By Mark Singelais | Times Union (Albany) While he’s enjoying himself, Siena assistant coach Ryan Blackwell said it’s a “grind” in his first season coaching college basketball. The Saints have already played 24 games. That’s more than the 20-game regular seasons that Blackwell, a former Syracuse University star, had when he was a successful head coach at Liverpool High the past nine years. He’s also recruiting for the first time. He and fellow Siena assistant Arinze Onuaku, also a Syracuse graduate, scouted a recent high school tournament in Springfield, Massachusetts. Then they drove to Boston to join head coach Gerry McNamara and the players at their hotel at midnight before a game at Merrimack the next afternoon. “Yeah, it’s non-stop,” Blackwell said. “But it’s been great with Gerry kind of showing me the ropes because he’s done it for 15 years, what it takes.” When Siena hired McNamara, the former Syracuse great and assistant coach, he reached out to Blackwell and Onuaku to join his first staff despite neither having college coaching experience. Both had worked at the high school and professional level. What they did have was a shared Orange bond and McNamara’s confidence. “When you’re around people you can trust and you know they’re going to give you everything they’ve got,” McNamara said, “it makes you feel more comfortable because you’ve got a group all in it with you.” Blackwell was an all-conference forward whose career ended in 2000, two years before McNamara arrived as a freshman to help the Orange win a national title. Onuaku was a powerful center who spent his freshman season as McNamara’s teammate in 2005-06, and then played for him as a senior when McNamara joined the Syracuse staff in 2009. “They’re both such great people,” McNamara said. “I knew both of them would be home runs in living rooms, developing relationships with the kids they recruited.” Onuaku played parts of three seasons in the NBA before becoming a assistant coach with the NBA G League’s Capital City Go-Go two years ago. Last year, he was an assistant at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. Working to develop Siena’s big men, Onuaku said he and McNamara share the approach they had as teammates. “We expect greatness,” Onuaku said. “Obviously, it starts with us and it’s to trickle down to the players. Just the everyday (goal) of, how can we get this guy better, how can we improve.” Aspiring to be a head coach, Onuaku said his contacts in the talent-rich D.C. area have helped him in recruiting. Blackwell first leaned on his connections in upstate New York. McNamara also gave him a list of contacts to get him started. Blackwell had to adjust to the digital space, as well. He said director of basketball operations Ryan Beaury assisted him with the scouting program that Siena uses. Blackwell, who also played and coached in Japan, said McNamara sets a high standard for his staff. “He’s a grinder,” said Blackwell, who works with Siena’s forwards. “He’s a blue-collar guy and I think he expects that from the guys around him. You don’t want to work with people who aren’t willing to put in the time and effort to get better like you do.” Though they didn’t play together, Blackwell and Onuaku knew each other. Blackwell coached Onuaku with Boeheim’s Army, the team of Syracuse alumni which plays in the $1 million The Basketball Tournament in the summer. “It’s good to work with guys we trust and get along with,” Blackwell said. “It goes a long way.” The losses aren’t any easier to take as an assistant, according to Blackwell, including Saturday’s defeat at the buzzer at Rider. “To be around a sport you love, that’s the rewarding part,” Blackwell said. “Whether it’s a grind or not, it’s enjoyable to coach basketball and be around the game. It’s a luxury.”