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
2024–25 Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball team
University	Canisius University
All-time record	1306–1266 (.508)
Head coach	Jim Christian (1st season)
Conference	MAAC
Location	Buffalo, New York
Arena	Koessler Center (capacity: 2,196)
Nickname	Golden Griffins
Colors	Blue and gold[1]
Uniforms
Home Away
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
1955, 1956
Other NCAA tournament results Sweet Sixteen 1955, 1956, 1957 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
• Malik Johnson, all-time leader in assists
• 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