Billy Harrell & Lisa (Serafino) Ruggiero Named to 2014 MAAC Honor Class By Siena College
MAAC Sports
Edison, N.J. – Billy Harrell and Lisa (Serafino) Ruggiero have been named to the 2014 MAAC Honor Roll Class on behalf of Siena College. The two Siena basketball standouts will be enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the “MAAC Experience” exhibit during the MAAC Basketball Championships in March.
Billy Harrell’s number “10” Siena jersey was retired at a halftime ceremony of a game in January, 2006. That should give you a good idea of his impact on Siena College. Billy played for Siena from 1949 to 1952, and during that time, the Saints (known as the “Indians” back then) compiled a gaudy 70-19 record. Harrell was the leading scorer, averaging 9.7 points per game, and rebounder, 12.1 per game, for Siena’s 1949-50 team that compiled a 27-5 record and won the National Catholic Invitational Tournament title. Harrell averaged 14.6 points per game for the 1951-52 team which went 24-6. He is still in the record books, tied for No. 2, for Siena’s top single season rebounders with his 12.1 average in 1949-50. Known as the “Flash,” he earned UPI Honorable Mention All-America honors in 1952. Billy then went on to play four seasons of major league baseball, three with the Cleveland Indians (1955, 1957-58) and one with the Boston Red Sox (1961).
Lisa Serafino was a sure-shot on the basketball court and in the classroom. The 5-4 guard, known for her quickness, was a crafty playmaker who could also sink the three-point shot. She averaged 5.1 assists per game in 1992-93 for the Saints, the No. 9 all-time single season mark. For her career, Serafino dished off 364 assists, a 3.3 average, still No. 7 all-time for Siena. Serafino stroked 139 three-point field goals in her career, 1990-94, sixth all-time for the Saints. Serafino is rated No. 7 all-time at Siena for career three-point field goal percentage, after hitting .346 (139-402) of her shots behind the arc. Serafino was also proficient in the classroom, and in 1994 was a GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team selection.
The MAAC Honor Roll is part of the 600 square foot “MAAC Experience” display at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. Each year one honoree selected by the MAAC Council of Presidents joins one male and one female honoree from each of the 11 MAAC institutions. The 23-member 2014 induction class will be enshrined to the MAAC Honor Roll on Saturday, March 8, 2014 at the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Court of Dreams. The Honorees’ names will be added to the “MAAC Experience” exhibit. Additionally, each honoree will be profiled in the 2014 MAAC Basketball Championships game program and will also be featured in a video display at The MAAC Experience available for viewing by the general public. Lastly, the honorees will also be recognized at halftime of the 9:00p.m. MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship quarterfinal on Saturday, March 8.
The complete 2014 MAAC Honor Roll Class:
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MAAC Honoree:
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Brad Tracy
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School
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Male Honoree
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Female Honoree
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Canisius
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Frank Swiatek
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Dr. Ellen Conley
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Fairfield
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George Bisacca
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Dianne Nolan
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Iona
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Kevin Hamilton
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Celeste Grier-Johnathan
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Manhattan
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Luis Flores
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Marianne Reilly
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Marist
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Mike Hart
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Julianne Viani
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Monmouth
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Ron Kornegay
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Joan Martin
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Niagara
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Juan Mendez
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Joan Thornton
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Quinnipiac
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Keith Gaither
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Patricia Hayes
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Rider
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Jack Madden
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Kelly Eckardt Zawodny
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Saint Peter’s
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Don Kennedy
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Tonya Grant
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Siena
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Billy Harrell
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Lisa (Serafino) Ruggiero
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