BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Canisius College President Steve K. Stout extolled the fact that “this is a great day for Griffin.”
Jim Christian was introduced to the audience as the new head coach of the Canisius College men's basketball team. Christian is a proven leader with 19 years of Division I head coaching experience.
“They're going to see high energy. They're going to see people who love what they do. They're going to see people who are proud and happy to be here,” Christian said.
In addition to changes to the men's program, Canisius College hired Tiffany Swofard just a few weeks later to take the reins of the women's basketball team.
“What you can expect from me as a coach is that I'm going to play aggressively and I'm going to play with tempo. We're going to play with tempo,” Swoffard said.
Each coach is using their own coaching style to revamp the roster.
On the boys side, Christian takes over the program with just two players returning from last season.
“We basically had to put together a whole new team. We had 10 scholarship spots available and we tried to find the right kids that fit what we were trying to do,” Christian said.
As for the girls' team, Swofard said she inherits five players and looks forward to building the team on a strong foundation.
“They're five great kids that I have high hopes for. They love Canisius. They love what this program does and the energy that they put into this program,” Swofard said.
Both recruits have built reputations and hired the right staff to help them recruit quality players, but like every program, the class of college sports in 2024 comes with the same challenges.
“At any given time, there are nine, 10 or eight people who go on the portal and see what opportunities are out there,” Christian said.
The numbers speak for themselves: More than 2,400 players from NCAA men's and women's basketball programs have entered the transfer portal since March.
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Rather than viewing the transfer portal as an obstacle, the Griffins staff sees it as an opportunity.
“We have a lot of students in our transfer portal, so that's a blessing, and we know how to leverage the relationships we have to find the right fit for where we are right now,” Swofard said.
The current state of basketball at Canisius College is that the women's team is coming off a winning season and looking to maintain their success, while the men's team is looking to end a five-year unbeaten streak.
But together, the two coaches are bringing excitement and success to Canisius basketball.
“Even though we don't have the greatest resources, it creates a bond because everyone has to give their all to be successful. We all know that. I'll do anything to help her and she'll do anything to help our program, so it's really fun,” Christian said.
