As Canisius eyes long-term progress, it’s on the verge of a MAAC Tournament berth

After now-Eastern Michigan head coach Sahar Nusseibeh’s departure, the Griffins’ roster was gutted. Only three players — sophomore guards Saige Randolph and Mary Copple and senior guard Xanthippi Karatasiou — returned. Swoffard had a hell of a challenge ahead of her.

Canisius was picked to finish last in the MAAC preseason poll with a roster that had only two players averaging more than 15 minutes a game in NCAA Division I. They won one non-conference game this season.

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But now, with two games left to play in the season, the Golden Griffins find themselves in a win-and-in situation to clinch a spot in the MAAC post-season tournament in Atlantic City. Swoffard has preached the long-term process over and over again, but her vision for the Golden Griffins has seen its rewards this year.

“I don’t know if my vision is that long term,” Swoffard told The Next. “If you look at where we started and where we are now, we’re on the brink of potentially making it to Atlantic City.”

But Atlantic City was never the focus for Swoffard and the rest of the Griffs, it’s only a byproduct of their process. 

“While everyone else is talking about getting to Atlantic City, we’re talking about how we build a championship-caliber program,” Swoffard said. 

For a team that was picked to be in the dungeon of the MAAC standings, the Golden Griffins have clawed themselves into a position where they control their own destiny. How? Their people and the desire to build something long-term.

Canisius has a diverse roster, both from around the globe and in experience. It includes players from six different countries and aged anywhere from 18-25. It has players in their first season of college basketball, and one, graduate guard Jaela Johnson, in her seventh.

Johnson has become the team’s leading scorer with 11.4 points per game, and is 15th in the MAAC in scoring. But that’s about it for the Golden Griffins’ notable individual statistics.

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Yet, compare Johnson with the team’s second-leading scorer, sophomore Shariah Gailes, who has nine points per game and is in her second year of college basketball. There’s an obvious commonality between them — they both play for Canisius — yet their individual sacrifices have both helped the program. That long-term commitment is evident in how the Golden Griffins play and communicate with each other.

Going into their first contest of March against Iona, Canisius found itself falling into self-doubt. A 71-35 loss to Manhattan on Feb. 27 had the Griffs questioning whether they were the team that clawed its way out of a preseason last-place ranking, to being on the bubble of the MAAC Tournament, or the team that lost its way out of contention.

The Golden Griffins slowly revealed themselves to Swoffard over the course of the 53-48 win over Iona Saturday afternoon. They ended the first half down seven, but came back in the second half thanks to triples from Johnson and a rally-igniting block from junior forward Mariam Sanogo midway through the third. 

Johnson ended with 10 points on 2-5 from deep; Sanogo totaled 11 points with three rebounds. The game showed Swoffard who she knew Canisius to be: a hard-working, gritty team.

“I saw exactly what I wanted to see from our team,” Swoffard said. “We talked after the Manhattan game … we talked a lot about who we are and the type of program that we want to have.”

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Canisius’ road to Atlantic City is simple — if they beat Rider on March 6, they will play in the tournament. Whether it’s this year or next year, the Golden Griffins hope to be a championship-caliber program in the MAAC.

“[If you] keep going, keep trusting each other and play together, you can do something,” Sanogo told The Next. “For our first year, all together, we can do something in the MAAC.”

No matter what, Canisius isn’t concerned with making a statement — they’re focused on becoming the best version of themselves they can possibly be. To do that, the Golden Griffins know they have to stay focused.

In Swoffard’s words: “Keeping the main thing the main thing.”