Canisius College Men's Basketball

Jim Christian was officially named the 25th head coach in Canisius men’s basketball program history on April 8, 2024. With nearly two decades of NCAA Division I head coaching experience to his credit, Christian took over the Golden Griffin program after spending the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons as an assistant coach and in an administrative role at Kent State University.   “It is an honor and a privilege for me to be named the next head men’s basketball coach at Canisius University,” Christian said at the time of his hiring. “I would like to thank President Steve Stoute and Athletic Director Bill Maher for this tremendous opportunity. I am confident that I will be able to use the things I have learned in my 19 years as a head coach and put those into practice at Canisius on day one. Canisius is a special place. The close, family atmosphere I experienced on my visit to campus during the interview process just further proved to me that Canisius is the right place for me, both personally and professionally.”   In his most recent stop at Kent State, Christian was part of the Golden Flashes staff that led the team to 45 victories and a pair of Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship game appearances. In 2022-23, Kent State won 28 games and secured the conference’s automatic berth into the 2023 NCAA Tournament, where it eventually fell to Indiana.   Before joining the men’s basketball staff at Kent State, Christian served as the head coach at Boston College from 2014-21. His best season at Boston College came in 2017-18, where he guided the Eagles to a 19-win season - the most victories by a BC men's basketball team since the 2010-11 season – which resulted in a return to the postseason. The Eagles' 2017-18 season was highlighted by a win over top-ranked Duke, a trip to the quarterfinals of the 2018 ACC Championship, and a bid to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Christian took over the Boston College program after serving as the head coach at Ohio University, where he led the Bobcats to a 49-22 record in two seasons. In his first year in Athens, Ohio, the Bobcats went 24-10 and earned a berth in the NIT. In 2013-14, Ohio went 25-12 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the College Insider Tournament (CIT). His 2012-13 Ohio squad was the regular-season MAC champions (14-2) and he was named the NABC District 14 Coach of the Year for his efforts. In 19 years as a Division I head coach, Christian has spent eight of those seasons leading programs in the MAC. He spent six years with Kent State from 2002-08, compiling a record of 138-58 (.704) and leading the Golden Flashes to five postseason appearances. He earned MAC Coach of the Year accolades in 2006 and 2008, both times directing Kent State to the conference title and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Flashes earned NIT berths in each of his first three seasons. Christian holds the best winning percentage in MAC history (.700) and reached 20 wins in all eight of his seasons in the conference. Christian also spent four seasons (2008-12) as the head coach at TCU. While there, he won 56 games, and in his final season, he directed the Horned Frogs to an 18-15 record and an appearance in the quarterfinal round of the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). Christian served as an assistant coach for the Golden Flashes in 2001-02 when they advanced to the Elite Eight. Before his time at Kent State, he was a college basketball talent evaluator at Octagon Sports Marketing and Management. He was an assistant coach at Pittsburgh from 1996-99 under Ralph Willard, and has also made coaching stops at Miami (Ohio) (1995-96), Western Kentucky (1990-92, 1994-95) and St. Francis (Pa.) (1992-94). A native of Bethpage, N.Y., he played two seasons at Boston University before transferring to Rhode Island to finish his collegiate playing career under Rams’ head coach Tom Penders. He was a key part of the team that advanced to the Sweet 16 in the 1988 NCAA Tournament. Christian earned his bachelor's degree in consumer affairs from the University of Rhode Island in 1988. He and his wife, Patty, have three children, MacKenzie, Zachary and Jay.

Herschel Jenkins is entering his second season on head coach Jim Christian's coaching staff. Jenkins comes to Canisius after spending the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons as an assistant coach at Stonehill College, where he helped the Skyhawk program transition to the NCAA Division I level. Before joining Chris Kraus' staff at Stonehill, Jenkins spent the 2021-22 campaign as the director of basketball operations at Boston University, where he worked for head coach Joe Jones. While with the Terriers, he helped BU post a 22-13 overall record, including an 11-7 mark in Patriot League play, as that team earned a berth into the 2022 College Basketball Invitational (CBI) tournament. In addition to leading the Terriers' transition defense, he coordinated all team travel, meals, and apparel and served as the program's liaison with Boston University's administration, compliance, residence life and career development staffs. He also evaluated prospective student-athletes and prepared video edits for the coaching staff, players and recruits.   Jenkins got his start at the Division I level at Fordham University under head coaches Jeff Neubauer and Michael DePaoli, being elevated each year from assistant video coordinator to director of operations over his last two years, including a stint as interim assistant coach during the 2020-21 season. Jenkins started his career in the collegiate coaching ranks as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for head coach Pat Scanlon at Manhattanville College in Purchase, N.Y. There, he helped lead the Valiants' offensive efforts, served as the team's primary skill development coach and acted as the team's academic coordinator. Jenkins heavily recruited in the New York City metro area, prepared practice plans, opponent scouts and film exchange and coordinated the team's volunteer efforts. Prior to his time at Manhattanville, he coached at the Hoop Group Skills/Elite Camp in Reading, Pa., for four summers.   A 2014 graduate from the College of Staten Island, he was a four-year member of the Dolphins men's basketball team, helping the program to back-to-back conference championships in 2012 and 2013 and an appearance in the NCAA Division III Sweet 16 in 2012. He earned his master's degree in sports business management from Manhattanville in 2016.

Kian Boroujerdi joined the Canisius men's basketball coaching staff in September, 2025. Boroujerdi joins the Canisius staff after he spent the 2024-25 season as the director of basketball operations at UAlbany. Under the direction of UAlbany head coach Dwayne Killings, Boroujerdi played an integral role within the Great Danes program, where he oversaw and managed the team's budget and fundraising efforts while also assisting with player development through the use of game statistics and video analysis.   Before joining the UAlbany staff, Boroujerdi spent two seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford under head coach Jesse DeLoof. There, he had multiple on and off-court responsibilities. On the court, he managed the Panthers' defensive game plan, helping Pitt-Bradford reduce its defensive scoring average by 12 points per game. Under his guidance, Pitt-Bradford led the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference in defensive field goal and 3-point field goal percentage defense, while also leading the league in steals per game. Off the court, he created and distributed scouting breakdowns and worked with DeLoof to develop practice plans and game strategies, including substitutions and in-game adjustments.   Boroujerdi joined the Pitt-Bradford staff after he spent two seasons at UNLV where he served as a team manager. There, working for head coaches TJ Otszelberger and Kevin Kruger, he held numerous responsibilities, including preparing the court, weight room and dining area for team practices and meals, working with players in individual workout sessions and collecting team analytic information.   A native of Houston, Texas, Boroujerdi earned his undergraduate degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing from the University of Texas in 2020. He went on to earn his MBA from UNLV in 2022. As an undergraduate student at Texas, he served as a practice player for the Longhorns' women's basketball program.