From left to right: President John J. Hurley, Reggie Witherspoon, head men’s basketball coach and Bill Maher, director of athletics.
Reggie Witherspoon is the new head coach of the Canisius College men’s basketball team. A Buffalo native and 20-year veteran of the college basketball coaching ranks, Witherspoon is the 24th head coach in the college’s men’s basketball history. His appointment was announced during a news conference at the Koessler Athletic Center on Tuesday, May 31.
“I had the opportunity to work with Reggie for six years at the University at Buffalo,” said Canisius Athletic Director Bill Maher. “After that, I watched him recruit and develop students and grow programs. Reggie is uniquely qualified to build our program and compete for championships.”
“I thank God for the chance to come back and coach in my hometown,” added Witherspoon. “A lot of Canisius alumni live in the area and care very much about the team. I appreciate the effort that Jim Baron, the coaching staff, and the players have put into this program.
Witherspoon spent the 2015-16 season at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he was a member of Matt McCall’s coaching staff that led the Mocs to a 29-6 overall record, a Southern Conference regular-season championship, a SoCon tourney title and the school’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2009. Prior to his time with Chattanooga, he spent one season at Alabama under former head coach Anthony Grant, who is currently a member of the coaching staff for the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder. With the Crimson Tide in 2014-15, he was part of a staff that posted 19 overall wins and eight SEC victories en route to a bid to the NIT.
“At every stop in his coaching career, Reggie has been a proven winner on and off the court,” added Canisius President John J. Hurley. “In Reggie, we not only see a successful coach and recruiter, but an outstanding ambassador, role model and mentor for our student athletes.”
Witherspoon is best known in Western New York for his work building the basketball program at the University at Buffalo. A two-time Mid-American Conference (MAC) Coach of the Year (2004, 2012), he led the Bulls from 1999-2013, where he posted a career record of 198-228 in 14 seasons.
Read more about Witherspoon here.
Witherspoon replaces Jim Baron, the Canisius men’s basketball coach for the past four seasons, who announced his retirement on May 20. He retires from coaching with a total of 462 career wins.
Baron led the Griffs to 73 total wins, 44 wins in MAAC regular season play and three consecutive national postseason appearances. He is the first coach in Canisius history to take his team to the national postseason his first three years at the helm.
Submitted by: Public Relations
