2022 Hercules Tires MAAC Basketball Championships Program

2021–22 CANISIUS MEN’S & WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

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PLAYER TO WATCH Sophomore guard Dani Haskell has been one of Canisius’ more reliable scoring options in her two years with the program. Despite only playing in five games last season due to a pandemic-shortened season, Haskell has amassed over 270 points in just 20 collegiate games. Haskell has improved upon her freshman season, where she averaged 11.4 points per game, by scoring 20-plus points on three occasions so far this season. She scored a career-high 27 points in an overtime loss to “Battle of the Bridge” rival Niagara on Jan. 9. At one point this year, Haskell recorded a double-digit scoring total in 11 straight games, becoming the first player to do so since an 18-game streak by D’Jhai Patterson-Ricks, which spanned the 2018–19 and 2019–20 seasons. NOTABLE ALUMNI Former Canisius forward Kara (Haun) Rehbaumwas a four-year letterwinner for the Canisius women’s basketball team from 1980–84. She concluded her career with 1,661 points and 1,075 rebounds over 119 games played. Her 1,075 rebounds are the most by a Canisius player and she is the only player to eclipse the century mark. Rehbaum’s 1,661 points are now the third-most in program history. Following her career with the Griffs, she spent 13 seasons on Canisius’ coaching staff (1986–98), serving as an assistant coach for seven years before a six-year tenure as head coach. Rehbaumworked for the Arena Football League’s Buffalo Destroyers from 2001–03 before returning to the collegiate scene, heading to Hilbert College in Hamburg, N.Y., a southern suburb of Buffalo. Currently in her 18 th season at Hilbert, Rehbaum

QUICK FACTS LOCATION BUFFALO, NY NICKNAME GOLDEN GRIFFINS COLORS BLUE AND GOLD YEAR FOUNDED 1870 PRESIDENT JOHN J. HURLEY ATHLETIC DIRECTOR BILL MAHER HOME ARENA KOESSLER ATHLETIC CENTER (2,196)

MEN’S ROSTER

WOMEN’S ROSTER

No.

Name

Cl.

Pos.

Ht.

Wt.

Hometown

No.

Name

Cl.

Pos.

Ht.

Hometown

0 1 2 3 5

Akrum Ahemed

Jr.

G 6-5 200 Hackensack, NJ

0 2 5

Shaunae Brown Lydia Gattozzi Ella Väätänen

Jr.

G 5’5” Toronto, Ontario

Ahamadou Fofana

Sr. Sr. Sr. So.

G 6-1 175 Bronx, NY

Fr.

G 5’10” Chardon, Ohio

Malek Green

F

6-7 220 Cincinnati, OH

Gr.

F F

6’1” Tuusula, Finland

So.

6’0” Hamilton, NJ

Jordan Henderson

G 6-5 190 Cincinnati, OH

10 11 12 13 14 15 20 21 23 24 33

Giana Hernandez-Boulden $

Hannah Dolan

Fr. Fr. Fr.

G 5’10” Williamsville, NY

Siem Uijtendaal

G 6-6 185 Haarlem, Netherlands

Athina Lexa

G 5’9” Thessaloniki, Greece G 5’9” Katerini, Greece G 5’6” Franklinville, NY G 5’9” Sabadell, Spain G 5’9” New Rochelle, NY

10 11 21 22 25 33 44

Jacco Fritz

Jr. Jr.

F

6-10 215 Tiel, Netherlands

Xanthippi Karatasiou

Armon Harried

G 6-5 200 Baltimore, MD

Dani Haskell

So.

Scott Hitchon

Gr. Sr. Fr. Fr. Fr.

F F

6-8 230 Whitby, Ontario 6-10 240 Odessa, Ukraine

Èlia Páez

Fr.

George Maslennikov

Jr.

Jane McCauley #

Xzavier Long

G 6-7 190 Washington, DC G 6-3 180 Brewerton, NY

Kayla Jackson

Sr. Sr. Fr. Fr.

F

5’11” Rochester, NY

Brandon Kulakowski

Erika Joseph

G 5’8” Toronto, Ontario

Tahj Staveskie

G 6-0 165 Sandusky, OH

PLAYER TO WATCH Senior forward Malek Green has proven to be one of the MAAC’s most consistent scorers and rebounders in his two years with the Golden Griffins. The 2020–21 MAAC Sixth Player of the Year, Green is one of the few players in the MAAC to rank among the league’s top-10 in both scoring and rebounding average. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Green started the 2021–22 campaign as a Preseason All-MAAC Third Team selection. In his time with the Griffs, Green has scored 20-or more points six times, including a 21-point performance in the season-opener at Miami back on Nov. 9. Those 21 points made Green the fourth player in the last six seasons to score 20-plus in the Griffs’ first game of the season. NOTABLE ALUMNI Former Canisius guard Kevin Downey was formally inducted into the Canisius Sports Hall of Fame in 2016. A three-time All-MAAC selection and a two-time team captain, Downey graduated from the College in 2006 as one of seven players in school history to scoremore than 1,000 career points to gowith 400-plus career rebounds and 250-plus career assists. Just the fifth Canisius player to earn All-MAAC accolades inmultiple seasons, Downey was a three-timeMAAC All-Academic Teamhonoree as well. His 1,583 career points ranks eighth in programhistory,andheisoneof fiveformerGriffstostart inmorethan115careergames. Downey is currently a commercial account manager forG&GFitnessnearRochester, N.Y. Heearnedhis undergraduatedegree inbiology fromCanisius in2005 andthenwentontoearnhisMBAfrom the school in 2006.

Cheyenne Stubbs

G 5’5” Bradenton, FL

Head Coach: Reggie Witherspoon (Empire State, ’95) – Sixth Season, 20 th Season Overall Assistant Coaches: Chris Hawkins (Radford, ’92) – Sixth Season, Thurman Schaetzle (Mercyhurst, ’11) – Fourth Season, Calvin Cage (Buffalo, ’06) – Third Season Graduate Assistant Manager: Austin Buschang (Canisius, ’20) – Second Season

Rhay Porter

F

6’1” Scotia, NY

# - Transfer from Vermont – must sit out remainder of 2021-22 season in accordance with NCAA transfer rules $ - Transfer from Rhode Island – must sit out remainder of 2021-22 season in accordance with NCAA transfer rules

Athletic Trainer: Tyler LaMonica (Brockport, ’17) – Fourth Season Student Managers: Shane Hurd ’24, Luca Militello ’24, Jasper Torres ’23

Head Coach: Sahar Nusseibeh (American, ’09) – First Season Assistant Coaches: Jared Zeidman (Quinnipiac, ’08) – First Season, Krista Beechy (Grove City, ’10) – First Season Academics & Operations Coach: Ben Lober (Michigan State, ’20) – Second Season Athletic Trainer: Taylor Kenney (SUNY Cortland, ’19) – Second Season at Canisius, First with Program

HEAD COACH REGGIE WITHERSPOON Canisius head coach Reggie Witherspoon, a Buffalo native and a 25-year veteran of the college basketball coaching ranks, was named the 24 th head coach in Canisius College men’s basketball history on May 28, 2016. Now in his sixth-season as head coach of the Golden Griffins, Witherspoon is just the eighth head coach in program history to lead the Blue and Gold in six-or more seasons. Earlier this year, Witherspoon passed Canisius Sports Hall of Famer Joe Curran for sixth-place on the school’s career coaching wins list. In his time at Canisius, Witherspoon has guided the program to more than 75 wins, and he currently ranks second in program history in career MAAC regular-season victories. Under his guidance, the Griffs have earned a share of the MAAC regular- season championship (2017–18) and the team has made a pair of national postseason appearances (CIT in 2016–17, CBI in 2017–18).

HEAD COACH SAHAR NUSSEIBEH

Sahar Nusseibeh was officially named the 10 th head coach in Canisius women’s basketball history on July 23, 2021. Nusseibeh took over the Canisius program after spending the previous two seasons at Miami University, where she held the title of defensive coordinator. She was responsible for developing and implementing all aspects of team and individual defensive concepts. Prior to Miami, Nusseibeh spent three seasons at Manhattan, serving as an associate head coach, recruiting coordinator and defensive coordinator. At Manhattan, she played a key role in recruiting and coaching five All-MAAC selections, two MAAC All-Rookie Teamhonorees and the 2019 MAAC Defensive Player of the Year. Nusseibeh also spent time on the coaching staffs at Bowling Green, Holy Cross and Cincinnati following her graduation fromAmerican University, where she played in 116 games for the Eagles.

assumes three positions: Assistant Athletic Director, Senior Woman Administrator and Sports Information Director.

@GOGRIFFS @GRIFFS_MBB @GRIFFSWBB

/GOGRIFFS

@GOGRIFFS @GRIFFS_MBB @GRIFFSWBB

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