Harvard Athletics has announced that men’s basketball head coach Tommy Amaker will remain with the program.
"After thoughtful deliberation, I continue to realize my heart is at Harvard," Amaker stated. "To teach, lead and serve at this amazing institution, and in this special community, is truly meaningful to me."
"Tommy is a great leader, a great coach and a great educator," said Bob Scalise, Harvard’s Nichols Family Director of Athletics. "He is an inspiration to many in the Harvard community. We are excited he will continue to lead our men’s basketball program."
In seven seasons since taking over as head coach, Amaker has reinvented the Crimson into an Ivy League power with a national presence. Harvard has won four consecutive Ivy League championships, becoming first Ancient Eight program to do so since Penn from 1993-96, and with a 27-5 overall record this year the Crimson became the first Ivy program to register five consecutive 20-win seasons since Penn did it a record six times from 1970-75. Amaker’s teams have posted a 139-71 overall record during this time, with a 67-31 mark against the Ancient Eight.
Harvard has also flourished at the national level with Amaker at the helm, advancing to the third round of the NCAA tournament in each of the last two years while boasting four wins over ranked opponents and 13 victories against teams from the power conferences.
Under Amaker’s tutelage, Harvard student-athletes have garnered four All-America honors, nine All-District distinctions and 22 all-conference accolades. Additionally, Keith Wright ’12 (2012) and Wesley Saunders (2014) have been named Ivy League Player of the Year, with Kyle Casey (2010) and Siyani Chambers (2013) earning rookie of the year plaudits.
Amaker has received his fair share of awards as well, including the 2013 Clarence "Big House" Gaines College Basketball Coach of the Year Award, presented to the top minority basketball coach in Div. I. In 2012 he was presented with district coach of the year awards from both the United States Basketball Writers Association and National Association of Basketball Coaches, and was a candidate for the AP National Coach of the Year. He has also been named a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award each of the last four seasons, and has been inducted into both the New England Basketball Hall of Fame and Washington Metropolitan Basketball Hall of Fame.
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