Canisius College Director of Athletics Bill Maher announced last night that men’s basketball head coach Tom Parrotta will not return for a seventh season.

Although there were rumblings about Parrotta’s job security for much of the season, the move was finally made three days after the Griffins lost to Niagara for the third time this season, the final one a first round loss in the MAAC Tournament. Canisius closed the year with a 5-25 record overall, 1-17 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

“The loss to Niagara was not a final straw in any way at all,” Maher said. “We look at everything, we look at the full body of work over the six-year period, look at the future of our program moving forward, and make the decision we think is the best decision for us.

“I do think that we have the talent to be more competitive than we have been, and that’s been a disappointment.”

Beloved by current and former players for his sincerity, class and compassion, Parrotta seemed to get more out of the Griffins in the classroom than he did on the court. While his record of 64-121 over six seasons (30-78 in MAAC play) ultimately lost him his job, the head coach was recognized for encouraging players to finish undergraduate classes in three years and earn their master’s degree in the fourth year.

Canisius had a team option to pick up the final year on Parrotta’s contract—once believed to be a full two-year extension through 2012-13—but Maher opted not to renew the deal.

Current and former players expressed their feelings on Twitter last night after hearing the news:

(Chris Manhertz’s re-tweet of Julius Coles, who graduated from Canisius last year).

According to the Canisius Griffin’s Nick Veronica, Maher hopes to decide on a new coach within the next four-to-six weeks.

Photos courtesy of Dave Marino.