The St. John Fisher men’s basketball program has remained one of the most consistent in Division III under Mike Grosodonia II, who became the fourth head coach of the Cardinals in October 2017. The Cardinals have won the Empire 8 championship and appeared in the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Tournament twice under his direction. Fisher has won at least 15 games and posted a winning record in all but one of Grosodonia’s eight seasons.
The 2020-21 Empire 8 Coach of the Year, Grosodonia has coached numerous all-conference selections and arguably the best player in program history, four-time Empire 8 Player of the Year and three-time All-American Daniel Cook. Cook ended his collegiate career at or near the top of several categories in Fisher’s record book, including points per game (19.9, first), total points (1,932, second), field goals made (719, second), free throws made (470, second), steals (172, second), rebounds (947, third) and blocked shots (119, third).
The Cardinals’ best season to date under Grosodonia came in 2022-23, when they went 22-8 overall and 17-4 against Empire 8 foes including regular-season and postseason wins. They beat No. 1-seeded Utica and No. 2-seeded Nazareth on their way to their second conference title in four years and earned their first NCAA Tournament win under Grosodonia, taking down Whitworth 74-59 in the first round. The Cardinals had the top scoring offense in the Empire 8 that year, averaging 81.8 points per game.
Despite playing a shortened season in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Grosodonia led Fisher to earn the Empire 8 regular-season championship and hosting rights for the postseason tournament. Fisher ranked first in the conference in several categories, including scoring offense (80.7 points per game), and claimed three of the four major E8 awards. In addition to Grosodonia being named Coach of the Year, Cook won his first Player of the Year award, and Sean Williams was named Defensive Player of the Year.
The Cardinals won their first Empire 8 title under Grosodonia in the 2019-20 season, taking down No. 3 Utica and No. 1-seeded Nazareth to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. Fisher went 19-9 overall (14-2 against E8 opponents) and had the top field goal percentage (47.4%) in the conference that season.
After missing the E8 Championship Tournament in Grosodonia’s first season as head coach, the Cardinals went 18-9 overall in 2018-19 and ended the season in the conference title game. Fisher beat rival and No. 2-seeded Nazareth 98-90 in overtime in the semifinals.
Grosodonia served as Fisher’s top assistant under Rob Kornaker during the 2016-17 season before becoming the program’s head coach. The Cardinals had one of the best seasons in program history, as they went 23-6 overall and 15-1 in Empire 8 Conference play. They won their eighth conference championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after ousting St. Lawrence in the opening round.
Before entering the collegiate coaching ranks, Grosodonia transformed the Aquinas basketball program into a local high school powerhouse. Aquinas captured a New York State title (Class AA) for the first time in school history (2016), made four State Final Four trips and won six Section V titles under Grosodonia, who went 194-38 over 10 seasons in charge of the Little Irish. He earned the All-Greater Rochester Coach of the Year honors twice and Class AA Coach of the Year honors once.
Grosodonia coached Jalen Pickett, the 32nd overall pick by the Indiana Pacers in the 2023 NBA Draft, at Aquinas. Named MVP of the 2016 NYS Class AA Final Four, Pickett began his collegiate career at Siena College before transferring to Penn State. He won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Year award at Siena in 2020 and earned first-team All-Big Ten Conference honors at Penn State in 2023.
Grosodonia earned a Bachelor of Science in physical education from the College at Brockport and completed his master’s in special education from Roberts Wesleyan College.
Year By Year At Fisher
| Year |
Overall Record |
Conference Regular-Season Record Record/Postseason Finish |
| 2024-25 |
7-18 |
3-13 |
| 2023-24 |
18-9 |
13-3 (reached E8 Semifinals) |
| 2022-23 |
22-8 |
14-4 (E8 Champions, advance to second round of NCAA Tournament) |
| 2021-22 |
19-7 |
13-3 (reached E8 Semifinals) |
| 2020-21 (COVID-altered season) |
11-2 |
10-0 (reached E8 championship game) |
| 2019-20 |
19-9 |
12-2 (E8 Champions, lost in first round of the NCAA Tournament) |
| 2018-19 |
18-9 |
12-4 (lost in E8 title game) |
| 2017-18 |
15-10 |
10-6 |
| Career Record |
129-72 (.642) |
87-35 (.713) |
By The Numbers
Total Empire 8 Selections: 18 (9 first team)
E8 Player of the Year Winners: 6... Daniel Cook (4x, 2021-2024), Sammy Robinson (2019-20), Ryan Henderson (2018-19)
Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year Winners: 2... Daniel Cook (2023-24), Sean Williams (2020-21)
E8 Tournament MVP Winners: 2... Daniel Cook (2023), Dennis Hare (2020)
All-America Selections: 3... Daniel Cook (3x)
All-Region Selections: 5... Daniel Cook (3x), Sammy Robinson (2019-20), Ryan Henderson (2018-19)
College Sports Communicators Academic All District Selections: 7
Updated 6/26/2025
