Ken Ammann – Men's Basketball Coach – Concordia University Irvine Athletics

The longest-tenured coach in Concordia University Irvine history, Ken Ammann enters his 23rd year as head coach of the CUI Golden Eagles men’s basketball program in the fall of 2023.  During the 2022-23 season, Ammann earned career win No. 500 to join a small and impressive group of head coaches to reach that rare milestone.

During his tenure, the Golden Eagles have averaged 23 wins a season over the past two decades and he owns an overall record of 504-205 (.711 winning percentage).  Ammann was also the first 400-game winner in Concordia coaching history among all sports. Concordia’s attacking and aggressive style of play has helped Ammann’s teams win two NAIA National Championships and make four NAIA National Championship appearances. CUI has also made the PacWest Conference Tournament four times.

Since taking over in 2001, Ammann has helped CUI win at least 20 games in 16 of his 22 seasons at the helm. His teams have posted 30 victories in a season six times.  Prior to his arrival, the program had experienced just eight winning campaigns since its inception in 1981. 

The former Stanford basketball player has been named the NAIA Coach of the Year twice. He was the recipient of the 2020 Harry Statham Coach of Impact Award, which honors head coaches at the small college level that display high character and integrity while serving as excellent role models who have deeply impacted the lives of others.

Ammann transformed the Concordia men’s basketball program into one of the top programs in the country, turning Concordia into a national power nearly overnight.  He and his coaching staff were an integral part of Concordia making a smooth transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II over the past few years.  Ammann has also steered the Golden Eagles through multiple unorthodox seasons since the COVID-19 pandemic halted college sports and helped CUI get back to the PacWest Conference Tournament in the 2021-22 season.

The 2018-2019 campaign saw the Eagles fly to new heights as they reached the NCAA DII Tournament for the first time in school history after receiving an at-large bid in the west regional bracket. CUI also advanced to the PacWest Conference Championship Game for the first time in program history. Ammann’s squad asserted itself as a major player by going 12-1 at home and a perfect 11-0 against PacWest opponents at CU Arena on its way to a second place finish in the conference. CUI finished just one game behind Point Loma in the conference standings and defeated the eventual DII national runner-ups in an overtime thriller in front of a packed house during the regular season. The Green and Gold ultimately finished the year with a 23-11 overall record and an impressive 18-4 conference mark. Senior guard Brian Chambers led the entire PacWest in steals, finished third in scoring (17.7 ppg) and was named First Team All-PacWest, while center Geoff Gerlach received All-PacWest Honorable Mention and versatile forward Kayle Knuckles was named PacWest Freshman of the Year.

The 2017-2018 campaign marked Concordia’s first season of postseason eligibility since completing the transition to Division II. Ammann helped the Eagles secure their first berth in the PacWest Conference Tournament after the team posted a 19-10 regular season mark with a 12-8 league record.  Ammann’s squad earned the fifth seed in the tourney and then collected the school’s first-ever PacWest Conference Tournament victory when the Eagles defeated Point Loma, 69-65.  Concordia then closed out the season with a 20-11 overall record after Dixie State knocked out the Eagles in the semifinal round.

In their first season of NCAA Division II competition (2015-16), Conordia went 22-7 overall and tied for first in the PacWest Conference at 15-5. The following season, Ammann’s squad finished fifth in the league with a 17-11 overall record and a 12-8 conference mark as the school continued its 3-year transition from NAIA.  

During the 2014-2015 campaign, Ammann led Concordia to a 27-8 overall record and 13-3 conference record in the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC).  The Eagles capped off that season with their 11th trip to the NAIA National Tournament in 14 years.  

Ammann was named the 2011-2012 NAIA National Coach of the Year for the second time in his career after leading the Eagles to the 2012 National Championship.  Concordia defeated Oklahoma Baptist 72-69 in Kansas City, Missouri to claim the prorgam’s second national title.

Ammann also led the Green and Gold to the NAIA finals in 2007 and 2004 where Concordia finished as NAIA runner-up.

In only his second season (2002-03), Ammann led the Eagles to their first NAIA National Championship in school history. Concordia outlasted Mountain State in overtime by a count of 88-84 to claim the title.  The 36 wins the Eagles compiled that season were the most of any level of college basketball that year and Ammann was also named NAIA National Coach of the Year. 

In his career, Ammann has coached 20 All-Americans, 10 All-Tournament members, four Charles Stevenson Hustle Award winners, one Chuck Taylor Most Valuable Player Award winner (Cameron Gliddon, 2012), one NAIA National Player of the Year (Justin Johnson, 2011), four GSAC Player of the Year winners, and 28 All-Conference honorees, all while being named GSAC Coach of the Year four times.  Ammann and his staff have also developed a recruiting pipeline to Australia.  Since 2007, at least one Australian basketball player has been on the CUI men’s basketball roster. Recent players hailing from Australia include Gerlach, Gliddon, Tad Dufelmeier and brothers Anderson and Austin Clarke.

Ammann earned his bachelor’s in psychology at Stanford and holds a master’s degree from San Jose State in the same field, which was conferred in 1994. He began his coaching career immediately, serving as an assistant coach at San Jose State (1993-94), Canada College (1995-96), Pepperdine (1997-99) and Azusa Pacific (2000-01). Prior to his time at Concordia, he spent a year at Cal State Bakersfield and Santa Ana College, respectively, before transferring to Stanford.

At Stanford, Ammann started every game of his career under head coach Mike Montgomery. He averaged 12 points a game for the Cardinal and helped lead Stanford to a NIT Championship in 1991. In addition, he earned Academic All-American honors and was named to the Dean’s List. He is a graduate of Edison High School and was inducted into the Edison Hall of Fame in 2019.

Ammann and his wife, Marina, live in Tustin and have five children, Madelyn, Frank, Jourden, Andrew and Tyler. 

Amman’s Collegiate Coaching Record
Year
School
Overall
Conference
Postseason/Championship
2001-02
Concordia
21-12
13-7
 
2002-03
Concordia
36-4
16-4 
NAIA National Champions/GSAC Tournament Champions
2003-04
Concordia
33-5
18-2
NAIA National Runner-Up
2004-05
Concordia
26-9
13-7
GSAC Tournament Champions/NAIA Tournament
2005-06
Concordia
17-14
10-10
 
2006-07
Concordia
31-7
16-4
GSAC Champions/NAIA National Runner-Up
2007-08
Concordia
28-5
16-4
GSAC Champions/GSAC Tournament Champions/NAIA Tournament
2008-09
Concordia
28-7
16-4
NAIA Final 8
2009-10
Concordia
31-4
18-2
GSAC Champions/NAIA Final 16
2010-11
Concordia
32-4
19-1
GSAC Champions/GSAC Tournament Champions/NAIA Final 8
2011-12
Concordia
31-7
13-5
NAIA National Champions/GSAC Champions
2012-13
Concordia
23-11
7-7
GSAC Tournament Champions/NAIA Final 16
2013-14
Concordia
19-12
6-8
 
2014-15
Concordia
27-8
13-3
NAIA Final 16
2015-16
Concordia
22-6
15-5
Not Eligible ( DII Transition Year)
21 Seasons
Overall
504-205
271-127
2 NAIA National Championships/5 GSAC Championships/5 GSAC Tournament Championships

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