Canisius head women’s basketball coach Scott Hemer announced Tuesday that he is stepping down from his position, effective immediately, due to personal health reasons. Hemer had served as the Golden Griffins’ head coach for three seasons, starting in 2018-19.
“Going through a year like we all just experienced forced everyone, myself included, to reassess many things. For me, I kept coming back to my personal health and my family’s well-being,” Hemer said. “Despite my passion for coaching and my passion for Canisius and our women’s basketball program, I believe now is the best time for me to step away from the coaching profession to take care of myself and my family.
“It has been an honor to serve as the head coach of the Canisius women’s basketball program. I want to express my gratitude to Canisius President John Hurley and Director of Athletics Bill Maher for the opportunity to lead this program and for their support. I also want to thank my fellow coaches, the athletic administration and the department’s support staff, who have all been great to work with. I am thankful for the time I had with my players and my coaching staff. They have all made an impact on my life. I will truly miss being a part of the Golden Griffin family.”
Maher announced that a national search for Hemer’s replacement will begin immediately.
“I want to thank Scott for his dedication to the College, to our women’s basketball program and to our student-athletes,” Maher said. “The past 15 months have been a challenge for everyone and it has made all of us to review our priorities and evaluate personal and family decisions. I appreciate everything Scott has done for our program and I support his decision to focus on his health and his family at this time.”
In his three seasons at the helm of the Blue and Gold, Hemer mentored three All-MAAC selections and 10 MAAC All-Academic honorees. In his first season with the program, he led the Griffs to a 9-9 record in MAAC play, resulting in the No. 5 seed at the MAAC Women’s Basketball Championship, the team’s highest postseason seeding and the program’s best conference winning percentage in a decade.
Hemer picked up his first Division I victory in Albany, N.Y., on Nov. 28, 2019 when the Griffs defeated Albany 48-42 and his first MAAC victory came at home against Manhattan on Jan. 3, 2019, by the final score of 47-44.
Prior to arriving on Main Street, Hemer spent 11 seasons as head coach of the Geneseo women’s basketball program. In his 11-year tenure with the SUNYAC program, Hemer was named Coach of the Year five times and the 2016 Pat Summit Trophy winner as the United States Marine Corps/WBCA NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year.
https://gogriffs.com/news/2021/6/22/scott-hemer-steps-down-as-head-womens-basketball-coach.aspx
