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We are still about 2 weeks away from the tip-off of a new college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to start preparing for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with new Canisius coach Jim Christian, who talked about why he took the job and his expectations for this season.
You played for Ralph Willard in high school (before later becoming his college assistant) and Rick Pitino/Tom Penders in college: what was the most important thing that you learned from that terrific trio? I learned the way they handled every day and attacked the whole job: I still use things every day from those guys.
In 1988 as a player at Rhode Island your team made the Sweet 16: what was it like to face Jim Boeheim/Mike Krzyzewski back-to-back in March? I coached against them later in life: it was not fun! However, anytime you get to play in March it is fun.
As an assistant to Stan Heath at Kent State in 2002 your team made the Elite 8 before losing to Indiana: what is your favorite memory from that remarkable run? It was all a great memory: every player/game/day, and is something I will never forget.
1 of the stars of that team was Antonio Gates: could you tell at the time that he was going to become 1 of the best tight ends in NFL history? I thought he could be the best at anything: he was the best basketball player I ever watched due to his basketball IQ and the way he prepared himself. He never got rattled and could have been a great NBA player if he had wanted to.
You were a 2-time MAC COY as coach at Kent State: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? Those are staff awards: I was happy for my staff, all of whom later became head coaches.
In 2021 you were inducted to the Kent State Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? I spent about 9 years of my life there and met my wife there. To be recognized for what our teams accomplished is not lost on me: it was the most fun that I ever had.
Last April you were hired as head coach at Canisius: why did you take the job, and how is it going so far? It is going great and I am loving every single day. I wanted to go to a place that had not had a ton of success so hopefully we can put something together that will be remembered.
Your roster has players from 5 different foreign countries (Australia/Canada/the Netherlands/Nigeria/Sweden) and 8 different states (CA/GA/MA/MI/NC/NY/OH/WI): what sort of recruiting philosophy do you have? It is not a philosophy: just the state of college basketball in 2024. I want the best guys I can get who will buy into the things we are doing. A lot of them were already here.
Your season opener in 2 weeks will be in Tucson: how do you feel about getting thrown right into the fire in your team’s very 1st game? That is what happens at this level of basketball. Those are the games that kids want to play, which is part of recruiting. We will not play a bunch of non-D-1 schools to build some fake momentum. We will see what Arizona can expose and then learn how we can get better and do what we need to do at the right time.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? The goals/expectations are the same: we want to represent the MAC in the NCAA tourney. There is no other goal, and it is a hard thing to do, but that is the only reason to play the game.