[3] He then transferred to College of Marin for the 1984–85 season and finished at Chapman University for his final two years, where he would join his childhood friend Steve Lavin.
He led Columbia to a 61–10 cumulative record, two Central Valley Conference titles, and an appearance in the Final Eight round of the 1996 CCCAA tournament.
At UCLA, Saia coached future NBA players like Baron Davis, Earl Watson, Jason Kapono, and Matt Barnes.
[4] Originally an assistant in the 2004–05 season, Saia took over as interim head coach at USC after the firing of Henry Bibby in December.
On May 25, 2010, Cal State San Marcos hired Saia as its inaugural men's basketball head coach.
The program's first season was in 2011–12, in which Cal State San Marcos competed in the NAIA level and advanced to the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) title game.
[4] Saia coached at Cal State San Marcos through the 2015–16 season, its first in the NCAA Division II level and California Collegiate Athletic Association and in which the team finished 15–12.