Canisius College head men's basketball coach Tom Parrotta was recently inducted into the Archbishop Stepinac High School Hardwood Club at the group's third annual dinner and award ceremony in White Plains, N.Y. Induction into the Stepinac Hardwood Club is the equivalent of being named to the school's Sports Hall of Fame and is only open to graduates of the Crusaders basketball program. 

Parrotta graduated from Stepinac High School in 1984 before taking his basketball talents to Fordham University. The Yonkers, N.Y. native is entering his fifth-year at the helm of the Canisius men's basketball program and recently signed a contract extension that will keep him on the Golden Griffins' bench through the 2012-13 season.

"When you have fond memories of a place like Stepinac and they bestow an honor like this on you, it is very touching. It is a good warm feeling," Parrotta told the White Plains Times.

Last season, Parrotta helped lead the Griffs to a 15-17 overall record and an 8-10 mark in MAAC play. The 15 wins are the most for the team since the 2000-01 campaign, and the Blue and Gold closed out the year by winning a MAAC Tournament game for the sixth-straight year, making Parrotta just the second coach in school history to have at least one postseason conference tournament victory in each of his first four campaigns as the program's bench boss.

Canisius, which returns four starters, eight letterwinners and 70.3 percent of its scoring from a season ago, will open the 2010-11 schedule Friday, Nov. 12, when the team hosts long-time rival St. Bonaventure in the backend of a basketball doubleheader in the Koessler Athletic Center. Group tickets for that date, as well as season tickets for both the men's and women's combined home schedule are on sale now by calling the ticket office at (716) 888-2885, or by clicking here.