University of Hawai’i men’s basketball head coach Eran Ganot announced the hiring of Chris Gerlufsen as an assistant coach. Gerlufsen has been working in collegiate basketball for nearly two decades, including the last four seasons at the University of San Diego.
A native of Philadelphia, Pa., Gerlufsen boasts a wealth of experience, having been associated with three different Division I programs since 2001.
“We’re really excited to welcome Chris into our basketball ohana,” Ganot said. “Chris is a highly-respected and extremely well-rounded coach who fits in perfectly with our outstanding returning staff. He was instrumental in helping turn around a USD program that went from a 9-win team to back-to-back 20-win campaigns.
Chris has a terrific basketball mind and is also an outstanding recruiter. He has a long track record of success in areas that are niches for us — the West, junior college, and overseas. His connections in Texas also allow us to spread our wings in an area that we have started to make inroads.
Above all, Chris maintains our foundational priority to mentor, teach, and develop future leaders on and off the court and has a keen understanding of how special this program is and how special Hawai’i is.”
Gerlufsen added: “I’m incredibly excited for the opportunity to join Coach Ganot’s staff at the University of Hawai’i. I have tremendous respect for the job that Eran and his staff have done to build the program and my goal is to continue to push this team forward towards greatness. I can’t wait to get started with the UH players and staff.”
In his most recent stop at San Diego, Gerlufsen helped elevate the Toreros to unprecedented success. The Toreros posted consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time in program history and advanced to the postseason both years. After an impressive run in 2018-19, USD accomplished another first by competing in the NIT. Gerlufsen served as the team’s offensive coordinator and also headed the program’s global recruiting efforts, signing more than a half dozen international players during his tenure.
In the last two seasons, he coached a trio of all-conference selections at USD, including Isaiah Pineiro, a two-time all-WCC first-team selection who signed a contract with the Sacramento Kings this past summer.
Before joining the staff at USD, Gerlufsen spent nine years at the University of Hartford, the last two years as associate head coach. Over those years, Gerlufsen’s worked with both the perimeter and post players and was responsible for tactics on both ends of the court. His perimeter-oriented motion offense helped the Hawks set a school and conference record with 312 three-pointers in 2007-08. He was also instrumental in developing a Hartford defense that ranked 11th nationally in turnovers forced in 2012-13. Gerlufsen also served as the staff’s recruiting coordinator.
Gerlufsen began his Division I career at The Citadel where he spent five years. He joined the staff in 2000 as a graduate assistant coach and worked his way to the top assistant spot by the 2003-04 season.
Gerlufsen earned his B.A. in business and economics at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va., where he was a captain on a Yellow Jacket squad that twice advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
https://hawaiiathletics.com/news/2019/9/3/gerlufsen-joins-mens-basketball-staff.aspx
