Concordia University Irvine announced the addition of Mark Carbone as its new assistant coach for the men’s basketball program.
A former NCAA D1 basketball player, Carbone has spent the last five years as an assistant coach in multiple places across the country, including in Southern California.
Carbone spent the 2025-26 season as the assistant head coach at Post University, another NCAA DII school located in Waterbury, Connecticut. Post competes in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) and he helped lead the Eagles to an 11-9 conference record during that campaign. The Eagles made the Conference Tournament for the second straight year and were a Top 5 team in the league for the third consecutive campaign.
Before his time at Post University, Carbone spent the previous three years (2022-25) at Citrus College in Glendora, Calif. as the head assistant for two seasons before being named the Associate Head Coach of the program under Brett Lauer. In charge of the offense for three seasons, Carbone led the team to an average of 90 points per game during his time with the Owls, while they led the CCCAA in scoring in his final season with 102.6 points per game. In all, the Owls had a .840 win percentage during Carbone’s three years, winning 86 games with three conference championships and two CCCAA Final Four appearances.
In addition to the offense, Carbone was in charge of assisting in player development, strategy implementation, and recruiting efforts which helped matriculate nearly two dozen players to four-year institutions in his three seasons. Carbone also served as the Director of Citrus College Summer Basketball Camps, bringing in over 400 kids between the ages of 5-14 for a three-week camp each summer, helping raise nearly $100,000 for the basketball program. On the side, he also served as an adjunct professor at the college.
“Mark is an elite competitor and leader who will have a tremendous impact on our program,” said CUI men’s basketball head coach Scott Clark, who was hired in April. “On top of his basketball knowledge, he is rooted in faith and prioritizes building real relationships. We are excited to have Mark on board!”
“What excites me most is just being at a program where I’ll get to help Coach Clark lay the foundation,” said Carbone. “Coach Ammann left the program in a great spot, and it’ll be exciting to continue to build that while we put our own twist on things. In addition, being a part of a Christian institution and having the privilege of being able to impact young men on and off the court through Christ.”
“My past experiences have prepared me for this because I’ve been around great coaches and I have had great mentors,” added Carbone. “I know what it takes to win, how to help establish a culture and get guys to all buy in to one common goal.”
A native to Connecticut, Carbone spent time at San Diego University, the University of New Hampshire, and California Baptist University playing NCAA Division I Basketball from 2016-2021 before serving as a Graduate Assistant Coach for CBU during the 2021-22 season. In that role, he assisted with film breakdown, scouting reports, program operations, and on-court player development.
Carbone is a 2020 graduate from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and earned his Master of Science in Sport Management from California Baptist University in 2022.
