Following up on something that I mentioned on Tuesday (D2 DIRT)…Auburn Montgomery has made the hiring of Anthony Komara as their new head basketball coach official. Here’s the release from the school:
Auburn University at Montgomery Director of Athletics Erik Maas has announced the hiring of Anthony Komara as the fourth head coach of the Warhawks men’s basketball program.
“We are beyond excited to welcome Anthony Komara to Montgomery,” said Maas. “His work ethic, passion for winning, and care for student-athlete development are unmatched. Over the last four years, he has rebuilt Montevallo into a winning program in the GSC and South Region, both on and off the court. We are confident that his leadership will translate to the same success here at AUM.”
A native of Huntsville, Alabama, Komara joins AUM as the second head coach in NCAA Division II program history after a highly successful four-year tenure as head coach at the University of Montevallo, which included two NCAA South Region appearances.
“I’m incredibly grateful to Athletic Director Erik Maas and Chancellor Carl Stockton for believing in me and trusting me with this opportunity,” said Komara. “AUM is a special place with outstanding leadership and I can’t wait to get to campus and get to work. Building a program and culture centered on discipline, toughness, and togetherness that represents the university the right way will be our number one priority from day one. We will work relentlessly to put a team on the court that the AUM community can be truly proud of.”
Since taking over at Montevallo in 2022, Komara engineered a complete turnaround, improving the Falcons from a 12-win team in 2021-22 to back-to-back 20-win seasons each of the past two years. In 2024-25, Komara led the Flacons to a 20-11 record, marking the first winning season since 2016-17 and first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2015-16. His 2025-26 squad finished 22-9 overall and 17-5 in Gulf South Conference play, earning a No. 2 seed in the league tournament and a No. 5 seed in the NCAA South Region, the program’s highest regional seed since 2014-15.
Under his leadership, Montevallo secured its first NCAA Tournament victory in more than a decade and made back-to-back regional appearances for the first time since 2016. In the Komara era, the Falcons also recorded several signature wins over nationally ranked opponents, produced multiple all-conference, all-region, and all-american selections, and saw Derek Moore earn GSC Player of the Year honors. In addition, Komara coached three players to record breaking scoring performances, which included two 50-point games and a program record 51-point outing by Moore this season.
Komara’s impact extended beyond the court, as he elevated the program academically to a 3.7 team GPA while leading efforts that resulted in extended involvement in the community. In 2025, the Falcons received the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award, with five student-athletes earning NABC Honors Court recognitions.
Prior to Montevallo, Komara spent nearly a decade at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, where he served in a variety of roles from 2013-2022. In 2021 he was elevated to Associate Head Coach after serving as an assistant coach for eight seasons.
During his tenure, Komara helped guide the Chargers to 193 wins, six Gulf South Conference championships, seven NCAA Tournament appearances, and three NCAA Sweet 16 runs, while developing All-American and all-conference talent and coordinating some of the league’s most productive offensive and defensive units.
Komara began his coaching career as a student assistant video coordinator at Auburn University during the 2009-10 season, assisting with film breakdown and scouting.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Auburn University before completing his Master of Business Administration at the University of North Alabama.
