Canisius College men's basketball head coach Jim Baron announced his retirement on Friday.
7 Eyewitness Sports Anchor Shawn Stepner was the first to report Baron's decision on Friday morning.
The 62-year-old had just signed a contract extension in March that ran through 2020. Canisius associate head coach Pat Clarke will take over as interim head coach.
His sudden decision to walk away is not health related. Baron says he wants to spend more time with family. He wants to watch his two sons, including former Griff Billy Baron, play professional basketball in Belgium.
Baron has coached the Griffs for the past four seasons. His record during that time was 73-61.
He's coming off his first losing season at Canisius. The Griffs went 14-19 in 2015-16.
BREAKING: A source tells me #Canisius head men's basketball coach Jim Baron is retiring. Has coached Griffs past four seasons.
— Shawn Stepner (@StepnerWKBW) May 20, 2016
In 29 seasons of coaching at St. Francis (PA), St. Bonaventure, Rhode Island and Canisius he has an overall record of 462-430. He's led his teams to 10 20-win seasons, two NCAA Tournament berths and 14 postseason appearances.
Shawn Stepner on Twitter: @StepnerWKBW
