Marcus Niblack was removed from the college basketball roster at Canisius University. One of the top mid-major transfers in the country got kicked off of the team by head coach Jim Christian.
He did not meet expectations.
It is not uncommon for college basketball programs to move on from players who don’t behave. It is rare for a player to get put on blast on his way out like Niblack.
Who is Marcus Niblack?
Real hoopheads know of Marcus Niblack from his time at Jacksonville two seasons ago. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound guard averaged 10.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game for the Dolphins during the 2023-24 season. He did not play last year.
Niblack was a three-star prospect in the recruiting Class of 2020. The New York-native started his career at East Tennessee State. He spent 2021-22 at Florida Southwestern State and 2022-23 at Northwest Florida State. Jacksonville game him an opportunity as a senior that next year.
Because of the eligibility rules at the time, Niblack’s career came to an end in March of 2024.
And then the NCAA ruled that any time spent at a junior college did not count toward the four-year clock. That allowed Niblack to return to the hardwood for the 2025-26 college basketball season. That led him to transfer to Canisius University.
Canisius, for those who don’t know, is a small private Jesuit school in Buffalo, New York. The Golden Griffins are not very good historically but there was some hope for success under second-year head coach Jim Christian this season. Their fifth-year transfer was going to be a crucial piece to the puzzle.
Canisius kicked him off of the college basketball team.
Marcus Niblack missed the first 10 games of his first season at Canisius with a knee injury. He made his debut on Dec. 13 and played in seven games with six starts.
Niblack averaged 6.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists during that seven-game stretch but he shot less than 30% from the field. It was not great but there was an expected re-acclimation curve after a few years away from the game. That curve will not continue.
Christian announced the dismissal of Niblack earlier this week. Most schools are relatively cordial with this kind of thing. They vaguely wish the player the best of luck moving forward and move on.
Canisius, on the other hand, did not hold back.
“Since day one here, I have been very clear on the standards and expectations for the men in our basketball program. Unfortunately, Marcus was unable to meet those standards and expectations. I wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
This likely marks the end of Marcus Niblack’s college basketball career. I doubt he can get another year of eligibility at this point and I cannot imagine another school would give him another opportunity after the ouster in Buffalo even if he can.