Tom Parrotta will not return to coach the Canisius men’s basketball team next season, the school announced Sunday night.

Canisius fell to Niagara in the play-in round of the MAAC Tournament on Friday, 80-70, losing to the Purple Eagles for the third time this season.

“After careful consideration, I have made the difficult decision to make a change in the leadership of our men’s basketball program,” athletic director Bill Maher said in a statement. “This decision comes after careful thought to what I believe is in the best interest of our men’s basketball program here at Canisius College.

“Tom has worked diligently on behalf of Canisius College and has had a significant impact on our program in a number of areas, and for that, we are grateful. However, our goal is to compete for the MAAC Championship and we have not made sufficient progress toward that goal. I appreciate Tom’s hard work and dedication to our College and the men’s basketball program, and most importantly to our student-athletes. I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”

Parrotta had one year left on his contract after compiling a 64-121 record in his first six years on the job. Details of his buyout were not immediately available.

Canisius finished in the bottom-four of the conference in five of Parrotta’s six years, putting the team in the play-in round at the conference tournament. The 2010-11 season was the only year Canisius avoided the extra game, finishing in sixth place with a 15-15 overall record and 9-9 mark in conference games. The team lost to third-seeded Rider in the quarterfinals that year.

Neither Maher nor Parrotta were immediately available for comment. Maher may meet with press as soon as tonight.

The Griffin
By Nick Veronica