The time has finally arrived for Canisius to become a factor in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

With all five starters returning, including senior stalwart Frank Turner, the Golden Griffins are ready to make a move in the MAAC.

"It's something that was a long time coming," said head coach Tom Parrotta, who is entering his fourth year with the Golden Griffins. "We were never able to say that we were a veteran team, and now it's finally arrived."

The Golden Griffins finished with a 17-45 mark the last two seasons combined, but Parrotta feels his team has both learned and matured from the mistakes and experiences that have sent them to the bottom rung of the conference.

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"Some of the lumps we've taken over the last couple of years are starting to pay off a little bit," he said.

With the senior Turner in control, Canisius is banking on a breakout season and a surprise for the preseason prognosticators who have them ranked as the seventh-best team in the conference.

"Frank's been the catalyst for this whole thing," Parrotta said. "I finally feel that we have our feet beneath us and we can make a go of this thing. I can't honestly say I felt that way the first two years."

Turner was Parrotta's first recruit, and has had a remarkable three-year career. The 5-foot-10 point guard was named to the All-MAAC preseason third team in October, and enters his final season as only the second player in school history with 1,000 points, 400 assists and 400 rebounds.

He led Canisius in scoring for the second straight year last season with an average of 15.6 point per game, ranked fourth in the conference with 4.0 assists per game, and needs 117 helpers to become the school's all-time assists leader.

"My second and third year was kind of tough, but I'm starting to have the same kind of fun that I did my freshman year," said Turner, who has already graduated. "I feel like this is going to be a big year, and we'll be able to do a lot of things. We're mature, and we want to get some wins."

Turner will be helped by junior forward Greg Logins, who was also named to the preseason All-MAAC third team. Logins made 25 starts last season, and was third on the team with an average of just over 11 points per game. He led the Golden Griffins in rebounding (7.0), and his 45.4 percent success rate from the field was tops on the team.

Juniors Julius Coles, Elton Frazier and Tomas Vazquez-Simmons round out a starting five that is ready to help Turner end his collegiate career in winning fashion.

"Frank came in here and has had to lead the way in a lot of different facets of our growth and development," said Parrotta, who has compiled a 29-64 three-year record at Canisius. "He's grown up in the classroom, and he's grown up as a player. I think you'll see a different Frank Turner, and he's really going to step up his game."

The Golden Griffins open their season on Tuesday at Loyola (Chicago), and won't play their first home game until Nov. 28 when they host Howard University.