MBB: Canisius Golden Griffins preview
This will be a somewhat abbreviated preview of the Canisius men’s basketball team, as all our basketball previews are likely to be until football season is well and truly over. Eagle Totem is currently a one-person all-volunteer undertaking, and as such, I only have so many hours a week available for it; choices must be made, and for the next week or so, football still rules the roost.
First, you can check out the Canisius athletics website here.
Basic info:
| Team Info | |
| Conference | Metro Atlantic (MAAC) |
| Location | Buffalo, NY |
| Coach | Tom Parrotta (since 2006) Hire Date: Apr 10 |
| Arena (Capacity) | Koessler Athletic Center (2,176) |
| NCAA Appearances | 4 |
| NCAA Record | 6-4 (.600) |
| Most Recent NCAA Appearance | 1996 |
| Most Recent NCAA Win | 1957 |
| School Info | |
| Founded | 1870 |
| Type | Private |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Selectivity (US News) | Selective |
| Students (2009) | 3,123 (1,422 M, 1,701 F) |
Canisius is a small private school in Buffalo, New York. Overall, they’ve got a slightly better basketball history than EMU, but neither school has made it into the NCAA tournament in quite a while.
Since it’s still very early in this basketball season, let’s next take a look at how the Golden Griffins did in 2009-10.
| Canisius 2009-2010 record: | |
| Completed | 32 (100.0%) |
| Record | 15-17 |
| Record ATS | 17-13 |
| Avg Spread | 1.6 |
| Home Team | 15 (46.8%) |
| Home Arena | 11 (34.3%) |
| Visiting Team | 17 (53.1%) |
| Conference | 20 (62.5%) |
| Non-conference | 12 (37.5%) |
Key Canisius losses from last year:
| Name | Height | Weight | Class | Notes |
| Bob Bevilacqua | 6-1 | 168 | Senior | A key reserve (9 minutes per game). |
| Rishawn Johnson | 6-6 | 275 | Junior | A key reserve (9 minutes per game), graduated in 3 years. |
| Frank Turner | 5-10 | 165 | Senior | Four-year starter, led last season in points, assists, and free throws. |
Roster with notes:
| Canisius Golden Griffins roster | ||||||
| # | Pos. | Weight | Height | Year | Comments | |
| Gaby Belardo | 12 | G | 180 | 6-2 | So. | Starter, coming off a career-best 6 assists against Syracuse. |
| Julius Coles | 15 | G | 183 | 6-4 | Sr. | Starter, #2 scorer this season. |
| Marial Dhal | 34 | C | 230 | 7-3 | Jr. | - |
| Elton Frazier | 24 | F | 208 | 6-6 | Sr. | Starter, #4 scorer, top rebounder. |
| Robert Goldsberry | 3 | G | 175 | 6-0 | Sr. | Starter. |
| Rokas Gricius | 21 | F | 234 | 6-9 | Jr. | - |
| Reggie Groves | 5 | G | 188 | 6-2 | R-Fr. | Coming off a knee injury. |
| Alshwan Hymes | 11 | G | 210 | 6-2 | So. | #5 scorer, a dangerous outside shooter. |
| Ashton Khan | 11 | G | 180 | 6-1 | Fr. | - |
| Eric Kindler | 2 | F | 220 | 6-5 | Fr. | - |
| Greg Logins | 00 | F | 230 | 6-7 | Sr. | Leading scorer. |
| Chris Manhertz | 13 | F | 220 | 6-6 | Fr. | Sat out first two games with an injured ankle. |
| Tomas Vazquez-Simmons | 42 | F | 220 | 6-7 | Sr. | Starter, #2 rebounder, 6 blocks this season. |
EMU has played Canisius twice before, winning both games in the Convocation Center. In December 2004, EMU won 86-72. Less than a year ago, on November 30, 2009, EMU won 75-58, in a game the Eagles led from buzzer to buzzer. In MAC versus MAAC matchups in the past 30 years, MAC schools lead 68-52, with a 6 game winning streak.
The betting lines for this game favor the Golden Griffins by 3 to 6 points. Overall it should be a reasonably close game, which should give us a decent barometer on how this season will go for EMU. Both teams finished last season close to .500, and each team has had one game against tough competition and one game against relatively weak competition. Each team also lost its leading scorer and floor captain from last year. If EMU is going to have a successful season, this is a game they need to find a way to win.