July 26, 2010

His teammates call him Superman, but head trainer Greg (Hammer) Dashnaw jokes that Kyle Downey has been exposed to plenty of kryptonite in his two years as a Saint. This past weekend he was flying high again, averaging a team-best 17.5 points per game in leading Western New York to the Gold Medal in the Open Division of the Empire State Games at Canisius' Koessler Center.

Playing alongside his brother Kevin, an All-MAAC performer from 2004-2006 at Canisius, Downey helped Western N.Y. avenge Saturday's 87-84 loss to Hudson Valley by scoring 21 points in the 86-81 win over the same region in Sunday morning's Championship game.

"It was really different because this is the first time I ever actually played with (my brother) in a competitive way, other than pick-up," Downey said. "I'm usually either playing against him or watching him play. So we kind of had to get along this week. We actually had to work together this time instead of just fighting with each other because it was a team thing, so that was a little different."

Downey's 21-point effort in the championship game included three 3-pointers, two of which came during a key stretch in the second half that helped Western N.Y. take control of the game. It was Downey's second 20-plus point outburst of the weekend. He scored a game-high 25 points in a 91-65 blowout of Central N.Y. on Friday night after tallying 15 in a Tournament-opening 83-80 triumph over Long Island Thursday.

"It's a good thing to do in the summer to stay focused and stay in shape," Downey said of the Games which returned to Buffalo this year after being cancelled for a year due to New York State's economic downturn in 2009. "I played pretty well, I shot the ball well and our team played very well together as a group. And it obviously was great to win the gold. It was a lot of fun."

The biggest news for Saints' fans is Downey is in the best shape of his injury-plagued career.

Downey arrived at Siena in 2007 with the lingering effects of tendinitis in his right knee. He appeared in 33 of 35 games as a rookie despite playing through that discomfort and a severe ankle sprain suffered during the season, and was named to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference All-Rookie Team after averaging 3.5 points in just fewer than 10 minutes per game.

Downey's summer workouts in 2009 were limited to the Siena swimming pool after he suffered two fractures in his lower back in early off-season training. He was sidelined from May through August and forced to wear a brace that wrapped around his entire upper body when not in the water before finally resuming light basketball activities in mid-September.

"It really inhibited what he did," Dashnaw said. "It kept him upright and straight, and that was the big thing: he needed to be kept immobile, so we did sprint workouts in the pool and actually worked on his jump shot out of the pool. He couldn't do anything, even in the shallow end, where he would be coming down and putting pressure on himself."

Downey began the 2009-10 season in a smaller back brace that limited his production. He shot just 15% (4-27) from 3-point range in the first 11 games of the season before ditching the brace and deciding to play through the pain. He quickly hit his stride, averaging 6.8 points while shooting 56% from the field and 41% from 3-point range over the next eight games, capped off with a season-high 16 points in an 83-68 destruction of Manhattan on January 18.

But then Downey's luck turned from bad to worse.

The day after the Manhattan win, he broke his foot in practice, an injury most thought would end his sophomore season.

"He came into the lockerroom and said `Hammer, I hurt my foot'," Dashnaw remembers. "And I looked back and he said, `I broke it, didn't I?' and I said `Yup', and he was just angry because he got hurt again. The first question out of his mouth was: `When am I going to be able to practice again.' He's that kind of kid. He's just tough as nails."

Downey underwent surgery and had a pin inserted in his injured wheel. Projected to miss at least six weeks, he returned in five, seeing action in the Saints' regular-season finale against Marist. Less than a week later, he played 20 minutes in Siena's First Round MAAC Tournament win over the Jaspers, and less than two weeks after that, he got the start in the NCAA Tournament against Purdue.

"I found out I was starting the morning of (the game) when Coach told us Clarence wasn't going, he said: `You are going start'", Downey said. "It wasn't really a big thing for me. I was prepared to do that anyway because Clarence's ankle was pretty bad. (Purdue was) a tough team. We should have probably played a little bit better, and it was frustrating for me because I didn't play that well. It was definitely motivation for me coming into this summer."

Already regarded as the hardest worker on the team, Downey has worked tirelessly on improving his shooting and ball handling the last few months in an attempt to develop as a flexible combo guard as opposed to a limited shooting guard. He figures to play an expanded role as an upperclassman, an opportunity he relishes. But individual accolades are secondary, and he succinctly outlines his expectations for the coming year.

"Our goal is to win another championship and I think we have the talent to do that," he said. "Now it's just a question of Are we going to do it?, instead of Can we do it?"

A healthy Downey will play a major role in Siena's quest for an unprecedented fourth straight MAAC title this winter. For now, it looks like Saints' fans can look forward to just that.

"This is the first summer I have been completely healthy, and I'm feeling great," Downey beams. "My foot is good, my back is in excellent shape. I'm down in weight; I probably weigh like 190 right now, just because I have been running a lot. I feel absolutely awesome."

Beware Lex Luthor.

~Jason Rich, SienaSaints.com