Women’s Basketball brings life into early season prep

By: Andrew Nowel, Editor-In-Chief

This Saturday, the Canisius women’s basketball team will host the third annual “Golden Griffin Shoot–A–Thon” as the team prepares for their 2026–2027 season. A way to fundraise and build community spirit, the Griffs are excited to welcome fans back to the Koessler Athletic Center (KAC) for a fun–filled day of prizes, music and friends.

The idea was brought to Head Coach Tiffany Swoffard and her staff by Lindsay Hieronymus, an assistant coach and the recruiting coordinator on staff. Hieronymus has coached at Eastern Kentucky University and Mercer University, both as an assistant, and brought the idea of a shoot–a–thon to Canisius when she joined staff in 2024 as a way to not only connect athletes to students, but to help fundraise for the team. “Beyond a fundraiser, our goal at Canisius has been to develop this into a season preview event and a community event that’s family–friendly,” said Hieronymus on Thursday.

The shoot–a–thon involves every player in the women’s basketball program as each player will shoot 100 free throws and two half–court shots. Fans of the program, including students, alumni, parents, professors, faculty and staff, can support players by pledging a certain amount of money per made free throw. “For example, if a player on our team gets a one–dollar pledge and makes 80 out of 100, that turns into an 80–dollar gift for our program,” said Hieronymus. The half–court shot is a fun added bonus with last year’s event seeing then–junior Kelsey Bess make a half–court shot for a 500–dollar gift.

This year, the Griffs add a new element to the light–hearted competition as Swoffard faces off against Canisius President Steve K. Stoute. Sadly, the two won’t be going against each other in a one–on–one matchup, but each picked a team of shooters that fans can pledge to as well.

The event culminates in a community experience as men’s soccer takes on the Rider Broncs outside on the Demske Sports Complex while inside in the KAC, the women’s volleyball team hosts the Fairfield Stags. Bringing everyone together is what Swoffard and her staff look for in players when recruiting as the team represents the name on the front of their jerseys as well as the city of Buffalo. “We recruit young women that want to be a part of our community, not just our team community, but the athletic department, Canisius and the city of Buffalo. Our players are involved across campus; they are in clubs and active participants in classrooms. More than anything, the athletic piece provides a full experience not just for our players, but for the student body as well,” said Swoffard on Thursday.

With a new conference name, Swoffard and her staff are confident in their abilities to beat the adversity of being ranked 12th in the preseason poll and be “the best team we can be,” as Swoffard put it. With 10 returning players, the Griffs look to use the experience to take home the first–ever Metro title. Not an easy task, but the confidence is there, and with the fans behind them, the Griffs look to climb the mountain that begins Saturday with a prize for everyone in sight.