Onondaga Community College basketball player Steve Siechen signs with Division II Mercy College

Lazers Buckmon and Stern also make transfer decisions

SYRACUSE, NY. – May 1, 2007 – Onondaga Community College men’s basketball player Steve Siechen (East Syracuse-Minoa) has signed a National Letter of Intent to accept an athletic scholarship and play basketball at Mercy College. Mercy is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II school located in Dobbs Ferry, NY. The Flyers are members of the East Coast Conference, formerly the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference.

Siechen becomes the 9th Onondaga player in the past six seasons to play at a scholarship level school. He served as one of the Lazers’ co-captains this past season and averaged 14.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per contest. He was Onondaga’s leading scorer 10 times, and hit the 30 point mark twice, against Division II Jamestown-Cattaraugus Community College, and against Corning Community College. Siechen was a 1st Team All-Mid-State Athletic Conference selection and a 2nd Team NJCAA Region III All-Region pick, and was named the Most Valuable Player of the MSAC Championship Tournament. He was selected to play in the Region III Senior All-Star Game at the conclusion of the season. He was also named NJCAA National Player of the Week and Region III Male Athlete of the Week for the week ending February 25. As a freshman in 2005-06, Siechen averaged 5.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per contest.

Onondaga players Rich Buckmon (Syracuse Henninger) and Justin Stern (Jamesville-DeWitt) have also made their transfer decisions. Buckmon, a 1st Team All-Conference and 2nd Team All-Region selection, will attend and play at SUNY Fredonia next year. Stern, Onondaga’s other co-captain and an honorable mention All-Conference selection, will attend and play at Keuka College. Siechen, Buckmon, and Stern led the Lazers to a 23-8 overall record this past season and to Onondaga’s first Mid-State Athletic Conference Championship since 1992. They will bring the total number of Onondaga players to move on and play at four-year programs to 26 since 2002. Onondaga’s other two second year players, Danny Smith (Canastota) and Tyler Kurzinski (Central Square P.V. Moore) have yet to make their transfer decisions.