Canisius in their Repeat Era

Kyle Husband has been the Canisius High head coach for 22 years. He believes great teams are forged through adversity, by rising up in a crisis. But sometimes, kids need reminding. So with a little over six minutes left  and his team down by five points Monday night, Husband called a timeout.

“Six minutes is an eternity of basketball,” Husband said. “There’s so many more possessions to go. You’ve just got to dig in and grind.” The Crusaders got the message. No team is better at digging in and grinding. Their junior leaders, Christian Gill and Jack Cullinan, combined for the team’s next 13 points as Canisius surged into the lead and held on for a 60-56 victory over St. Joe’s in the Manhattan Cup championship game before an overflow crowd in the Koessler Center at Canisius University.

Canisius repeated as Monsignor Martin champion and captured its 12th title in Husband’s career. The Crusaders will play the winner of Tuesday’s semifinal between Holy Trinity and St. John Prep in the state Catholic Class A title game at 3 p.m. on Sunday at the ECC Flickinger Center.

Given a bye and a week to prepare, the Crusaders will seek to win their fourth state championship under Husband. They won it four years ago in Buffalo. Bishop Timon-St. Jude, which defeated O’Hara in Monday’s first game, will host New York City champ Cathedral Prep in the state Class B title game at 1.

This wasn’t Husband’s most talented squad. It was a team without any big scorers or superstars. He said during the year that this was the most balanced Monsignor Martin league he’d seen in many years. “I honestly think five or six teams could have won it,” he said.

Canisius might not have been the most physically gifted team. But they were the toughest, most resilient and well-coached team in the conference. They beat St. Joe’s at the buzzer late in the season to take control of the race, beat St. Mary’s in overtime in the Cup semifinal, made all the big plays at winning time — as the hockey team had done in an OT win over St. Joe’s earlier in the day.

“I don’t think there’s a team that ever deserved it more than us,” said Gill, a shifty 5-10 point guard who had all 12 of his points in the second half. “I think we worked the hardest, we always play basketball the right way, and that’s the outcome. We win. We win.”

The outcome seemed in doubt when St. Joe’s took a 49-42 lead early in the fourth quarter. Gill nailed a jumper to cut the deficit to five. That’s when Husband called the timeout to focus his team for the stretch run. It was about to be winning time, which is when Cullinan tends to assert his will on a game.

Cullinan scored on a putback. After Liam Horan (19 points) scored for the Marauders, Cullinan sliced in for another hoop. On the next possession, Cullinan missed a shot and grabbed his own rebound. Then Gill hit a three-pointer to tie it, 51-all. After a Joe’s hoop, Gill hit another three to put Canisius up, 54-53. After an exchange of turnovers, Cullinan made the play of the night.

With his back to the basket, Cullinan was knocked to the floor. As he went down, he flipped the ball back over his head and it swished through. He completed the three-point play to make it 57-53. St. Joe’s got within one on a JJ Shanklin (17 points) three, but the sophomore missed four consecutive free throws on one possession. Canisius held on and the students stormed the floor.

“I’m built for these moments,” said Cullinan, who made the buzzer-beater to beat St. Joe’s on Feb. 10. “I want the ball, and for this team to trust me and give me the ball, it feels great. Two-for-two winning championships.”

Cullinan, who leads a balanced Canisius attack with 11.2 points a game, had struggled until the fourth quarter. Hampered by foul trouble and a swarming Marauders’ defense, he had only two points until his decisive surge. “I was in foul trouble early,” he said, “but it’s the next play mentality. Never stop, keep thinking about the next play, next play, next play. Not looking back in the past, but looking toward the future.”

Next, they look toward the state title game. But for now, the Crusaders had a Cup to celebrate. The entire school, really. Late in the first half, the hockey players strode into the Koessler, holding their new trophy aloft. After the game, they stormed the court with the rest of the students. Players from both championship teams posed for photographs in a jubilant scene afterwards.

“It’s been a journey this year, like every year,” Husband said. “These guys were so tough, and wanted to get better, year after year after year. Week after week, day after day. They worked really hard in practice and I’m really proud of what they did tonight.” Husband looked toward the wild celebration near center court to his left. “That picture with the hockey and basketball team, it doesn’t get any better than that,” he said with a big smile. “They’ll remember that.”

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Timon-St. Jude, which won the Manhattan Cup A title in 2023 and '24, defeated Cardinal O'Hara, 61-46, in the Class B final, earning a trip to the state B championship game on Sunday afternoon at the Flickinger Center. 

Sophomore Marquis Harris scored 18 points to lead Timon, which advanced to the Class B championships in 2020, but saw the season shut down by the Covid pandemic. Two years ago, they lost in overtime in the state title game. 

“We have an opportunity to play for a state championship, no matter what game it is," said head coach Jason Rowe. "I’m not here to diminish whatever class it is. There’s only a certain number of teams that have a chance to play for a state championship, and we’re fortunate to be one of them.”

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Feature Image Courtesy of Anthony Bagarozzi/WNYAthletics