American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco announced today the hiring of Nate Pomeday, a 13-year veteran of the collegiate coaching ranks, as associate commissioner for men’s basketball. Pomeday joins the American Athletic Conference after spending the past two seasons on the University of Minnesota men’s basketball staff.
Pomeday will be The American’s primary administrator and contact for all men’s basketball initiatives and programs, including scheduling, officiating, operations and NCAA basketball relationships. As the commissioner’s liaison to the conference’s 11 men’s basketball programs, he will work closely with administrators and coaches from each of The American’s institutions. He also will supervise the annual men’s basketball championship.
“It is with great pleasure that I welcome Nate to our Conference, he will be an outstanding addition to our senior staff and I know that our schools will enjoy working with him.” said Aresco. “His experience as a coach and administrator will enormously benefit our basketball operations as we pursue exciting new initiatives.”
Pomeday most recently was a member of the Golden Gophers’ men’s basketball staff, serving as an assistant coach during the 2015-16 campaign and as director of basketball operations in 2014-15. While an assistant coach this past season, he was responsible for the development of Minnesota’s post players and mentored power forward Jordan Murphy, who was named to the 2016 Big Ten All-Freshman Team. He also played a significant role in the Golden Gophers’ national recruiting efforts.
Prior to his arrival at Minnesota, he served a six-year stint as an assistant coach at Oregon State University (2008-14) where he helped lead the Beavers to three postseason tournament berths and coordinated the program’s recruiting efforts. On five occasions during his tenure Oregon State’s recruiting classes were nationally ranked. Pomeday primarily worked with the Beaver guards and oversaw the development of Jared Cunningham, the first Oregon State player drafted in the NBA in 14 years when he was the 24th overall pick in the 2012 draft.
Pomeday also served as assistant dean of admission (2006-08) and assistant boys basketball coach (2005-08) at Lake Forest (Illinois) Academy while earning a master’s of science in sport administration from Northwestern University and graduating in June 2009.
His first stint in the collegiate coaching ranks came in August 2000 when he was named head coach and admission counselor at Calumet College of St. Joseph (Indiana), a position he held until July 2004. At the time, he was the youngest head basketball coach in the nation. Pomeday also worked with the AAU program Full Package Athletics, Inc., where he served as director of basketball operations for two years and head coach for the Under-17 AAU squad.
Pomeday was a standout guard at Northwestern University from 1995-99 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies with a concentration in history.
