Canisius College men's basketball coach Tom Parrotta announced today that Buffalo native Desmond Oliver will officially join the Golden Griffins' coaching staff July 1. A 14-year veteran of the college coaching ranks, Oliver returns to his hometown after spending the previous five seasons at the University of Georgia.

“I cannot think of anyone else I would rather have to compliment 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 was a member of the Georgia staff from 2004-2009, where he was on the bench as the Bulldogs posted 71 wins, an SEC Tournament championship, a postseason NIT berth and a trip to the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. He spent three seasons (2001-04) at Rhode Island with head coach Jim Baron, who he worked with at St. Bonaventure for the 2000-01 campaign. At Rhode Island, Oliver helped build a Rams program that improved 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. While serving on the bench in Lewiston, N.Y., Oliver helped recruit Alvin Young, who went on to lead the NCAA in scoring during the 1999 season and was named the MAAC Player of the Year. He spent three seasons at Niagara before leaving to work at Texas A&M. After a one-year stay with the Aggies, Oliver moved on to coach for two years (1998-00) at Cornell.

The 39-year old Oliver graduated from Dominican College in 1992 where he was a three-year starter on the basketball team and captain for his final two seasons. He earned his master's degree in student personnel administration from Buffalo State in 1994. While earning his master's degree, he began his coaching career as a varsity assistant and head junior varsity coach at Turner-Carroll High School.

The Griffs showed a six-game improvement in 2008-09 and finished the season with an 11-20 overall record and a 4-14 mark in MAAC action. Canisius, which won four of its last six games, returns all five starters for the 2009-10 campaign.