Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball
The Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball team, or the Griffs, represent Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, United States. Canisius is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and play their home games at Koessler Center. The head coach is Reggie Witherspoon.
Golden Griffins in the ABA/NBA
- Andrew Anderson, drafted by the Boston Celtics
- Leroy Chollet, played for the Syracuse Nationals
- Larry Fogle, played for the New York Knicks
- Herm Hedderick, played for the New York Knicks
- Charles Jordan, played for Indiana Pacers
- Mike Macaluso, played for Buffalo Braves
- Anthony Masiello, drafted by the Indiana Pacers. Masiello instead made his name in politics, where he served three terms as mayor of Buffalo.
- Bob MacKinnon, played for Syracuse Nationals
- Al Masino, played for four teams
- Johnny McCarthy, played for the 1963–64 NBA Champion Boston Celtics; first of just three players in NBA history to record a triple-double in their playoff debut with the other two being LeBron James and Magic Johnson.
- John Morrison, played for Denver Rockets
- Mike Smrek ’85, played for the 1986–87 and 1987–88 NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers
- Mel Thurston played for the Tri-City Blackhawks 1940-1942
Other notables
- Chris Manhertz, signed by Buffalo Bills as undrafted free agent, played for New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers
Postseason tournaments
NCAA Tournament results
The Griffins have appeared in four NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 6–4.| 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. Their combined record is 5–6.| 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. Their combined record is 4–4.| 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.| 2018 | First Round | Jacksonville State | L 78–80OT |