Harvard University

CoachAmaker.com
In the 18 seasons since taking over as head coach of Harvard’s men’s basketball program, Tommy Amaker has reinvented the Crimson into an Ivy League power with a national presence. He has directed Harvard to a period of unprecedented prosperity in the form of seven Ivy League championships (2011-15, 2018-19), four NCAA tournament appearances (2012-15) and seven 20-win seasons (2010-15, 2020). Amaker is the all-time winningest coach with the Crimson, surpassing Frank Sullivan with a 74-66 win at Boston College on Dec. 7, 2016. The 2024-25 campaign marked his 18th in Cambridge.
 
Amaker was introduced as head coach by then-Nichols Family Director of Athletics Bob Scalise on April 13, 2007, following six seasons as head coach at Michigan and four at the helm of Seton Hall. Amaker owns a 480-333 career record: 304-194 at Harvard, 108-84 at Michigan and 68-55 at Seton Hall. He has earned numerous coach-of-the-year awards, including the 2013 Clarence "Big House" Gaines College Basketball Coach of the Year Award, presented to the top minority basketball coach in NCAA Division I. In 2012, he was presented with district coach-of-the-year awards from both the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and was a candidate for the AP National Coach of the Year. He has also been named a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award six times (2011-15, 2019), and the Hugh Durham Award three times (2011, 2012, 2015). In June 2020, he was named The James Herscot '58 Coach of Excellence, a title he held in 2020-21, becoming the fifth recipient in Harvard history.
 
With Amaker at the helm, Harvard student-athletes have garnered seven All-America honors, 17 All-District distinctions and 39 all-conference accolades. Additionally, Keith Wright '12 (2012), Wesley Saunders ’15 (2014), and Seth Towns '20 (2018) have been named Ivy League Player of the Year, Steve Moundou-Missi ’15 (2015) and Agunwa Okolie ’16 (2016) have garnered defensive-player-of-the-year plaudits, with Kyle Casey ’13-14 (2010), Siyani Chambers ’16-17 (2013), Bryce Aiken '20 (2017), Noah Kirkwood '22 (2019), Malik Mack ’27 (2024), and Robert Hinton ’28 (2025) earning rookie-of-the-year honors.
 
Before beginning his head-coaching career, Amaker won two NCAA championships and advanced to five Final Fours as an assistant and associate head coach at Duke. He was previously a four-year starter at point guard for the Blue Devils, leading the team to the 1986 NCAA title game before earning All-America honors and recognition as the nation’s top defensive player in his senior year of 1987.
 
Harvard has garnered the attention of the nation with eight postseason appearances under Amaker, but Amaker's teams have long been making headlines, with each season bringing more program milestones. Some of the highlights:

• A 269-145 (.650) overall record since 2009-10
• A 142-36 (.798) home record since 2009-10
• Four straight NCAA tournament appearances (2012, ’13, ’14, ’15), becoming just the third program in Ancient Eight history with at least four straight NCAA bids
• Five consecutive Ivy League championships (2011, ’12, ’13, ’14, ’15), becoming just the second program in Ancient Eight history with at least five straight titles
• Six straight seasons with 20 wins and a postseason appearance (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13, ’14, ’15), tying the longest streak in Ivy League history for 20-win seasons
• Harvard’s first appearance in a major national poll, ranking as high as No. 21 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 22 in the Associated Press Top 25 in 2011-12
• Harvard’s first appearance in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25, ranking No. 25 in 2014-15
• The seven highest single-season win totals in program history (27-5 in 2013-14, 26-5 in 2011-12, 23-7 in 2010-11, 22-8 in 2014-15, 21-8 in 2009-10 and 2019-20, and 20-10 in 2012-13)
• Two wins in the NCAA tournament (68-62 vs. No. 3 New Mexico, March 21, 2013; 61-57 vs. No. 5 Cincinnati, March 20, 2014), Harvard’s first two NCAA tournament wins.
• Harvard’s first win in the NIT (71-68 vs. Georgetown, March 20, 2019)
• 28-game home winning streak from 2010-12
• 2013 Great Alaska Shootout tournament champions
• 2011 Battle 4 Atlantis tournament champions
• 18 wins against power-conference opponents, with an 8-7 record against Atlantic Coast Conference teams
• Four wins against ranked teams
• Earned berths in the first four Ivy League tournaments (2017-20)
• Seventeen (17) first-team All-Ivy League selections, six Ivy League Rookies of the Year (Kyle Casey '13-14, Siyani Chambers '16-17, Bryce Aiken ’20, Noah Kirkwood ’22, Malik Mack ’27, and Robert Hinton ’28), two Ivy League Defensive Players of the Year (Steve Moundou-Missi ’15 & Agunwa Okolie ’16), three Ivy League Players of the Year (Keith Wright ’12, Wesley Saunders '15 & Seth Towns ’20), and one NBA signee (Jeremy Lin ’10).

• 480-333 record (.590)
• 15 postseason appearances
• 2004 NIT championship
• Five NCAA tournament appearances, including 2000 Sweet Sixteen
• Coached six NBA players

Amaker guided Robert Hinton ’28 to Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors during the 2024-25 season, marking the second straight year in which the Crimson captured the conference’s rookie of the year award. Harvard closed the year with a 5-2 mark in the second half of Ivy League play, finishing the year with a 7-7 Ivy record, standing as its best conference mark since 2019-20. Evan Nelson ’25 also gained a spot on the inaugural Allstate NACDA Winter Good Works Team.
 
Harvard posted a 14-13 overall record in 2023-24, standing as the 14^th time in the last 15 competitive seasons that the Crimson notched a record of .500 or better. Amaker coached Malik Mack ’27 to Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors. Prior to the academic year, the Crimson took part in a comprehensive experience during a foreign tour of Canada in August 2023.
 
In 2022-23, Amaker led the Crimson to a 14-14 overall record, marking the 13th time in the last 14 competitive seasons that Harvard has tallied a record of .500 or better. Amaker mentored Chris Ledlum ’23, who earned First Team All-Ivy honors unanimously, while also capturing NABC All-District and USBWA All-District accolades. Ledlum captured Second Team College Sports Communicators Academic All-America accolades while Luka Sakota ’23 and Idan Tretout ’23 joined Ledlum as Academic All-District honorees.
 
After taking 2020-21 off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Harvard returned to the floor in 2021-22 and endured a rash of injuries. Despite its bad luck, the Crimson finished 13-13 overall, marking the 12th .500-or-better campaign in Amaker's 15 seasons. In the 15 campaigns prior to his arrival, Harvard enjoyed a record of .500 or better just six times. Noah Kirkwood was one of the best players in the Ivy League and was unanimously selected to the all-Ivy League first team, while also being selected to the NABC All-District 13 First Team. Chris Ledlum, who was one of the best players in the league before suffering a season-ending injury in January, garnered CoSIDA Academic All-America Third-Team accolades and Academic All-District honors with Kale Catchings.
 
In 2019-20, the Crimson reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since 2014-15, finishing with a 21-8 record. On the way to its fifth-highest win total in program history, Harvard defeated Power-5 conference foes Texas A&M and California and enjoyed a pair of lengthy winning streaks (eight games and six games). The Crimson earned a berth to the Ivy League Tournament after a runner-up finish in the regular season, but the league and university canceled the event and eventually the rest of the spring schedule, effectively ending the campaign. Despite the abrupt finish, Harvard had a first-team all-Ivy selection in Noah Kirkwood, while Chris Lewis, who completed his career as the school's all-time leader in blocked shots and field goal percentage, garnered second-team accolades.
 
In 2018-19, Harvard earned the Ivy League championship, its second straight and seventh in nine seasons. Bryce Aiken was a unanimous all-Ivy League first team selection, while Noah Kirkwood became Harvard’s fourth Ivy League Rookie of the Year under Amaker. The Crimson capped the 2018-19 season with its second-straight trip to the NIT, where it earned the first win in the event in program history, over Georgetown (71-68).
 
The Crimson captured its sixth Ivy League crown in program history in 2017-18, each coming under Amaker, and earned its second-ever berth to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Seth Towns capped a tremendous season as the Ivy League Player of the Year and All-America selection, while Chris Lewis and Justin Bassey also garnered All-Ivy recognition. With a victory over Dartmouth on Jan. 20, Amaker became the fifth head coach in Ivy League history to reach 200 wins at an Ivy program, doing it the second-fastest in the conference’s history.
 
Harvard capped the 2016-17 season with an appearance in the inaugural Ivy League tournament. The Crimson – the 10th-youngest team in the nation according to KenPom rankings – finished 18-10 overall, including a 10-4 mark in Ancient Eight play. On Dec. 7, 2016, Amaker became the all-time winningest men's basketball coach in Harvard history, surpassing the previous mark with a 74-66 win at Boston College. Amaker also ended the season as the all-time leader at Harvard in Ivy wins (94).
 
In 2014-15, Harvard finished the regular season tied with Yale for the Ancient Eight crown. The Crimson defeated the Bulldogs in a one-game playoff for the right to represent the Ivy League in the NCAA tournament, where it fell to fourth-seeded North Carolina, 67-65, despite taking a 65-63 lead with 1:15 to play. Harvard also completed its second straight season sweep of traditional Ivy powers Penn and Princeton during the regular season, becoming the first program in conference history to do in consecutive years.
 
In 2013-14, the 12th-seeded Crimson knocked off fifth-seeded Cincinnati in the tournament's second round, and nearly pulled off an upset of fourth-seeded Michigan State to reach the Sweet 16. Harvard finished the year with a 27-5 overall record and a 13-1 mark in the Ivy League, setting program bests for both overall victories and conference victories and also captured the title at the Great Alaska Shootout along the way. Additionally, a record six Crimson were named to the All-Ivy League teams, including player of the year Wesley Saunders '15.
 
A year earlier, Harvard earned a historic win in the NCAA tournament as the 14th-seeded Crimson upset third-seeded New Mexico, which was ranked 10th nationally. The victory was the first by the Crimson against a top-10 opponent and left Harvard among the nation’s top 32 teams at season’s end. The 2012-13 season also saw Amaker become the fourth head coach to win 100 games at Harvard, reaching that milestone on Jan. 5, 2013, when the Crimson defeated Rice, 92-62.
 
A win in the NCAA tournament was a natural progression after the 2011-12 season, perhaps the best overall campaign in program history and the first in which the Crimson claimed sole possession of the Ivy title. En route to ending its 66-year NCAA tournament drought, Harvard debuted in the national rankings, climbing as high as No. 21 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll and No. 22 in the Associated Press poll. Finishing 26-5, Harvard eclipsed the program's previous record for wins for the third straight year and matched the previous season’s program-best 12-2 Ivy mark. The Crimson also won the inaugural Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, with wins against Utah, No. 20 Florida State and UCF.
 
For his effort, Amaker was named the USBWA and NABC district coach of the year, as well as the College Insider Ivy League Coach of the Year. Amaker was also tabbed a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award and the Hugh Durham Award for coaching and was selected as a candidate for the AP National Coach of the Year. He received the NABC, College Insider, Jobe and Durham recognitions for the second straight year.
 
Harvard’s first Ivy crown came in 2010-11, when the Crimson went 23-7, tied Princeton at 12-2 in league play, set a program record with 14 home wins and made its first NIT appearance.  The 23 wins briefly held as the program standard, erasing the 21 victories from 2009-10 from the top spot. That 2009-10 campaign ended in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, Harvard’s first postseason berth since 1946.
 
Amaker’s first two seasons showed signs of the great achievements to come. The 2008-09 freshman class was tabbed as one of the nation’s 25 best recruiting classes by ESPN, an accolade never before bestowed upon an Ivy League institution. The Crimson went on to post a victory at No. 17 Boston College. The marquee win in Amaker’s debut season of 2007-08 was a 62-51 victory over Michigan – Amaker’s former team – on national television.
 
At Michigan, Amaker inherited a program that was reeling from institutional and NCAA sanctions but led the Wolverines to the postseason three times, winning the 2004 NIT title and reaching the championship game of the 2006 NIT. The Wolverines were ranked as high as No. 20 in the nation during the 2005-06 season.
 
Seton Hall reached the postseason every year during Amaker’s tenure. He led the Pirates to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in 2000 and to three appearances in the NIT. He was credited with bringing in the top recruiting class in the country, including the national high school player of the year, for the 2000-01 season.
 
Amaker has been the head coach of six players who were either drafted, or signed as free agents, by NBA clubs, including two first-round draft picks.
 
Amaker served nine years as a graduate assistant, assistant coach, and associate head coach at Duke, working for legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski. He was an assistant on two NCAA championship teams with the Blue Devils (1991, ’92) and helped Duke to three other Final Fours in eight NCAA tournament appearances. Duke was a combined 230-80 in Amaker’s nine years on the Blue Devils coaching staff.
 
A native of Falls Church, Virginia, Amaker began his career in college basketball with a highly successful playing stint at Duke. He led the Blue Devils to four NCAA tournaments, including the 1986 national championship game, and served as team captain as a senior. Amaker was the 1987 winner of the Henry Iba Corinthian Award as the nation’s top defensive player, and he was enshrined in the Duke Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2013, Amaker was inducted in the Washington Metropolitan Basketball Hall of Fame.
 
Amaker is also a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2013, and the W.T. Woodson H.S. Hall of Fame (Fairfax, Va.) (2012).
 
Amaker’s playing career also includes a gold medal as part of the U.S. national team at the 1986 World Championships.
 
A 1987 Duke graduate with a bachelor’s degree in economics, Amaker was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1987 NBA draft. He currently serves on the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Board of Directors and co-chairs its Committee on Racial Reconciliation, after having served as a board member of the NABC Foundation. He also joined forces with John Calipari in the summer of 2020, to introduce the McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative and became involved with Black Coaches United. His work with the NABC and with Calipari led to him receiving the NABC Guardians of the Game Award (Inclusion) in 2021. Additionally, Amaker served on the board of USA Basketball where he was a member of the Men’s Collegiate and Men’s Senior National Committees, helping to select members of the gold-medal-winning 1996 U.S. Olympic team.
 
Amaker, who was recognized as one of five Champions of Diversity and Inclusion by the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee in February 2021, also serves on the Board of Overseers for the Boys & Girls Club of Boston, is an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School, and was a Special Assistant to former Harvard University President Larry Bacow.