By Nick Veronica

Two former Canisius basketball players are headed to the NCAA Tournament.

Former walk-on Eric Kindler will return to Buffalo with 10th-seeded St. Joseph’s, winner of the Atlantic 10. The Hawks meet 7-UConn at 6:55 p.m. Thursday.

Former Canisius guard Reggie Groves and his N.C. Central team won the MEAC and are headed to San Antonio to face third-seeded Iowa State.

Kindler played one year for the Griffs, appearing in 13 games during the 2010-11 season, averaging 5.1 minutes and 1.2 points per game. He has not scored for St. Joseph’s this season and averages 1.8 minutes per game.

Groves graduated from Canisius last year with one year of eligibility remaining and transferred closer to home. He averages 5.1 ppg for the Eagles in 17.5 minutes per game.

One other player perhaps worth mentioning is Creighton senior Jahenns Manigat, who was initially a verbal commitment to Canisius under Tom Parrotta. Manigat eventually opted to sign to the Bluejays, and it seems like it’s worked out for him.