Current position | |
---|---|
Record | 108–129 (.456) |
Biographical details | |
Born | Buffalo, New York, U.S. | February 21, 1961
Alma mater | Empire State College ('95) |
Playing career | |
Erie CC | |
Wheeling Jesuit | |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1984–1992 | Sweet Home HS (assistant) |
1992–1997 | Sweet Home HS |
1997–1999 | Erie CC |
1999–2013 | Buffalo |
2014–2015 | Alabama (assistant) |
2015–2016 | Chattanooga (assistant) |
2016–2024 | Canisius |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 306–357 (.462) 43–15 (.741) (NJCAA) |
Tournaments | 1–1 (NIT) 0–2 (CBI) 3–3 (CIT) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
Phillip Reginald Witherspoon (born February 21, 1961) [1] is an American college basketball coach who is the former men's basketball head coach of the Canisius Golden Griffins and the Buffalo Bulls.
Witherspoon played college basketball at Erie Community College under John Beilein and then at Wheeling Jesuit under Jim O'Brien. [2]
He was the head coach at Erie Community College, and head coach and assistant coach at Sweet Home High School before he was hired as the interim head coach at Buffalo in December 1999. Witherspoon was named full-time head coach on March 10, 2000. He was the first African American named head coach of a varsity sports team in any Western New York suburban school district. He was fired after the 2012-13 season, finishing his 14 season run with a 198-228 record. [3] Witherspoon served one season as an assistant at Alabama under head coach Anthony Grant. [4] In 2015, Witherspoon was let go by Alabama when Grant was replaced by Avery Johnson. He was subsequently named as an assistant on Matt McCall's staff at UT-Chattanooga. [5]
In May 2016, Witherspoon was hired to replace the retiring Jim Baron at Canisius College. [6] In the 2017-18 season, the Golden Griffins finished tied for a share of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular-season title and qualified for the 2018 College Basketball Invitational.
On March 16, 2024, Canisius announced that it had parted ways with Witherspoon after eight seasons. [7]
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Erie Community College (NJCAA Region III)(1997–1999) | |||||||||
1997–98 | Erie CC | 19–10 | |||||||
1998–99 | Erie CC | 24–5 | |||||||
Erie CC: | 43–15 (.741) | ||||||||
University at Buffalo (Mid-American Conference)(1999–2013) | |||||||||
1999–00* | Buffalo | 3–20 (5–23) | 1–17 | 12th | |||||
2000–01 | Buffalo | 4–24 | 2–16 | 12th | |||||
2001–02 | Buffalo | 12–18 | 7–11 | 10th | |||||
2002–03 | Buffalo | 5–23 | 2–16 | 13th | |||||
2003–04 | Buffalo | 17–12 | 11–7 | 5th | |||||
2004–05 | Buffalo | 23–10 | 11–7 | T–2nd | NIT First Round | ||||
2005–06 | Buffalo | 19–13 | 8–10 | 8th | |||||
2006–07 | Buffalo | 12–19 | 4–12 | T–10th | |||||
2007–08 | Buffalo | 10–20 | 3–13 | 12th | |||||
2008–09 | Buffalo | 21–12 | 11–5 | T–1st | CBI First Round | ||||
2009–10 | Buffalo | 18–12 | 9–7 | T–3rd | |||||
2010–11 | Buffalo | 20–14 | 8–8 | T–5th | CIT Quarterfinals | ||||
2011–12 | Buffalo | 20–11 | 12–4 | 2nd | CIT Second Round | ||||
2012–13 | Buffalo | 14–20 | 7–9 | 8th | |||||
Buffalo: | 198–228 (.465) | 96–142 (.403) | |||||||
Canisius College (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference)(2016–present) | |||||||||
2016–17 | Canisius | 18–16 | 10–10 | T–6th | CIT First Round | ||||
2017–18 | Canisius | 21–12 | 15–3 | T–1st | CBI First Round | ||||
2018–19 | Canisius | 15–17 | 11–7 | T–2nd | |||||
2019–20 | Canisius | 12–20 | 7–13 | 10th | |||||
2020–21 | Canisius | 7–6 | 7–5 | 4th | |||||
2021–22 | Canisius | 11–21 | 7–13 | T–10th | |||||
2022–23 | Canisius | 10–20 | 8–12 | T–8th | |||||
2023–24 | Canisius | 14–18 | 8–12 | 9th | |||||
Canisius College: | 108–129 (.456) | 73–75 (.493) | |||||||
Total: | 306–357 (.462) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion |
[8]
* Hired as interim coach after Tim Cohane resigned after 5 games
Robert MacKinnon was an American college and professional basketball coach. He coached three different professional teams in his career; the American Basketball Association's Spirits of St. Louis, and the NBA's Buffalo Braves and New Jersey Nets. MacKinnon also served as the Nets' general manager.
Turner Battle is an American former basketball point guard for the University at Buffalo Bulls men's basketball team from 2001 to 2005. Battle is credited with fueling the resurgence of the Bulls men's basketball program, which went from 5–23 during his sophomore season to a 23-win senior campaign. Battle is now currently athletic director for The Park School of Buffalo.
The Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team represents the University of Alabama in NCAA Division I men's basketball. The program plays in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). In the conference it trails only long-time basketball powerhouse Kentucky in SEC tournament titles, is third behind Kentucky and Arkansas in total wins, and is second behind Kentucky in SEC regular-season conference titles. Alabama was retroactively recognized as the pre-NCAA tournament national champion for the 1929–30 season by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll. The team has appeared in the NCAA tournament 23 times, most recently in 2023. Alabama's current head coach is Nate Oats.
Edward Frank Book is an American-New Zealand former professional basketball player. Listed at 211 cm (6'11") and 112 kg, Book played the centre position.
The Canisius University Golden Griffins are composed of 16 teams representing Canisius University in intercollegiate athletics. These teams include men's and women's basketball, cross country, track, lacrosse, soccer, and swimming and diving. Men's sports include baseball, ice hockey, and golf. Women's sports include volleyball, soccer, and softball. The Golden Griffins compete in the NCAA Division I and are members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) for most sports, excluding men's ice hockey which competes in Atlantic Hockey.
The Canisius Golden Griffins men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Canisius College. The Golden Griffins are a member of Atlantic Hockey. They play at the LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo, New York across the street from KeyBank Center, home of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. Canisius has won an automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament twice, after winning the Atlantic Hockey title in the conference playoffs in both 2013 and 2023, but lost in the first round to the top-ranked team each time.
The Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball team, or the Griffs, represent Canisius University in Buffalo, New York, United States. Canisius is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and play their home games at Koessler Center. Canisius has appeared in the NCAA tournament four times, most recently in 1996. In 1955 and 1956, the Golden Griffins appeared in the NCAA tournament Elite Eight.
The 2013–14 Buffalo Bulls men's basketball team represented the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bulls, led by first year head coach Bobby Hurley, played their home games at Alumni Arena as members of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference. They finished the season 19–10, 13–5 in MAC play to be champions of the East division. They lost in the semifinals of the MAC tournament to Eastern Michigan. Despite the 19 wins and the division title, the Bulls did not participate in postseason play.
Nathanael Justin Oats is an American basketball coach, currently the head basketball coach at the University of Alabama, prior to Alabama, he was the head coach at the University at Buffalo.
Clancy Seymour is a former Canadian ice hockey coach and player at the college level. He is currently an instructor at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York.
The 2016–17 Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball team represented Canisius College during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Golden Griffins, led by first-year head coach Reggie Witherspoon, played their home games at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, New York as members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. They finished the season 18–16, 10–10 in MAAC play to finish in a tie for sixth place. They defeated Marist in the first round of the MAAC tournament to advance to the Quarterfinals where they lost to Saint Peter's. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they lost in the first round to Samford.
Matt Mazurek is an American baseball coach, currently serving as the head baseball coach at Canisius College. After attending Jamestown Community College, Mazurek attended college at Canisius College and played on the Canisius Golden Griffins baseball team where he was named Canisius College Male Athlete of the Year in 2006. After graduating from Canisius in 2006, Mazurek went on to a three-year career in independent baseball, playing for the Joliet JackHammers in 2007, and the Rockford RiverHawks in 2008 and 2009. Mazurek served as an assistant baseball coach at Canisius College from 2007 to 2017. Mazurek was named head baseball coach at Canisius College on September 6, 2017. Mazurek was named the MAAC Coach of the Year in 2019.
The 2017–18 Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball team represented Canisius College during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Golden Griffins, led by second-year head coach Reggie Witherspoon, played their home games at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, New York as members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. They finished the season 21–11, 15–3 in MAAC play to finish in a share for the MAAC regular season title with Rider. It was their first conference regular season title since 1994. As the No. 2 seed at the MAAC tournament, they were upset by in the quarterfinals by No. 7 seed Quinnipiac. They were invited to the College Basketball Invitational where they lost in the first round to Jacksonville State.
The 2018–19 Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball team represented Canisius College in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They played their home games at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, New York as members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, and were led by 3rd-year head coach Reggie Witherspoon. They finished the 2018–19 season 15–17 overall, 11–7 in MAAC play to finish in a four-way tie for second place. As the No. 2 seed in the 2019 MAAC tournament, they defeated No. 7 seed Manhattan in the quarterfinals 69–65OT before falling to No. 6 seed Monmouth 59–73 in the semifinals.
The 2019–20 Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball team represented Canisius College in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Golden Griffins, led by fourth-year head coach Reggie Witherspoon, played their home games at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, New York as members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. They finished the season 12–20, 7–13 in MAAC play to finish in tenth place. They lost in the first round of the MAAC tournament to Iona.
The 2020–21 Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball team represented Canisius College in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Golden Griffins, led by fifth-year head coach Reggie Witherspoon, played their home games at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, New York as members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. They finished the season 7–6, 7–5 in MAAC play to finish in a tie for fifth place. As the No. 6 seed in the MAAC tournament, they lost in the first round to No. 11 seed Rider 76–78.
The 2021–22 Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball team represented Canisius College in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Golden Griffins, led by sixth-year head coach Reggie Witherspoon, played their home games at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, New York as members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
The 2022–23 Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball team represented Canisius College in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Golden Griffins, led by seventh-year head coach Reggie Witherspoon, played their home games at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, New York as members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
The 2023–24 Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball team represented Canisius University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Golden Griffins, led by eighth-year head coach Reggie Witherspoon, played their home games at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, New York as members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.