 Amaker in 2024 | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Harvard |
| Conference | Ivy League |
| Record | 318–203 (.610) |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | (1965-06-06)June 6, 1965 (age 60) Falls Church, Virginia, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1983–1987 | Duke |
| Position | Point guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1988–1997 | Duke (assistant) |
| 1997–2001 | Seton Hall |
| 2001–2007 | Michigan |
| 2007–present | Harvard |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 494–342 (.591) |
| Tournaments | 4–5 (NCAA Division I) 11–8 (NIT) 0–1 (CIT) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| NIT (2004) 7Ivy League regular-season (2011–2015, 2018, 2019) | |
| Awards | |
| |
Medal record | |
Harold Tommy Amaker Jr. (/ˈæməkər/; born June 6, 1965) is an Americancollege basketball coach and thehead coach of theHarvard University men'sbasketball team. He has also coached for theUniversity of Michigan andSeton Hall University. He playedpoint guard and later served as an assistant coach atDuke University underMike Krzyzewski. AnAll-American player, Amaker set numerous records and earned many honors and awards. He took Seton Hall to the postseason in each of his four seasons as their coach, helped Michigan win theNational Invitation Tournament the year after a probationary ban from postseason play, and had the three highest single-season win totals in the history of Harvard basketball, the school's first sixIvy League championships and first NCAA tournament victory.
Amaker was ahigh school basketball star atW. T. Woodson High School from 1979 to 1983 under coach Paul (Red) Jenkins. Amaker led the Woodson Cavaliers to four straight Northern District titles, including victories over the national powerhouseDeMatha Catholic High School. AMcDonald's All-American, Amaker also earned the Wooden Defensive Player of the Year award in 1983, awarded to the nation's best high school defensive player. He averaged almost 18 points, and contributed 7.5 assists and 3.5 steals per game while at Woodson. In December 1992, the Connection named Amaker to the Connection Dream Team, as a point guard.McDonald's All-American and aParade All-American. As a college basketball player, he set most of theassists records and manysteals records forDuke basketball. He also set theAtlantic Coast Conference single-season games played and games started records. Among his numerous accolades, he was the first winner of theNABC Defensive Player of the Year, and he was a third team All-American.
Amaker was an assistant coach for the Duke Blue Devils men's basketball under Krzyzewski for nine seasons. His first four seasons were part of a five-year streak of Final Four appearances by Duke (including back-to-back national championships). As a head coach, Amaker took theSeton Hall Pirates to postseason tournaments (NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament [2000] and National Invitation Tournament [1998,1999 and2001]) in each of his four seasons as their coach. Assistant coach, Jason Lampa, credits the success that Amaker experienced at Seton Hall to his calm demeanor and respect for players. He dealt with the turmoil and self-imposed sanctions of theUniversity of Michigan basketball scandal in his first years withMichigan, where he eventually won the2004 National Invitation Tournament with the2003–04 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team and finished as the runner-up with Michigan in the2006 National Invitation Tournament.
In his tenure asHarvard men's basketball coach, he was the first coach to lead the Crimson to victory over a ranked opponent with the school. He also coached the2009–10 Harvard Crimson men's basketball team into the postseason (2010 CollegeInsider.com Tournament) in his third year there, which included the highest single-season victory total (21) in school history. In the summer of 2010, the NCAA ruled that Amaker had committed a recruiting violation, resulting in NCAA-mandated recruiting restrictions, the university's first NCAA penalty of the men's basketball program. The2010–11 team became the first Harvard men's basketball team to clinch a share of the Ivy League championship and surpassed the prior season win total (23). The2011–12 team became the first in school history to appear in theAssociated Press (AP) andCoaches Polls and, for the third year in a row, established a new school record for wins (26).[1] Amaker's 2011–12,2012–13,2013–14 and2014–15 teams repeated as Ivy League champions. The 2012–13 team gave Harvard its first NCAA tournament victory. The 2013–14 team posted a record 27 wins. Amaker became the winningest coach in school history in 2016.
Amaker was born inFalls Church, Virginia in 1965.
Amaker resided in Falls Church, but he attendedW. T. Woodson High School inFairfax, Virginia, because his mother, Alma Amaker, was a high school English teacher inFairfax County. Her job allowed her to choose among the county schools, her choice made because the school's basketball coach, Red Jenkins, who called Amaker "T-bird",[2] had been impressed with his performances at his youth summer league since Amaker was 10 years old.[3] He began playing varsity for Woodson by December,[3] making him the first freshman to play varsity in the school's history.[4] His mother, whom Jenkins called "his first coach and his best coach," attended his practices and graded papers in the coach's office.[2]
Duke University basketball head coachMike Krzyzewski, who had just completed hisfirst season as Duke coach, was in town to evaluateJohnny Dawkins in a 1981 Washington D.C. summer league game, but was convinced to stay for a second game to see Amaker play. Krzyzewski met Amaker's mother and said, "Mrs. Amaker, your son is going to look great in Duke blue."[5] At the time, Amaker had wanted to play for theMaryland Terrapins because his sister Tami went to theUniversity of Maryland, College Park and Amaker idolizedMaryland star guardJohn Lucas.[2] He was recruited eventually to Duke by assistant coachChuck Swenson, who would later become an assistant coach during Amaker's first five seasons at Michigan from 2001 to 2006.[2]
Amaker played on the 1983McDonald's All-American Team and was also named to theParade All-American team.[4] According to theFairfax Connection, the county changed the rules regarding where teachers could send their children due to Amaker's success at Woodson.[3]
Amaker was a star point guard at Duke after becoming a freshmanstarter for head coach Krzyzewski. He led the team in assists three years and in steals four seasons.[6] While at Duke his roommate for away games wasMike Brey.[2]
Dawkins played point guard for the1982–83 Blue Devils, but moved toshooting guard the following year to make way for Amaker.[7] When Amaker joined the1983–84 Blue Devils, unranked Duke, led by Dawkins and Amaker, won its first seven games, the longest winning streak of fourth-year head coach Krzyzewski's career. Amaker had afield goal accuracy of over 65 percent in those games.[8] He led Duke to the NCAA Tournament during his1984 freshman and1985 sophomore seasons, but neither team advanced to the Sweet Sixteen (regional semifinals).[9][10] In the quarterfinal round of the1984 ACC men's basketball tournament against theMark Price-ledGeorgia Tech Yellow Jackets,[11][12] Amaker hit the game-winning shot with the score tied and less than 10 seconds left inovertime. In some instances, Amaker's defense changed the game by limiting dribble penetration and forcing low shooting percentages regardless of whether he had notable offensive contributions.[13]
During Amaker'sjunior year (1985–86), Duke won the inauguralNIT Season Tip-Off (then known as the preseason National Invitation Tournament) and Amaker had nine assists in the championship game against aDanny Manning-ledKansas team.[14] In the MarchCarolina–Duke rivalry game againstNorth Carolina Amaker stole the ball fromJeff Lebo and made alayup that gave Duke a late first half three-point lead it never surrendered. The win clinched Duke's first regular-season ACC championship since 1966.[15] According toESPN college basketballcolor commentatorDick Vitale, Amaker had a reputation for putting pressure on the ball.[16] That year, he helped the team win the1986 ACC men's basketball tournament, including a championship game victory over the Price-ledGeorgia Tech.[17]
Duke entered the1986 NCAA tournament ranked number one with a team that was built around the defensive efforts of its guards, Dawkins and Amaker.[17][18] In thefinal four with Duke clinging to a 69–67 lead in a rematch against Kansas, Amaker pulled down the final rebound and sank two clinching free throws in the final five seconds. The win sent Duke to the championship game, giving the team its 21st consecutive victory and an NCAA record 37 single-season victories.[19]Chicago Tribune journalist Robert Markus described Amaker and Dawkins as the best guard combination in the country,[20][21] although Vitale described Amaker as unknown.[16]
The 1985–86 Blue Devils finished as national runner-up in the 1986 NCAA tournament toLouisville. That year, Amaker recorded 81 steals, second toJim Spanarkel at that point in Duke history.[22] He set the career steals record, which stood untilShane Battier broke it in 2001.[22] Amaker also holds the Duke single-year NCAA tournament record with 18 steals in 1986, which had been a tournament record.[23] That year, he had seven steals in two tournament games—againstOld Dominion in the second round on March 15 and Louisville in the final on March 31. This seven-steal total stood as the single-game NCAA tournament record for seven years until the1993 NCAA tournament when Darrell Hawkins had eight forArkansas againstHoly Cross andGrant Hill had eight forDuke againstCalifornia.[24] The seven steals was a championship game record that was tied byMookie Blaylock in the1988 NCAA tournament forOklahoma againstKansas and was surpassed byTy Lawson in the2009 NCAA tournament forNorth Carolina againstMichigan State.[24] Amaker was selected to the 1986 Division I basketball tournament all-NCAA Final Four team.[25] The 1986 Duke team graduated four of its five starters (Dawkins,Mark Alarie,Jay Bilas andDavid Henderson), leaving Amaker with an inexperienced supporting cast for his senior season.[26] That year, Amaker was a spokesman against drug and alcohol abuse as part of an NCAA-Fiesta Bowl drug education television program.[27]
Muggsy Bogues, Amaker's ACC rival, was his roommate during the July1986 FIBA World Championship.[28] He played in at least two games in the tournament, the first for a mere two minutes againstPuerto Rico, but he played a prominent role in the USA's win overItaly.[29] Amaker won a gold medal while serving on theUS national team in the FIBA World Championship, which served as the basketball tournament for the1986 Goodwill Games.[30][31][32]
Senior Amaker served as teamcaptain for the1986–87 Blue Devils,[33] and he led Duke back to the1987 NCAA tournament, where they advanced to the Sweet Sixteen before losing to eventual championIndiana.[34] The key players on the team that year were Amaker and sophomoreDanny Ferry.[35] During his senior season, theNational Collegiate Athletic Association instituted thethree-point field goal.[36] Amaker led Duke in three point shooting that year.[37] He hit a three-point shot with 1:39 remaining in overtime against 17–0 (4–0 ACC)Horace Grant-ledClemson to give Duke the lead for good.[38] A few weeks later, with the score tied in regulation at 60 againstNotre Dame and on a two-on-onefast break with 16 seconds left, Amaker took ajump shot. Krzyzewski said Duke lost the game because it did not play as smart as its opponent and Markus described this example in his column.[39] In Amaker's final home game, he made a jump shot with 1:15 remaining that put number seventeen Duke, which made all six of its free throws in the final 45 seconds, ahead for good in its rematch against number thirteen Clemson.[40][41] In the 1987 tournament he led Duke in scoring in its final two games,[42] including 23 against theRick Calloway/Keith Smart/Steve Alford-led Indiana, who was coached byBobby Knight, Krzyzewski's college coach.[43]
That year, theNational Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) awarded Amaker with the firstHenry Iba Corinthian Award (also known as the NABC Defensive Player of the Year).[44] Amaker was selected to the1987 NCAA Men's Basketball All-American third team by the NABC.[45][46] He was named to the 1987 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament All-Midwest Regional Team.[25] He was a 1987 All-ACC 2nd-team honoree and earned the team co-MVP award with Ferry that year.[47] Amaker earned abachelor's degree ineconomics in 1987 from Duke.[48]
Amaker set many Duke career and single-season assists records. He held the record for single-season assists in the years between 1986 and 1990, which was broken byBobby Hurley. Hurley also broke Amaker's records in career assists per game (5.1, 1987–93) and career assists (708, 1987–92).Steve Wojciechowski broke Amaker's records in single-season assists to turnover ratio (2.88, 1985–97) and career assists to turnover ratio (2.11, 1987–98). Although his single-season assists records were surpassed by Hurley's freshman, sophomore and senior season totals, it still remains a record for a Duke junior.[22] He also held Duke's career NCAA tournament assist average record with 57 in 12 games for a 4.7 average until Hurley surpassed it with 145 in 20 games for a 7.3 average.[47] His school single-game assists record of 14 that he tied (Kevin Billerman, March 2, 1974, vs.North Carolina) vs.Miami on February 19, 1986, was not broken until Hurley's senior 1993 season and is still a record for a junior.[49]
Amaker holds several Duke and ACC records for games played. Amaker, Alarie and Dawkins have all started 40 games for the 1985–86 Duke team and both Ferry andBilly King have played 40 games in a season. Amaker's 138 consecutive games started surpassed Alarie and Dawkins' totals of 133.[22] His 138 consecutive games played was a Duke record untilChris Duhon played 144 in a row ending in 2004.[50] Consecutive games started is not shown in the 2009–10 Atlantic Coast Conference Media Guide records section. However, no ACC player has ever played more than 40 games in a season.[51]
Following hiscollege basketball career, Amaker was drafted by theSeattle SuperSonics in the third round of the1987 NBA draft with the 55th pick overall.[52] He was also drafted in the first round of the April 1987United States Basketball League's draft by theStaten Island Stallions.[53] He was regarded to be too small to play in the NBA at 6 feet (1.83 m) and 155 pounds (70 kg).[3] He was cut from the SuperSonics team on October 21, 1987.[54] Subsequently, he spent three days with theWyoming Wildcatters of theContinental Basketball Association inCasper, Wyoming. He quickly decided he wanted to return to Duke to pursue aMaster of Business Administration (MBA).[2]
Amaker accepted a graduate assistant position on Krzyzewski's staff at Duke in 1988 while pursuing his MBA degree from theFuqua School of Business;[55][56] the team reached theFinal Four of the1989 NCAA tournament. He was an assistant coach from 1989 through 1997, during which Duke won twoNCAA Championships (1991 and1992) and made two other Final Four appearances (1990 and1994).[44] By 1992, Duke had been to five consecutive final fours. While an assistant coach, he declined numerousDivision I head coaching opportunities.[57] Duke also won four regular-seasonAtlantic Coast Conference men's basketball championships (1991,1992,1994 and1997) and the1992 ACC men's basketball tournament. The 1994–95 season was turbulent. In October 1994, Krzyzewski underwent back surgery. He attempted to return to coaching two weeks later but eventually was re-admitted toDuke University Hospital for four days in January due to related complications. He eventually relinquished control of the team for the season to interim coachPete Gaudet.[58][59]
AfterWimp Sanderson was forced out as coach ofAlabama in 1992, Amaker was under consideration to replace him.[60] In 1993, he was the leading candidate to assume the head coaching job atNorthwestern whenBill Foster stepped aside to serve as interimathletic director,[61] but at age 27, he declined the job when it was offered, noting that he had only been married one year and saying "It boiled down to us looking at a situation where we were extremely flattered, but a situation that wasn't right for us now."[62] That summer Amaker was one of two college basketball members of the 10-man selection committee for the United States Olympic Team.[63] In 1994, he was on the short list to replaceKevin O'Neill, who leftMarquette for a job atTennessee.[64] In 1995,USC was in negotiations to hire Amaker to replace interim coachCharlie Parker, who replacedGeorge Raveling following a car accident. The reason his negotiations with USC failed was compensation since Amaker was both a Duke assistant coach and earned an additional $100,000 (US$206,355 in 2024 dollars)[65] through a summer youth day camp.[66] That summer, Duke promoted Amaker from assistant basketball coach to associate head coach.[67] Krzyzewski returned to coaching in October 1995.[68] USC went on to hire Parker, who did not last a full season as head coach.[69] In 1996, Amaker was rumored to be on the short list to replace interim coachSteve Lavin atUCLA in 1997.[70][71] When the Northwestern job opened up again in 1997, he was not under consideration becauseathletic director Rick Taylor sought a candidate withDivision I head coaching postseason experience.[72]
In 1997, Amaker took the head coaching position at Seton Hall,[57] who had missed the postseason in the two prior years.[73] At 31, Amaker became the youngest head basketball coach inBig East Conference history.[57] Then, he took Seton Hall to the NCAA tournament once (2000)—when his team reached the "Sweet Sixteen"—and to theNational Invitation Tournament three times (1998, 1999 and 2001).[74][75]
The1997–98 Seton Hall team earned the sixth seed in the1998 Big East men's basketball tournament, but were ousted in the first round by eleventh-seededBoston College in overtime in the first round.[76] They ended up in the1998 National Invitation Tournament where they lost in the first round toGeorgia Tech to fall to a final record of 15–15.[73] After returning Seton Hall to the postseason, Amaker was considered for the Michigan job,[77] but they decided to make interim coachBrian Ellerbe a full-time head coach.[78]
Seton Hall's1998–99 team earned the ninth seed in the1999 Big East men's basketball tournament. They defeated eighth-seededNotre Dame in the first round, but lost by one point to top-seededConnecticut, who went on to win thenational championship.[79][80] They were invited to the1999 National Invitation Tournament where they lost in the first round toOld Dominion and again finished 15–15.[81]
According to ESPN, Amaker recruited the #2 recruiting class in the nation for the class of 2000 while at Seton Hall.[82][83] The class consisted ofEddie Griffin (ranked by some as the top high school player in the nation),[84]Andre Barrett and Marcus Toney-El. The Pirates were ranked high on many experts' pre-season rankings.[82] The1999–2000 Seton Hall team earned the fifth seed in the2000 Big East men's basketball tournament and earned a victory against twelfth-seededProvidence in the first round, but lost to fourth-seededConnecticut.[85][86][87] The first-round win gave the team 20 victories and no Big East team had achieved that number of victories without getting invited to the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in the 21-year history of the conference.[85] They were invited to the2000 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament where they were seeded tenth in the East Region. They knocked off seventh-seededOregon and second-seededTemple.[88][89][90] In the Sweet Sixteen round they were ousted by third-seededOklahoma State and finished with a 22–10 record.
The2000–01 Pirates earned the Big East West Division's sixth seed in the2001 Big East men's basketball tournament and beat the East Division three seedSt. John's and west two seedGeorgetown.[91][92][93] They were defeated in the semifinals by east top seedBoston College and ended the year at 16–15.[94][95] They were invited to the2001 National Invitation Tournament where they lost in the first round toAlabama. The following season, Amaker resigned as the Seton Hall head coach and became head coach at Michigan, replacing Ellerbe, who had been fired.[96] Amaker met with Michigan athletic director Bill Martin in a hotel lobby instead of renting a room because Martin wanted to save money. Word of the meeting got back to ESPN and theNew Jersey press was not kind to Amaker, hinting that he was devious and selfish.[2]
Amaker inherited aMichigan Wolverines men's basketball team that was five years into the investigation of theUniversity of Michigan basketball scandal.[97] The Wolverines opposed Amaker's former mentor Krzyzewski and the2001–02 Duke Blue Devils in his seventh game as head coach, but his team lost.[98] Although the2001–02 Wolverines finished at 11–18, Amaker was able to lead the tenth-seeded team to a victory over seventh-seededNorthwestern in the2002 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament before losing to two seed,Ohio State.[99][100]
Michigan finished the 2002–03 season with a 17–13 record, but sat out both that year's NCAA and NIT tournaments due to the self-imposed postseason ban.[101] The team had banned itself from postseason play before the season started.[102] Nonetheless, over the course of the season the team had earned a three seed and a first-roundbye in the2003 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament, but was upset in the second round byIndiana.[103] At the conclusion of the season, the NCAA added a second year of postseason ineligibility to bring the severity of the punishment to a level it deemed more appropriate.[104]
Amaker's2003–04 team earned a fifth seed and first-round bye in the2004 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament where it defeated fourth-seededIowa before losing to top-seededIllinois.[105][106] The team experienced successive wins in the2004 National Invitation Tournament againstMissouri,Oklahoma,Hawaii andOregon.[107][108][109][110] The team won the championship game againstRutgers, giving Amaker his highest single-season victory total up to that point in time with a 23–11 record.[75] Amaker, who has tended to avoid the spotlight, was not on the court as his team celebrated the college basketball tradition of cutting of the nets in celebration of a championship at the 2004 NIT.[2]
The2004–05 team only achieved a nine seed in the2005 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament when it lost in the first round to eighth-seededNorthwestern.[111] It posted a 13–18 record (4–12 in conference) and finished ninth in the conference.[112][113]
The Wolverines'2005–06 team was a high percentage shooting, disciplined and balanced team.[114] It was seeded seventh in the2006 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament but lost to the tenth-seededMinnesota Golden Gophers. The team had been ranked 37th in theRatings Percentage Index prior to the game, making them a solid contender for a2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament invitation.[115] The loss sent them to the2006 National Invitation Tournament where they were a number one seed, and they finished as the runner-up toSouth Carolina.[75][116] Along the way to its runner-up finish, the team defeated ninth-seededUTEP, fifth-seededNotre Dame (2OT), third-seededMiami and fifth-seededOld Dominion.[117][118][119][120] The team ended with a 22–11 (8–8) record.[116]
Michigan's2006–07 team earned an eight seed in the2007 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament, when it defeated the ninth-seededMinnesota Golden Gophers before succumbing to top-seededOhio State.[121][122] After receiving a three seed, Michigan advanced to the second round of the2007 National Invitation Tournament by beatingUtah State before falling toFlorida State.[75][123][124] The team finished with a 22–13 record yet only 8–8 in conference play.[124]
Amaker was credited for helping to restore the ethical reputation of a Michigan program which had been tarnished by scandal.[125][126] However, he was criticized in the press for being unable to take the Wolverines to the NCAA tournament in six seasons at the helm.[127] Some fans and sportswriters argued that Amaker's Michigan teams tended to underachieve and fall apart in pressure situations, particularly in conference, on the road and at the end of the regular season.[128] On March 17, 2007, Amaker was fired by the University of Michigan.[127] Amaker was paid $900,000 to buy out the remaining years on his contract.[129]
On April 11, 2007, Amaker was named head men's basketball coach atHarvard University. Harvard's recruiting process had included interviewing the underclassmen on the team who preferred Amaker to alternatives that includedMike Jarvis andMike Gillian.[130] Upon his arrival, Harvard had endured five consecutive non-winning seasons, a streak that Amaker would not halt until his third year.[131] Amaker became the only African American among the head coaches of Harvard's 32 athletic teams.[125] Amaker's Harvard team beat his former team,Michigan, in his eighth game as coach at Harvard during the 2007–08 season.[132] It was the school's first win ever against aBCS conference school.[133]
The New York Times published an accusatory article in March 2008, raising allegations of diminished academic standards among Amaker's first class of recruits and potentially improper recruiting practices.[134] Prodded by this negative publicity, theIvy League office conducted a four-month investigation and "determined that no violations of NCAA or Ivy League rules occurred", clearing Amaker and his staff completely.[135][136] Typically, the NCAA would accept the results of a formal investigation performed by a conference office but, in this case, the NCAA initially tabled and then eventually rejected the Ivy League's findings completely. The NCAA commenced its own investigation which ultimately took two years to complete.[137]
Amaker's Harvard squad defeated then-rankedBoston College (#17AP poll – #24Coaches' Poll) on January 7, 2009 for the first win over a ranked team in the program's history.[138] His 2008–09 recruiting class was the first time an Ivy League institution was ranked in the top 25 by ESPN.[48][134]
The following season, the2009–10 Harvard team played competitively against #14 rankedConnecticut getting 30 points and 9 rebounds from seniorJeremy Lin on December 6. Although they held the lead only once, they were within 4 points in the final seconds of the game.[139] They also won their December 9 rematch withBoston College by a 74–67 margin.[140] After coaching Harvard to its highest single-season win total ever behind the play of Lin, Harvard was invited to participate in the2010 CollegeInsider.com Tournament. The team was defeated in the first round byAppalachian State.[141] During the season, Amaker was a nominee for the firstBen Jobe Award as the top minority Division I college basketball coach,[142] and was recognized byFox Sports as the 2010 Ivy League Coach of the Year.[143] Amaker was mentioned for the 2010 head coach opening atSt. John's.[144]
In the summer of 2010, the NCAA informed Harvard that Amaker's behavior constituted impermissible recruiting behavior.[137] Harvard and the NCAA negotiated a settlement in which the university would "declare" what the NCAA consented to classify as secondary violations.[145] Under the terms of the agreement, Harvard accepted punitive recruiting restrictions for the 2010–11 season.[146] These were the first NCAA penalties ever assessed against the Harvard men's basketball program and the first instance of the Ivy League being overruled on a formal rules interpretation.[147]
Under Amaker's leadership, the2010–11 team tied withPrinceton for the2010–11 Ivy League men's basketball season championship, which was the school's first men's basketball Ivy League championship since the league was formed in the1956–57 season.[148] Harvard finished the season a perfect 14–0 at home,[148] which surpassed the prior season's school record of 11 home wins.[142] Harvard's 12 conference game wins established a school record.[149] The team's victory overColorado was the Crimson's first against aBig 12 Conference opponent since that conference commenced play in 1996.[150] His fourth season also marked the fourth straight season that Harvard defeated at least one power conference opponent.[151] Although Harvard never appeared in the2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings, for a few weeks during the season they received a vote in theAP poll.[152][153][154] On March 7, Harvard received a vote in both the AP poll and theCoaches' Poll.[155] Harvard faced Ivy League co-champion Princeton in aone-game playoff and lost by a 63–62 margin.[156] Princeton earned the2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament automatic bid, while Harvard earned an at-large bid to the2011 National Invitation Tournament, marking the school's first appearance in the National Invitation Tournament.[157] On March 15, Harvard was defeated byOklahoma State by a 71–54 margin in the first round.[158] The final record of 23–7 established a school record for number of wins, surpassing the prior season's total of 21.[142] Amaker was again a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award, was a finalist for theHugh Durham Award and was selected by the NABC as the District 13 Coach of the Year.[159] He was named Ivy League coach of the year byCollegeinsider.com.[160]
The2011–12 Harvard team defeated then-rankedFlorida State (#22 AP poll – #20 Coaches' Poll) on November 25, 2011 for the school's second win over a ranked team in the program's history,[161] and the highest-ranked opponent in the Coaches' Poll that Harvard had defeated up to that point. On December 5, 2011, Harvard made its first appearance in either the AP poll (25) or Coaches' Poll (24).[162] It leftBrown as the only remaining Ivy League school to have never been ranked in the AP poll and leaves only seven schools that have played Division I basketball since the AP poll began that have never been ranked in it.[163] Harvard was the first Ivy League team ranked in the Coaches' Poll since the2009–10 Cornell Big Red and the first Ivy League team ranked in the AP poll since the1997–98 Princeton Tigers, who finished 8th in the poll.[164] By January 2, the team achieved rankings of 22 in the AP poll and 21 in the Coaches' Poll.[165] The team was also ranked 21st in the Coaches' Poll on February 6.[166] The team established a new record for single-season wins as well as single-season non-league wins and tied the record for conference game wins.[167] Amaker was selected by theU.S. Basketball Writers Association as the 2011–12 Men's District I (ME, VT, NH, RI, MA, CT) Coach of the Year.[168] He won the NABC Coach of the Year for District 13 and was again a finalist for both the Ben Jobe Award and the Hugh Durham Award.[169] On March 6, 2012, Harvard earned its first bid to theNCAA tournament since 1946.[170]
On October 6, 2012, Amaker was inducted into his high school's inaugural hall of fame class.[171] Amaker's2012–13 Harvard team entered the season affected by the2012 Harvard cheating scandal.[172] Instead of being the favorite as originally expected, the team was predicted to finish second toPrinceton by various media sources because Kyle Casey and Brandyn Curry withdrew due to the scandal.[173][174] Casey and Curry had been first-team and second-team All-Ivy selections for the2011–12 Ivy League men's basketball season, respectively.[175] Both players withdrew in hopes of preserving their final year of athletic eligibility following the investigation.[176] During the season, the team defeatedBoston College—its fifth consecutive victory against them[177]—making Amaker a perfect 6–0 against the Atlantic Coast Conference.[178] The 2012–13 Harvard team overcame the withdrawal of its senior co-captains to repeat as2013 Ivy League champions,[179] which earned Harvard a trip to the2013 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. On March 21, 14th-seeded Harvard earned the school's firstNCAA tournament victory by a 68–62 margin[180] and its first victory over a top 10 opponent[181] when it defeated 3rd-seededNew Mexico (#10 AP poll – #10 Coaches' Poll). Two nights later, Harvard lost toArizona 74–51.[182] Following the season, Amaker was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2013.[183] Amaker won theNational Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association (NSSA) Clarence "Big House" Gaines College Basketball Coach of the Year in Division I as the top minority coach,[184] the NABC Coach of the Year for District 13 and was again a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award.[185] In August, Amaker was inducted into his fourth Hall of Fame (Washington Metro Basketball Hall of Fame).[186]
The 2013–14 team won the2013 Great Alaska Shootout and2013–14 Ivy League conference regular-season championship with a 13–1 record and posting a school-record 27 wins against five defeats.[187][188] The team entered the2014 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament with a number twelve seed where it defeated a (#15 AP poll – #14 Coaches' Poll)Cincinnati team that was seeded fifth.[189] Harvard eventually lost to number (#11/13) four seedMichigan State.[190] The team was the first Ivy League school to win games in consecutiveNCAA Division I men's basketball tournaments since the1983–84 Princeton Tigers.[191]
The2014–15 team was the first Ivy League team to make a fifth consecutive postseason appearance since the2001–02 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team completed a seven-year run for Princeton.[192] They were the third Ivy team to make four consecutive NCAA basketball tournament appearances, a feat last accomplished by the1991–92 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team.[193]
On December 7, 2016, in a rivalry contest againstBoston College, Amaker earned his 179th win with the2016–17 team, surpassingFrank Sullivan as Harvard's all-time winningest coach.[194][195] Amaker led the2017–18 Harvard Crimson to a share of the2017–18 Ivy League regular-season title.[196] The team reached the championship game of the2018 Ivy League men's basketball tournament, but lost toPenn earning an automatic bid to the2018 National Invitation Tournament.[197][198]
In addition to his coaching duties at Harvard, Amaker served as a Special Assistant to Harvard University President Larry Bacow and a Spring 2021 Fellow[199][200] at the Hauser Center for Public Leadership at theHarvard Kennedy School. In February 2021, he was named as a Champion of Diversity by the NCAA.[201][202]
Amaker is married to Stephanie Pinder-Amaker,[44] who is a licensedclinical psychologist.[2] The couple met at Duke.[2] Amaker's grandmother is Annie Deskins.[2] Amaker's mother, Alma, continued to make him thesauce for his favorite meal ofspaghetti andexpress mail it to him from her home in Falls Church, Virginia, during his career at least until his days at Michigan.[2] According to Duke teammate Bilas, Amaker was quite fashion-conscious and attempted to be a trendsetter.[203]
At Michigan, his daily routine included breakfast at a local hotel where he readUSA Today.[2] At Harvard, once a month, he convenes The Breakfast Club[204] at theCambridge, Massachusetts, restaurant Henrietta's Table with a group of noted African-American scholars and businessmen led byHarvard Law School professorCharles Ogletree to discuss sociopolitical issues.[130] Amaker is known for his trademarkmock turtleneck shirts, each of which has his initials monogrammed into the collar, and for wearing asports coat at eachnews conference.[2] Unlike most of his peers, Amaker avoids the press and will not do a radio or television show.[2]
Amaker was enshrined in the Duke Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001.[48] He was a member of the board of directors forUSA Basketball. During his time on the board he served as a member of the Men's Collegiate and Men's Senior National Committees, where he helped select members of the United States1996 Olympic gold medal team.[48] Amaker owns two vintageMercedes-Benz cars, which were featured in an article inThe Star magazine,[205] and is aWashington Commanders fan.[2]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seton Hall Pirates(Big East Conference)(1997–2001) | |||||||||
| 1997–98 | Seton Hall | 15–15 | 9–9 | 3rd(BE 7) | NIT First Round | ||||
| 1998–99 | Seton Hall | 15–15 | 8–10 | T–8th | NIT First Round | ||||
| 1999–00 | Seton Hall | 22–10 | 10–6 | T–4th | NCAA Division I Sweet 16 | ||||
| 2000–01 | Seton Hall | 16–15 | 5–11 | 6th(West) | NIT First Round | ||||
| Seton Hall: | 68–55 (.553) | 32–36 (.471) | |||||||
| Michigan Wolverines(Big Ten Conference)(2001–2007) | |||||||||
| 2001–02 | Michigan | 11–18 | 5–11 | T–8th | |||||
| 2002–03 | Michigan | 18–12 | 10–6 | T–3rd | |||||
| 2003–04 | Michigan | 23–11 | 8–8 | T–5th | NIT Champion | ||||
| 2004–05 | Michigan | 13–18 | 4–12 | 9th | |||||
| 2005–06 | Michigan | 22–11 | 8–8 | T–6th | NIT Runner-Up | ||||
| 2006–07 | Michigan | 22–13 | 8–8 | T–7th | NIT Second Round | ||||
| Michigan: | 109–83 (.568) | 43–53 (.448) | |||||||
| Harvard Crimson(Ivy League)(2007–present) | |||||||||
| 2007–08 | Harvard | 8–22 | 3–11 | T–6th | |||||
| 2008–09 | Harvard | 14–14 | 6–8 | T–6th | |||||
| 2009–10 | Harvard | 21–7 | 10–4 | 3rd | CIT First Round | ||||
| 2010–11 | Harvard | 23–7 | 12–2 | T–1st | NIT First Round | ||||
| 2011–12 | Harvard | 26–5 | 12–2 | 1st | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2012–13 | Harvard | 20–10 | 11–3 | 1st | NCAA Division I Round of 32 | ||||
| 2013–14 | Harvard | 27–5 | 13–1 | 1st | NCAA Division I Round of 32 | ||||
| 2014–15 | Harvard | 22–8 | 11–3 | T–1st | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2015–16 | Harvard | 14–16 | 6–8 | 4th | |||||
| 2016–17 | Harvard | 18–10 | 10–4 | 2nd | |||||
| 2017–18 | Harvard | 18–14 | 12–2 | T–1st | NIT First Round | ||||
| 2018–19 | Harvard | 19–12 | 10–4 | T–1st | NIT Second Round | ||||
| 2019–20 | Harvard | 20–7 | 10–4 | 2nd | |||||
| 2020–21 | Harvard[a] | ||||||||
| 2021–22 | Harvard | 13–13 | 5–9 | T–6th | |||||
| 2022–23 | Harvard | 14–14 | 5–9 | 7th | |||||
| 2023–24 | Harvard | 14–13 | 5–9 | 5th | |||||
| 2024–25 | Harvard | 12–15 | 7–7 | 5th | |||||
| 2025–26 | Harvard | 14–9 | 7–2 | ||||||
| Harvard: | 318–203 (.610) | 155–92 (.628) | |||||||
| Total: | 494–342 (.591) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
Yesterday, guard Tommy Amaker hit a 15-foot baseline jumper with 9 seconds left in overtime to put Duke up 65–63; then, backcourt mate David Henderson sank two free throws after time expired.
Tommy Amaker, who doesn't shoot much, made a 15-foot jumper with eight seconds left in overtime to give Duke the victory.
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