By Andrew Nowel, Sports Reporter
As Main Street begins to warm up and the leaves return to the trees, the basketball season becomes a distant memory. With the men’s basketball team finishing their season in New Jersey last weekend, the Griffs look to learn from the struggle of the 2024-25 journey.
The Griffs began their non-conference schedule over four months ago with the toughest opponent they would face this season, the No. 9-ranked Arizona Wildcats. After defeating the Griffs on Nov. 4, Arizona went on to a 20–11 overall record, including 14–6 in the Big 12. They were one of the top seeds in the Big 12 tournament.
Non-conference play saw varying levels of success from the Griffs, but the win column remained empty. Following a 71-point loss to the Maryland Terrapins, Head Coach Jim Christian explained that the team would utilize the ugly loss as motivation for conference play, which was just two weeks away.
After losing to Maryland, the Griffs returned home from their two week-road trip to host the Brown Bears. The team fell short once again in an 83–76 loss, falling to 0–7 on the season. The team wouldn’t win in 2024 as they continued to come up short at the end of games. Their closest loss was to Maine on Dec. 14, as the Griffs fell by five. Even though they would score 82 points on the road against Sacred Heart, the Pioneers dropped 99 to hand the Griffs another loss.
When they returned to Buffalo on Jan. 10, the Griffs came in with a fire that the Rider Broncs didn’t expect. Canisius won their first game of the season in a convincing 85–67 fashion that fueled hope back into the heart of the team.
The Griffs were unable to build momentum off of their first win, struggling to score against the defensively talented Saint Peter’s team, and falling to Iona the following weekend. On Jan. 18, Canisius won their second game of the season on the road against the Fairfield Stags. The Griffs wouldn’t find another victory until it was too late in the season.
With the new format of the MAAC Tournament, the Griffs had to finish top 10 in the conference of 13 teams to qualify. Every loss in February kept dwindling their chances until a win against Siena sparked a final push for the playoffs. However, a loss the following week against Manhattan sealed their fate and eliminated them from tournament contention.
The team finished 3–28 overall, with all three wins coming in MAAC play. The Griffs ended their season with 64.8 points per game and 25.9 rebounds per game. Seniors Paul McMillan IV and Tana Kopa led the team in points, scoring a combined 989, nearly half of the Griffs’ total points.Â
As the final moments of the season wind down, the Griffs will look to learn from the struggles of this season as the preparation begins now for the 2025-26 men’s basketball season.
Photo courtesy of Tom Wolf