MIKE KANIESKI - Men's Basketball - 1978-1982
Mike Kanieski, raised in Cleveland, OH, played at Midpark High School and was the
team’s go-to player. In his senior season there, Kanieski averaged 24.6 points per game and
14.2 rebounds per game. Standing at 6’10” and 200 pounds, made an impact at UD right
away, averaging 8.7 rebounds per game as a freshman and earning the inaugural Ted
“Shorty” Sharpenter Award as the team’s best rebounder. In the 1980-1981 season as a
junior, Kanieski averaged 18 points per game and 8.6 rebounds per game. As a senior, he
averaged 18.4 points per game and 7 rebounds per game. Kanieski finished his career at UD
as 9th on the all-time scoring list. However, not only was he an outstanding basketball player,
Kanieski achieved a 3.55 grade point average as a Marketing major.
In 1981, CoSIDA named him one of their Academic All-Americans, the only junior given the award that year.
Another fun fact about Kanieski is that he was the MVP of the first two UD-Xavier games to
feature the Blackburn-McCafferty Trophy in January and February of 1981. Following his
stellar career at the University of Dayton, Kanieski was drafted in the 6th round (121st
overall) of the 1982 Draft by the New York Knicks.
