Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball
The Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball team, or the Griffs, represent Canisius University in Buffalo, New York, United States.[2] Canisius is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and play their home games at Koessler Center. [3] Canisius has appeared in the NCAA tournament four times, most recently in 1996. In 1955 and 1956, the Golden Griffins appeared in the NCAA tournament Elite Eight.
| Canisius Golden Griffins | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| University | Canisius University | ||
| All-time record | 1306–1266 (.508) | ||
| Head coach | Jim Christian | ||
| Conference | MAAC | ||
| Location | Buffalo, New York | ||
| Arena | Koessler Center (Capacity: 2,176) | ||
| Nickname | Golden Griffins | ||
| Colors | Blue and gold[1] | ||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
| NCAA tournament Elite Eight | |||
| 1955, 1956 | |||
| NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen | |||
| 1955, 1956, 1957 | |||
| NCAA tournament appearances | |||
| 1955, 1956, 1957, 1996 | |||
| Conference tournament champions | |||
| 1996 | |||
| Conference regular season champions | |||
| 1994, 1996, 2018 America East: 1985 Little Three: 1947, 1950, 1952, 1956, 1957 | |||
- For information on all Canisius University sports, see Canisius Golden Griffins
Golden Griffins in the ABA/NBA
- Andrew Anderson, played for the Oakland Oaks, Miami Floridians and Los Angeles Stars (1967–70)
- Leroy Chollet, played for the Syracuse Nationals (1949–51)
- Larry Fogle, played for the New York Knicks (1975–76)
- Herm Hedderick, played for the New York Knicks (1955–56)
- Charles Jordan, played for Indiana Pacers (1975–76)
- Mike Macaluso, played for Buffalo Braves (1973–74)
- Bob MacKinnon, played for Syracuse Nationals (1949–50)
- Anthony Masiello, played for the Indiana Pacers (1969–70) and later served three terms as mayor of Buffalo (1993–2005).
- Al Masino, played for four teams (1952–54)
- Johnny McCarthy, played for the 1963–64 NBA Champion Boston Celtics; first of just four players in NBA history to record a triple-double in their playoff debut with the other three being Nikola Jokić, LeBron James and Magic Johnson.
- John Morrison, played for Denver Rockets (1967–68)
- Mike Smrek ’85, played for the 1986–87 and 1987–88 NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers
- Mel Thurston played for the Tri-City Blackhawks 1940–42
Other notables
- Darrell Barley, 1996 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year
- Darren Fenn, owner of the Buffalo eXtreme
- Ray Hall, All-time leader in scoring and steals
- Chris Manhertz, signed by Buffalo Bills as undrafted free agent, played for New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Denver Broncos (2015-present)
- Craig Wise, 1995 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year
- Eyal Yaffe (born 1960), Israeli basketball player, Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Thomas Hardiman played handball at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Postseason tournaments
NCAA tournament results
The Griffins have appeared in four NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 6–4.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | First round Regional semifinals Regional Finals | Williams Villanova La Salle | W 73–60 W 73–71 L 64–99 |
| 1956 | First round Regional semifinals Regional Finals | NC State Dartmouth Temple | W 79–78 4OT W 66–58 L 58–60 |
| 1957 | First round Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game | West Virginia North Carolina Lafayette | W 64–56 L 75–87 W 82–76 |
| 1996 | First round | Utah | L 43–72 |
NIT results
The Griffins have appeared in five National Invitation Tournaments (NIT). Their combined record is 5–6.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | Quarterfinals | Oklahoma A&M | L 43–29 |
| 1963 | Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals | Memphis Villanova Providence | W 76–67 W 61–46 L 66–81 |
| 1985 | First round | Nebraska | L 66–79 |
| 1994 | First round | Villanova | L 79–103 |
| 1995 | First round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd-place game | Seton Hall Bradley Washington State Virginia Tech Penn State | W 83–71 W 55–53 W 99–90 L 59–71 L 62–66 |
CIT results
The Griffins have appeared in four CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournaments (CIT). Their combined record is 4–4.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | First round Second Round Quarterfinals | Elon Youngstown State Evansville | W 69–53 W 84–82 OT L 83–84 |
| 2014 | First round | VMI | L 100–111 |
| 2015 | First round Second Round Quarterfinals | Dartmouth Bowling Green NJIT | W 87–72 W 82–59 L 73–78 |
| 2017 | First round | Samford | L 74–78 |
CBI results
The Griffins have appeared in one College Basketball Invitational. Their record is 0–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | First round | Jacksonville State | L 78–80OT |
References
- "Canisius College Style Guide 2014". Retrieved April 13, 2016.
- "Canisius' men can measure degrees of success - College basketball- NBC Sports". Archived from the original on 2010-11-08. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
- "Canisius Hires Witherspoon". 28 May 2016.