LOUDONVILLE, NY – Siena Basketball saw members of its men's & women's programs take home Leo Dufort Student Athlete of the Month honors for the Month of December, the department announced Tuesday. Men's Basketball graduate transfer Elijah Burns and Women's Basketball sophomore Amari Anthony were recognized following solid athletic and academic standing on each of their respective squads.
Just the second graduate transfer in the history of the program, Burns has emerged as an immediate contributor to the Saints in this season. The Troy, NY native is averaging 15.2 points and 6.4 rebounds through 12 contests, and currently leads the league in field goal percentage (60.0), ranks fifth in the league in scoring and offensive rebounding (2.4), sixth in boards per-game and seventh in free throw percentage (80.4). Burns has posted double-figure scoring in nine games so far this season and was named the MAAC Player of the Week on December 23.
Burns holds a 3.23 cumulative GPA and is enrolled in Siena's brand-new MBA program to pursue his graduate degree in strategic management. No stranger to the Capital Region, he is very involved in the local community, partnering with the Boys & Girls Village of Troy among other local organizations.
Currently in her second year in the Green and Gold, Anthony is currently averaging 6.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per-contest through the first 12 games of the season, in which she has made eight starts. The Winchester, Virginia native has gone into double figures twice this season, including a career-high 16 points and eight boards at Florida Atlantic on November 19 that saw her steady the team in both categories. Anthony saw action in 28 games during her rookie campaign, averaging 4 points-per-game and posting a double-double in a win over Howard on Nov. 19, 2018.
Anthony is currently majoring in psychology and holds a 3.05 GPA, while having posted a 3.1 during the Spring 2019 semester. Her community service efforts include teaming with the women's basketball program to assist Habitat for Humanity and Siena's school day visits among other activities.
The Leo Dufort Student Athlete of the Month Award is presented nine times annually (September-May) throughout the academic year. The award recognizes exemplary achievements in both academics and athletics. The late Leo Dufort received a B.S. in marketing and management from Siena in August of 1977. His entire academic career was completed on a part-time basis beginning in the spring of 1961, as a married adult while at the same time raising five children. He passed away suddenly of a heart attack while cross country skiing in February of 1993. His wife Jeanine wanted to do something to immortalize his memory. The original plaque was donated to athletics and the department began the Leo Dufort Student Athlete of the Month Award to help carry out his legacy. Dufort graduated from Catholic Central High School in 1954 and was a Navy Veteran (USS Bennington) who worked for JL Hammett Co. at the time of his death.
