serving as an assistant men’s
basketball coach. When Braun left Siena
after the 1985 season to take the men’s
basketball job at Eastern Michigan,
Smith stepped into the head coaching
role at Siena.
“I was ready,” Smith said. “We knew
what we needed to do. We needed to
build the program from the ground up.
We needed to have kids who were going
to be eligible. And we needed the trust
of the faculty.”
Smith said he put an emphasis on
recruiting in areas like Detroit, selling
his up-tempo, high-intensity style of bas-
ketball to recruits. He also put a strong
emphasis on developing a junior varsity
program, which not only allowed stu-
dent-athletes to develop on the court at
their own pace, but also adjust to the aca-
demic demands that needed to be met.
“Freshmen did not play on varsity
unless they were eligible,” Smith said.
“(We wanted) kids who would thrive at
a place like Siena. … You have to make
them earn their way into the program.
Above: Fred cuts down the net signifying one of
many conference championships in his career.
18 | Reflections Summer ’19
You have to be there for them, not in a
way where you’re enabling them, but
teaching them to be a man. That’s really
what we did.”
And when the Saints started winning
championships, the program drew a
crowd. In fact, the Fieldhouse routinely
drew standing-room-only crowds as
Smith’s teams routinely vied for confer-
ence championships.
“The community really embraced
Siena Heights, and not just basketball,”
Smith said of the era of the 1980s and
1990s. “At Siena, we became a blue-
collar institution right from the get-go.
We loved to be the underdogs. … We
were the community’s school.”
The Saints captured three consecu-
tive conference all-sports trophies in the
1990s, and the men’s basketball program
led the way. The 1996-97 team went all
the way to the NAIA national champi-
onship game against top-ranked Bethel
(Ind.). In a heartbreaking ending in
Boise, Idaho, a potential game-winning
layup rolled around the rim and out as
time expired, giving Bethel a one-point
victory.
“It was hard because we lost,” Smith
said of his best chance at winning a na-
tional championship. “It hurt. But I was
more worried about the kids. You think
you’re always going to be back and get
a chance to do it again. We were close,
but we never did it again.”
Man on Fire
Despite not winning an elusive na-
tional championship, a championship
mentality was established.
“Championship teams don’t happen
to you. You have to deserve them,” Smith
said. “To build championships, you have
to have those great intangibles. You have
to have great loyalty, a combination of
fundamentals, certainly good players,
belief in each other and a family atmo-
sphere.”
Smith’s coaching legacy is secure.
His numerous championship trophies
and accolades that fill nearly every inch
of his office are the visible proof of the
impact he had on his players, colleagues
and the Siena community.