Canisius University Athletics

John Spaschak is entering his fourth season as Mike Decillis' top assistant. His duties include recruiting coordinator, offensive coordinator, scheduling, practice planning and evaluating, on the court teaching and scouting the opposition.

Prior to joining the Golden Griffins' staff, Spaschak served as an assistant coach for the nationally competitive Division III women's basketball team at New York University. From 1996-98, Spaschak served as the head coach for the Nyack College women's basketball program. He was named the 1997 NCCAA East Region Coach of the Year after directing his squad to the most wins in Nyack's school history. Before he took over the reigns of the women's basketball program, Spaschak was Nyack's associate director of athletics. While holding that role, Spaschak created and implemented the Academic Accountability Program (AAP), which resulted in a 94 percent increase in student-athletes' grade point averages. He was also responsible for implementing a new recruiting program which allowed for a 450 percent increase in athletic scholarships. But his lasting impression at Nyack comes from his leadership influence in creating an all-new athletics nickname and logo. He also spent time as an assistant with the men's basketball program at Nyack.

Spaschak is a native of Manahawkin, N.J., and graduated from Nyack College in 1993. He resides in Cheektowaga with his wife Kelly and has a eight-year old daughter named Sidney and a six-year old son, Logan. He earned his master's degree from Canisius in physical education with a concentration in sport coaching in 2003.