Tom Parrotta, a former head coach at Canisius and assistant coach with strong New York ties, was hired as an assistant coach by Jim Engles in September 2020.
Parrotta spent three seasons (2012-15) on the sidelines at his alma mater, Fordham, under Tom Pecora, where he was the recruited for Eric Paschall, the 41st pick of the Golden State Warriors in the 2018 NBA Draft. Following his time in the Bronx, Parrotta landed at Fairfiled from 2015-19 on Sydney Johnson’s staff.
At Canisius, Parrotta guided the Blue and Gold to back-to-back 15-win seasons in 2009-10 and 2010-11, the first consecutive 15-win seasons for the Golden Griffs since 1995-96 and 1996-97 and the most wins for the program since 2000-01.
Academically, every senior that played for Parrotta during his time at Canisius graduated from the College. The highlight of this accomplishment came before the 2010-11 season, when six of his first seven recruits earned their undergraduate degrees prior to the start of the basketball season, and the five players that remained in the program spent their final months on campus working towards their master’s degrees from Canisius.
Prior to his arrival to Canisius, Parrotta spent five years at Hofstra University under Pecora, holding the position of associate head coach in his last season there, the 2005-06 campaign.
During his time at Hofstra, the Pride compiled an 81-72 record, including a 47-16 overall record and 26-10 conference mark in the last two seasons, and improved their Colonial Athletic Association record each year. Hofstra tied a school record with 26 wins during the 2005-06 season and earned a berth in the National Invitational Tournament for the second consecutive season, advancing to the quarterfinals and earning the school’s first two Division I postseason victories. Parrotta was a driving force behind the recruitment of Loren Stokes, who was named the 2007 Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year.
Before he joined the staff at Hofstra, Parrotta spent six years as an assistant coach at Niagara, including the last three as the Purple Eagles’ top assistant. During that time, the Purple Eagles posted a 49-37 record and made consecutive trips to the MAAC semifinals. As the lead assistant, Parrotta was the team’s chief recruiter and scheduling coordinator and helped bring forward Juan Mendez to Niagara’s campus. Mendez ended his career at Niagara as the top Canadian scorer in NCAA history.
A 1991 graduate of Fordham University with a degree in communications, Parrotta was a four-year letter winner for the Rams from 1984-88, serving as a team captain from 1986-88, and helping lead the Rams to two NIT appearances. He was a second-team all-conference selection and earned All-Metropolitan Team and team MVP honors in his senior season after averaging 13.9 points and 6.1 rebounds. Parrotta ranks in the top 30 on the school’s career scoring list and in the top-10 in rebounding.
Following his collegiate career, Parrotta began a three-year stint in the Portuguese Basketball Association, where he led his team in scoring and rebounding en route to a 33-0 record and a Second Division championship in his first season.
Prior to his playing days at Fordham, Parrotta played his high school ball at Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, N.Y. In the summer of 2010, he was inducted into the Stepinac Hardwood Club, the basketball Hall of Fame at the famed high school.
