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June 20, 2009

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Lockport native joins Griffs' staff

By STAFF REPORT

Lockport’s Desmond Oliver has joined the staff of the Canisius College men’s basketball program.

Oliver will officially join Tom Parrotta’s coaching staff July 1. A 14-year veteran of the college coaching ranks, Oliver returns to the area after spending the previous five seasons at the University of Georgia.

“I cannot think of anyone else I would rather have to complement our staff and program than Desmond,” Parrotta said. “He is a driven, dedicated and sound coach who will surely use his years of experience at various levels to help keep this program moving in the right direction. If he was a recruit, I’d say he is an impact guy from the moment he steps on campus.”

Oliver, 39, replaces Lazare Adingono, who resigned in April, two months after being arrested on charges that he beat his 4-year-old son with a belt.

Oliver coached at Georgia from 2004 to 2009. During that span, the Bulldogs compiled 71 wins, an SEC tournament championship, a berth into the National Invitational Tournament and, in 2008, a trip to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball tournament.

Before joining the Bulldogs staff, Oliver spent three seasons with head coach Jim Baron at Rhode Island. The two worked together at St. Bonaventure during the 2000-01 season. At Rhode Island, Oliver helped build a program that went from 8-20 in 2002 to consecutive 20-win seasons and postseason berths.

The DeSales High School graduate broke into the college coaching ranks in 1994, when he joined former Niagara head coach Jack Armstrong on the Purple Eagles’ staff. There, Oliver helped recruit Alvin Young, who went on to lead the NCAA in scoring during the 1999 season and was named Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

He spent three seasons at NU before leaving for Texas A&M.; After a one-year stint with the Aggies, Oliver coached two years at Cornell.

A three-year starter for Dominican College, Oliver was the team’s captain for his final two seasons. After graduating in 1992, he earned his master’s degree in student personnel administration from Buffalo State College in 1994.

Oliver began his coaching career while earning his master’s degree, serving as a varsity assistant and head junior varsity coach at Turner-Carroll High School.

Oliver joins a Canisius program that showed a six-game improvement in 2008-09, finishing 11-20 overall and 4-14 in MAAC play. The Griffs return all five starters for the upcoming season.

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