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A recent pickup game allegedly took an ugly turn between college basketball players in the Buffalo area.
Buffalo junior Malik Zachery was arrested after allegedly stabbing a Canisius player during a pickup game between their respective teams. Malik was charged with second-degree assault on Friday. Per a North Tonawanda Police Department press release, the incident reportedly took place on Wednesday night and involved a Canisius player being stabbed in the leg following a physical altercation.
UB Athletics released a statement on the matter, which was reported by Spectrum News:
Malik Zachery has been suspended indefinitely from the UB men’s basketball program, but currently remains enrolled at the University at Buffalo.
Generally speaking, the university has an on-campus judiciary process to address violations of the university’s Student Code of Conduct. Serious Violations of this code could lead to suspension from the University.
UB Athletics also has a process for addressing violations of student-athlete policies.
Due to the ongoing investigation and federal protections on student information we will have no further comment on the matter at this time.
Zachery, a Syracuse native, signed with the Bulls in April after playing a season at Chipola Junior College. Bulls’ coach Jim Whitesell said the following at the time about the incoming junior guard in a release:
“We are very excited to have Malik join us,” said Whitesell. “He comes from one of the best junior college programs in the country in Chipola. Malik is very unselfish, and I really like his toughness. He will compliment our style of play well. With his strong playmaking and all-around game, we think he can really have an outstanding career at UB. We are always happy when we can add players from New York State, and we got one of the best in Malik.”
The UB and Canisius campuses sit just under six miles from one another, and the programs have met plenty of times over their respective histories. The Griffins are 28-19 all-time against the Bulls, with the most recent meeting being an 82-73 UB win this past December.