Siena Basketball Head Coach Carmen Maciariello has announced an addition and a pair of promotions to his staff for the 2023-24 season. Andy Farrell joins the Saints as an assistant coach, while Derek Brooks has been promoted to assistant coach, and Jonathan Pickett has been elevated to director of basketball operations.
A 16-year college basketball professional, including 13 seasons at the Division I level, Farrell joins the Saints after spending the past six years on staff at his alma mater, the University of Dayton. He most recently served as the Special Assistant to the Head Coach and Director of Recruiting for the Flyers (2019-23), after having rejoined the program as Director of Scouting and Program Development (2017-19).
“Andy is a worker, and there is no task above him,” said Maciariello. “He’s worked in various roles and different levels, and it’s always been the same end result: winning. Coming from a highly successful Dayton program, Coach Farrell will fit in seamlessly with how we attack each day.”
Farrell brings an extensive collegiate basketball background with him to Loudonville, having also previously served an Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at both Southwest Mississippi Community College (2014-17) and Longwood University (2013-14), the Director of Basketball Operations and Assistant Recruiting Coordinator at DePaul University (2011-13), the Video Coordinator at Clemson University (2008-11), and a Graduate Assistant Coach and Assistant to the Video Coordinator at Virginia Commonwealth University (2007-08).
“My wife Jillian and I are thrilled to be joining the Siena College family,” said Farrell upon his appointment. “I’ve had a relationship with Coach Carm for a long time now, and I’ve always respected him as a man, husband, father, and basketball coach. The culture, history of success, and amazing community support are all aspects of Siena Basketball that I’ve always admired from afar, and I’m so excited to now be a part of it.”
Farrell played a key role in the success of Dayton under head coach Anthony Grant, which saw the program post a 124-64 (.660) overall record including a 74-31 (.705) mark in the Atlantic 10 Conference during his six seasons on staff. The Flyers made three NIT appearances (2019, 2021, 2022 – Second Round) during his tenure, and posted a 29-2 overall record including a perfect 18-0 league mark while capturing the A-10 Regular Season Championship and finishing the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season ranked third nationally in both the Associated Press Top-25 and USA Today Coaches’ Polls.
As part of his role at Dayton, Farrell assisted with both opponent and self-scouting through the use of analytics, statistical breakdowns, and team metrics which aided the Flyers in producing one of the top-100 most efficient offenses nationally in each of his six seasons on staff – including the nation’s second most efficient offense in 2019-20 – and one of the top-65 most efficient defenses three times (2019-20, 2021-22, 2022-23). For his work, he was honored by Silver Waves Media as one of their “Most Impactful Coaches,” and was selected each of the past three years to attend the TopConnect Basketball Symposium, which identifies the nation’s top assistant coaches and connects them with athletic directors to provide tremendous networking and leadership development opportunities.
In addition to his coaching background, Farrell is the Co-Founder of Rising Coaches Elite. He has served with the organization since its inception in 2010, and has been a member of Rising AD’s since 2013.
A 2007 graduate of Dayton with his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Farrell earned his Masters of Science in Sport Leadership/Coaching from VCU in 2009, where he concurrently served in his graduate assistant coach and assistant video coordinator role under Grant. As an undergraduate at Dayton, Farrell served as both a student manager for the men’s basketball program as well as a marketing director and camp coordinator for the women’s basketball team under former Flyers Head Coach and current Siena Women’s Basketball Head Coach Jim Jabir.
Brooks and Pickett are set to enter their second and third seasons, respectively, with the Siena Men’s Basketball program. Brooks served as director of basketball operations this past winter, while Pickett was the special assistant to Maciariello each of the previous two seasons. The Saints won 17 games while achieving the program’s record fifth consecutive top-three MAAC finish with both Brooks and Pickett on staff this past winter, while also posting a winning non-conference campaign highlighted by a third-place finish in the prestigious ESPN Events Invitational, which included victories over power conference foes Florida State (ACC) and Seton Hall (BIG EAST).
“It’s always a positive to be able to promote from within,” noted Maciariello. “Both Coach Brooks and Coach Pickett have worked extremely hard to earn these promotions.”
Brooks is set to enter his eighth season working in the collegiate basketball ranks. Prior to joining the Saints, he had spent the previous four seasons as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the United States Merchant Marine Academy (2018-22), where he worked under former head coach Fran McCaffery, HOF ’17 assistant Rob Pryor (2006-07). Brooks began his collegiate coaching career with a three-year stint as an assistant women’s basketball coach at his alma mater, the United States Air Force Academy (2014-17). He has also previously coached at both the high school and AAU levels.
“I’m thrilled to promote Derek to an assistant coach for us,” explained Maciariello. “He was able to come in and in his first year really set the tone and understand how we want our program run. Coach Brooks is a detail-oriented coach who has built a tremendous rapport within the Siena community. He works tirelessly at his craft, and will add tremendous value to our staff on and off the court.”
A 2011 Air Force graduate who rose to the level of Captain in the United States Air Force, Brooks was a four-year letterwinner for the Falcons (2007-11). Following his senior season, he earned the highest honor an Air Force Men’s Basketball player can achieve, receiving the Bob Spear Award which is presented to the student athlete that is outstanding in all areas of the Academy – academics, athletics, and military performance.
A Capital Region native from nearby Mechanicville, New York, Pickett joined the Saints after spending the 2020-21 season as the Director of Analytics for the University at Albany Men’s Basketball team. In his role, he created analytic-driven reports aimed at aiding the coaching staff with scouting reports and internal player development. Pickett also developed a shot tracking system, assisted in player development, and supervised and evaluated student managers.
“Jon brings constant energy and enthusiasm to all we do,” commented Maciariello. “He continually invests in our players, and always puts the program’s needs at the forefront. Coach Pickett has done a great job as my special assistant, and will continue to be a tireless worker. We are thankful for his contributions to our program, and are happy for the opportunity to advance his career through this promotion to his new role.”
A 2020 UAlbany graduate, Pickett served as the head student manager for the Great Danes for each of his final two seasons. He was the head manager and assistant to the video coordinator for the UAlbany Women’s Basketball program during his two years as an underclassman.
Siena Basketball Staff Update
