After four years at the helm of the Golden Griffins, Canisius head coach Jim Baron is calling it quits.
First reported by Shawn Stepner of WKBW-TV Friday afternoon, the 62 year old Baron compiled a 73-61 record in four years as the Griffs’ head coach, good for seventh most in program history.
Baron took over a program in disarray and turned it into a yearly MAAC contender. Canisius went 5-25 with a paltry 1-17 conference record in the year prior to Baron’s arrival, but the seasoned coach brought immediate changes.
The Golden Griffins improved to a 20-14 record in 2012-13 with an 11-7 conference record and had their most successful season in nearly 20 years with a 21-13 record and 14-6 conference mark in 2013-14.
The team’s success was highlighted by three consecutive trips to the CollegeInsider.com tournament from 2013-2015 where they compiled a 4-3 record.
Baron’s son, Billy, earned MAAC Player of the Year honors in that 2013-14 season and was as integral to the Griffs’ success as his father was. Billy now plays professionally in Belgium and one of his father’s reasons for retirement was to spend more time watching him play.
Baron had signed an extension following this year’s MAAC tournament, but leaves the coaching sphere with a 462-430 career record over 29 years including time at the helm of St. Francis University, St. Bonaventure, and Rhode Island.
Vincent Simone covers the MAAC, Hofstra, and more for Big Apple Buckets. You can follow him on Twitter @VTSimone.
NYC Buckets Archive 