Siena 'doing everything in our power' to get Chandler back on court

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Siena graduate student Antonio Chandler takes a jump shot against Sacred Heart on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, at the MVP Arena in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union) (Jim Franco/Times Union)


LOUDONVILLE - Siena University is "exhausting every available resource" to enable men's basketball player Antonio Chandler to participate in this weekend's Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships in Atlantic City, athletic director John D'Argenio said in a prepared statement on Thursday.

The Saints, who will face Mount St. Mary's in a quarterfinal at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, played their final two regular-season games without Chandler. The 6-foot-6, 215-pound graduate forward was held out because of an "eligibility question" that Siena said it's working with the NCAA to resolve.

"We are exhausting every available resource to resolve Antonio's eligibility status," D'Argenio's statement read. "Our focus remains squarely on ensuring he has the opportunity to compete in the MAAC Tournament this weekend. He has worked incredibly hard for this moment, and we are doing everything in our power to ensure he can join his teammates on the court. Above all, our priority is Antonio."

Pursuing a temporary restraining order to allow Chandler to play could be among the options, according to sources.

D'Argenio and Siena head coach Gerry McNamara have declined to discuss the exact nature of the eligibility question. An NCAA spokesperson said the organization generally does not comment on individual eligibility cases and referred questions to Siena.

For now, the Saints must prepare in case they don't have Chandler, a starter, for Saturday's game against the Mountaineers, the defending MAAC champion.

Chandler had double-doubles against Merrimack and Saint Peter's, the top two seeds in this tournament, in the last two games before he was forced to sit out. He provides toughness, rebounding, and the ability to finish around the basket.

"We're not too happy about his situation, what's going on, but we really don't know too much on it," senior guard Justice Shoats said. "We definitely are expecting him to go down and play and he's a big part of what we've built so far this year. We're going to go down there and treat it how it is. If he plays, he plays. If he doesn't, he's still going to be with us on our sideline, still continuing to fuel up our guys and help us do what we've got to do."

Chandler, 24, wasn't available for an interview and wasn't seen in the gym during the media availability prior to Thursday's practice.

He's in his seventh year of college at his fourth school. He would have been out of eligibility last season, until the NCAA gave an extra year to all athletes in their final season who had played at least one year at a non-NCAA school. Chandler spent the 2023-24 season at the University of Jamestown, a NAIA institution in North Dakota.

McNamara declined to address how Siena was alerted to the eligibility issue so late in the season.

After beating Rider in the regular-season finale, McNamara said he was "heartbroken" for Chandler, who had to sit on the bench on Senior Day.

He also realizes what Siena loses if Chandler's not in the lineup.

"I think anybody who watches us play understands what Tone brings to the table," McNamara said. "The way he rebounds, the way he defends. … He just understands pretty much the entire scout. He's just a really smart player."

In Siena's only meeting with Mount St. Mary's, which the Saints won 67-50 in Maryland on Jan. 11, Chandler had no points and four rebounds in 16 minutes.

Mount St. Mary's coach Donny Lind said the Mountaineers will prepare for Chandler to play Saturday.

"Antonio's a good player," Lind said. "He'd been playing really well down the stretch. When you go through the personnel with our guys, they've got to know there's a chance he could be out there."

While hoping Chandler will be available, McNamara expressed confidence that Siena can win a MAAC title without him.

"I've got complete confidence in our group that it could be a different guy any night," McNamara said.

This article originally published at Siena 'doing everything in our power' to get Chandler back on court.

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