Canisius College men’s basketball coach Tom Parrotta announced today that Derrick Worrels has officially joined his staff as an assistant coach. Worrels previously served as the head coach at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Fla., from 1999-2010. Worrels replaces Desmond Oliver, who left the program to take an assistant coaching spot at Charlotte in April.

A 1993 graduate of UNC Asheville, Worrels helped guide the Hawks to nine regular-season or conference tournament championships over an 11-year span while being named the Suncoast Conference Coach of the Year three times, most recently after the 2009-10 campaign. Over the last six years, Worrels’ teams have averaged 20 wins per year and after last season, seven players received all-league honors, including Marial Dhal, who recently announced he would continue his college playing career as a member of the Golden Griffins. Worrels leaves the Hillsborough program with 206 career wins, which ranks second in school history, and he also leaves the program with a 90 percent graduation success rate.

In his 10-plus years as the head coach at Hillsborough Community College, a total of 20 of Worrels’ former players went on to play collegiately at the Division I level, with one of those players, Othello Hunter, earning a roster spot with the Atlanta Hawks after closing out his college career at Ohio State.

“Derrick is an absolute home run for us here at Canisius,” Parrotta said. “He is one of the most genuine and most respected coaches out there. His successful track record and his years of head coaching experience will provide a significant contribution to our staff.”

Worrels took over the reigns of the Hillsborough men’s basketball program in 1999 after he spent a year-and-a half as the head women’s basketball coach at Hillsborough. He began his collegiate coaching career in 1989 as an assistant at Hillsborough, and he held a variety of roles at the school, including serving as an associate athletic director, an adjunct professor and an enrollment development coordinator. As a player on the Hawks’ roster, Worrels was part of back-to-back 23-win seasons as the Hawks received the program’s highest national ranking in school history.

Canisius, which returns four starters, eight letterwinners and 70.3 percent of its scoring from a season ago, will open the 2010-11 schedule Friday, Nov. 12, when the team hosts long-time rival St. Bonaventure in the backend of a basketball doubleheader in the Koessler Athletic Center. Group tickets for that date, as well as season tickets for both the men’s and women’s combined home schedule are on sale now by calling the ticket office at (716) 888-2885, or by clicking here.