By Andrew Nowel, Sports Reporter
Sophomore forward Dylan Godfrey has had an excellent start to his Canisius career, helping the Griffs throughout the season. However, off the court it has been a rough start to 2025. The California wildfires hit home for Godfrey and his family, as they were impacted in many ways. Throughout January, Godfrey came into practice everyday with a sense of uncertainty of what was going on in Newport Beach, California.
Growing up in Newport Beach, Dylan Godfrey found – from an early age – that the community looked after one another, helping each other in times of need.
“It’s a really tight community down there,” said Godfrey on Wednesday. “I played high school basketball at two schools and then went to East LA for freshman year, so I was extremely lucky to be a part of that community.”
Godfrey found out early on that his grandparents’ house and his aunt and uncle’s house both burned down from the fire. Thankfully, no one in his family was hurt by the fire. The impact of trying to play basketball and be a college student while everything was going on wasn’t easy for the 6-foot-8-inch forward.
“It’s very hard when family and friends’ houses burnt down, but it gives me ease that people are donating money and helping out there,” said Godfrey. “When I’m playing basketball, it’s hard to think about anything else than the game itself, so it’s been a nice outlet for me.”
While basketball was a helpful distraction from everything, Godfrey was able to video chat through it all with his family. This, along with the support from his teammates, helped Godfrey to continue focusing on basketball and his studies.
On the court, Godfrey has averaged 7.3 points per game with nine assists, eight blocks and 11 steals this season. With a massive rivalry matchup approaching for the Griffs, Godfrey and the team are ready to put everything into the final stretch of the regular season.
“It’s only a matter of time before we put games together, and we have to go on a streak,” said Godfrey. “Our biggest task at hand will be beating Niagara.”
With this being a first-time appearance in the Canisius-Niagara rivalry for everyone except redshirt sophomore Cam Palesse, the team is ready to use their past rivalry experience to bring the energy to the KAC on Friday night, Jan. 31.
“I’ve been part of rivalries in the past, and it’s always the same feeling going in that you want to win,” said Godfrey.
The Purple Eagles enter the game on a five-game losing streak, tied at two MAAC wins with the Griffs and the Saint Peter’s Peacocks. The Purple Eagles also are one of two teams in the country who have an entirely new team with the same coaching staff at the helm. With the season entering its final month, both teams will need the win on Friday night. As for Dylan Godfrey, the impact of the California wildfires will keep him “motivated to play the best basketball he can.”
Photo courtesy of GoGriffs.com