The D'Youville College men’s basketball team welcomed a NBA Champion into the den of the Spartans as Toronto Raptors broadcaster Jack Armstrong visited the team at the end of the fall semester.

Armstrong spent several hours with the Spartans as he gave advice on life and basketball. The NBA Champion received his championship ring from the Raptors just days after the meeting with the men.

Familiar with the Western New York basketball scene, Armstrong spent 11 years (1989-98) as the head coach at Niagara University. Following a 23-7 record in the 1992-93 season, Armstrong was named New York State Division I Coach of the Year as the team had its best record under his tenure. In that same season, the team saw a NIT (National Invitational Tournament) First Round appearance.

In addition to his duties as a game analyst for the Raptors, “The Coach” is also a TSN Basketball Insider. He is regularly featured on TSN’s SPORTSCENTRE and contributes to TSN.ca with a weekly blog.

D'Youville men's basketball Head Coach Earl Schunk was thrilled to have Armstrong speak to his players and the chance for the young men to gain some knowledge from someone who has spent most of his life in basketball.

"It was a fantastic opportunity for our guys to absorb some knowledge from someone who has had success at the collegiate and professional level," said Coach Schunk. "It's not every day that you get the opportunity to learn from a NBA Champion and someone with the resume of Jack Armstrong and we are extremely fortunate to have him here and thankful he was willing to give spare his time to visit with us." 

The Toronto Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals on June 13 of this year by taking the series 4-2. Golden State was the two-time reigning NBA Champions and had won three of the previous four championships in addition to making five consecutive finals appearances. Toronto was the first team to win two or more games in a finals series against the Warriors since the Cleveland Cavaliers did in 2016.

Armstrong resides in Lewiston, NY with his wife.