The Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball team, or the Griffs, represent Canisius University in Buffalo, New York, United States. Canisius is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and play their home games at Koessler Center. 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 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| 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 | ||
| Uniforms | |||
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| 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
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball.