By Budd Bailey In the big picture, the Canisius men’s basketball team accomplished its primary goal Friday afternoon. It defeated Fairfield, 85-81, in the Koessler Athletic Center in its first conference home game of the season. As for how it happened, well, that was the unusual part of the day. Those in attendance saw a couple of basketball oddities along the way that made the game unusual and borderline memorable. But winning is always appreciated around the Main Street cam

The eXtreme and the Royal Ballers get started in an ABA minor-league basketball game in West Seneca. By Budd Bailey When someone puts a “Buffalo” on a uniform of almost any sporting team, it creates some curiosity in me. I’ve been at a variety of such sports over the years, checking out the competition on local venues. It’s fun to drop in and see what the fan experience is like at such events. However, minor-league basketball somehow eluded my presence. Work got in the way fo

Feature Photo credit Geoff Schneider It was a tough decision for Nate Beutel, and an easy one at the same time. Last May, Beutel was hired as assistant coach and basketball operations director under new Buffalo women’s head coach Kristen Sharkey. After 13 glorious seasons at SUNY Niagara (former NCCC), Nate was ready for a fresh challenge. Joining UB, a Division I program in full rebuild, seemed ideal. A tireless recruiter, he dove right in, hitting the road, searching out pl