BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Reggie Witherspoon will not return as men’s basketball coach at Canisius University. The Golden Griffins announced Saturday that Witherspoon and athletic director Bill Maher have “agreed to mutually part ways,” after seven seasons.
“In Reggie Witherspoon’s eight years as the head coach of Canisius men’s basketball, he led our program with class and integrity, instilling these important values in his student-athletes,” Maher said in a news release.
Witherspoon went 108-130 at Canisius, after compiling a 198-228 record for University at Buffalo from 1999-2013. A Sweet Home High School graduate, he also coached his alma mater, and at Erie Community College.
“I have known Reggie for more than 25 years, having worked with him for at least half of that time,” said Maher, whose time in UB’s athletics department coincided with Witherspoon’s arrival as coach. “The importance of the team, and the development of the young men in our program, has always been his primary focus. I am grateful for his positive impact on the Canisius campus and the broader Western New York basketball community. I thank Reggie, Dawn and the entire extended Witherspoon family for their time at Canisius.”
Canisius finished this season at 14-18 with a loss to top-seeded Quinnipiac in the MAAC quarterfinals. It was the fourth losing season in five years. The Griffs won a regular season championship in 2018 but never reached the conference semifinals under Witherspoon.
Maher said a national search for the Griff’s next men’s basketball coach is an important element of the university’s strategic plan.
“As we look to this next chapter of Golden Griffin men’s basketball, our goals are clear,” Maher said. “We are determined to build a men’s basketball program that can compete for MAAC Championships and will do so with student-athletes who represent what is best about Canisius University. Leveraging intercollegiate athletics to better engage our alumni and community, while creating an engaging student experience, is an important element of our university’s strategic plan—Answer the Call. A successful men’s basketball program is essential in achieving our ambitions.”
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Jonah Bronstein joined the WIVB squad in 2022 as a digital sports reporter. The Buffalonian has covered the Bills, Sabres, Bandits, Bisons, colleges, high schools and other notable sporting events in Western New York since 2005, for publications including The Associated Press, The Buffalo News, and Niagara Gazette. Read more of his work here.