Griffs must replace experience, but also return majority of last year’s group in preparation for upward climb in MAAC

Entering eighth season at helm, Reggie Witherspoon has a Canisius team poised to make a jump in MAAC this season. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

When COVID-19 shut down the sports world in 2020, Canisius was one of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference schools hardest hit.

The Golden Griffins were displaced from their Koessler Athletic Center digs in the offseason that followed, and still did not have a normal summer in 2021. This past season, the blizzard that affected Western New York caused damage to the gym’s floor and forced the Griffs to play home games at local rival Niagara for a brief period after the new year. Therefore, this summer — with Canisius taking a trip to Canada — was the most positive the team has had in the offseason in several years.

The Griffs swept their four-game journey to the north, with Tahj Staveskie averaging over 20 points per game on a trip head coach Reggie Witherspoon lauded for its purpose of simply allowing his players an escape from the ordinary, but also for its success on the floor.

“I think first, it was very good for us from a standpoint of bonding and getting our guys away from the familiar,” Witherspoon reflected. “Getting them to be able to experience some things together that are different than basketball and different from studying, that was the first thing that we’re happy about. From a standpoint of basketball, we were able to get on the court and play against good competition, and get an increased understanding of each other.”

“That environment forces you to play a little quicker, a little faster. You’re playing (under) FIBA rules, so you’re playing with a 24-second (shot) clock. It was a very physical way of playing, it’s older, stronger guys. Those are the things that we have to just continue to get better at.”

And in Staveskie, a revelation as a redshirt freshman last season after a broken foot cost him all of his first year on campus, Witherspoon has a guard unfazed by the moment and unafraid to take charge in pressure situations. The Canada trip helped the Ohio native blossom even further as the primary option, something his coach has taken notice of as he prepares to be given the keys to the proverbial car.

Tahj Staveskie heads into sophomore season as Canisius’ top offensive option. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

“I think he has embraced that,” Witherspoon said of Staveskie and his leadership role. “He’s such a tremendously hard worker and he has embraced pretty much every aspect of it. Whether it’s scoring or passing, defending, even rebounding, he’s a very competitive person. I think he’s looking forward to all of that.”

Elsewhere in the backcourt, the Griffs are hopeful that Tre Dinkins and Devean Williams, along with TJ Gadsden and Xzavier Long on the wings, can continue the tradition of role players making a big jump. Witherspoon has always shepherded growth from his reserves when ushering them into more integral pieces of the puzzle, and that trio is next in line to undertake the challenge.

“Before there’s any jump in any statistics, they need to be more assertive,” Witherspoon said. “I think all of them have had games where they’ve performed well last year, and for X, even his freshman year. Now the key is for them to be able to perform consistently well and to be able to do things without thinking about them first.”

Up front, Frank Mitchell will make his long-awaited debut after redshirting last year. The Canadian will join Bryce Okpoh, Siem Uijtendaal and Youri Fritz — brother of former Griff Jacco — in a retooled frontcourt. Canisius has two incoming transfers joining the team, Joe Jones III of Georgia State and Cameron Palesse of Valparaiso, a guard Witherspoon is intrigued to see develop in what will be his first full season at the collegiate level.

“He’s a very interesting player,” he said of Palesse. “This is his third year in college, but it’s really his first full season. He’s only played a couple games, so that lifestyle adjustment, he understands it a little bit. He still has a way to go, but he’s talented, very versatile. On the court, he can do a lot of things well and I think he fits the way we play.”

“We’re very confident in the guys that we have, in large part because they’re confident in each other. They’ve gone through enough of college basketball now, at least they feel as though they have, to be able to understand what the challenges are. Now we still have to work on executing and things like that, but I think we’ve learned a lot.”

Witherspoon still has two open scholarships, and is actively trying to fill at least one before the season begins, with the hope that he and his staff are able to find two players who fit the program and vision. Still, the continuity gained from returning 58 percent of last season’s minutes and more than half the team’s scoring gives the Griffs a leg up entering an uncertain year where the majority of the MAAC was overhauled in the transfer portal, for better or worse.

“I think it’s a good thing,” Witherspoon assessed. “It’s what most coaches would want because it gives your program a chance to have some stability, and particularly at a school like this, it’s a very valuable thing to have. We’re familiar with them as players, they’re familiar with us as coaches, and they’re familiar with each other as teammates. I think we just have to get a little more consistent with the things we’re doing reasonably well, the rebounding and taking care of the basketball.”

“Those are areas where we just need to find a little bit more consistency. But those guys are excited about the challenge. They’re talented guys that we think can really perform at a high level. We’ve got to start at the defensive end in being consistent and being forceful in allowing us to get out in transition. Those are the areas I think we want to see ourselves improve at.”