It was no tricks and all treat for him on Halloween, putting an end to his open recruitment in the weeks leading up to his senior season by verbally committing to Division II Daemen College.
This is the next development in a rise that, in basketball standards, came nearly overnight for the Guilderland product. Over the last 2 years, the now 6'9" Sischo progressed from a JV player as a sophomore to his team's starting varsity center as a junior, but consistent contributions were not called upon from him until the back half of the season. His role grew heavily in sectionals, where he had 3 dominating performances to close the year - including team-leading outputs in an upset semifinal win over the previous Class AA state champion Green Tech, along with the same performance in a 5 point L to Section II and eventual Class AA state champion Shenendehowa.
His game and conditioning continued to develop over the next few months, which showed in the Empire State Takeover summer league. Suiting up as a member of Team 518, he was the most dominant post presence for the eventual undefeated league champions, earning the nod for league MVP. It started with a game and season-high 28 point performance in the league's opening game, a Team 518 victory over a Marcella Appliances squad that featured Ray Jerome (Penn commit), Hameir Wright (#55 on ESPN 60 rankings for Class of 2017; 7 offers), and Mike Wynn (Siena offer), among others. If that game didn't scream 'I'M HERE', the rest of his season did the talking. He led the league in total points scored with 194 and finished 2nd in points per game (out of qualifying players) with 17.6. Sischo was also a dominating presence on the boards, consistently grabbing 8-12 rebounds each game, and he showcased elite passing ability from the post and a smooth stroke with range beyond the 3 point line. With strong performances in the league and on the AAU circuit for Albany City Rocks in the summer, the attention from colleges expanded heavily, culminating in the offer from Daemen.
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| Sischo (with ball) going up against Attica's Nick Perry - in Daemen's backyard, comparatively speaking |
Daemen College is a Division II program that competes in the East Coast Conference. It's located in Amherst, NY, 15 minutes outside of Buffalo. They've experienced recent success, having won 20+ games in each of the last 4 seasons with a combined record of 89-34. They went 21-10 last season, and their season culminated in a USCAA Division I national championship. This season's squad is younger, with 3 seniors and 7 freshmen (5 of them true freshmen), but they look to be rich in talent. Daemen has only participated in 2 exhibitions this season to date - a 102-95 victory over Brock University of Ontario, and an 87-68 defeat to Division I Buffalo. Though they have a strong recruiting foothold in western NY, they've shown willingness to recruit the Capital District before - Jordan Greene, a South Glens Falls graduate, completed a strong collegiate career at Daemen in the spring.
Look for freshly committed Sischo, without the recruiting process to worry about, to step into a leadership role as the focal point - along with point guard and fellow EST 1st teamer Mike Wine - of Guilderland's attack this winter. Congratulations to Andrew!
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