Tommy Amaker is the Thomas G. Stemberg ’71 Family Endowed Coach for Harvard Men’s Basketball. Coach Amaker was introduced on April 13, 2007 and has since led the Harvard program to the most successful 17-year stretch in Ivy League history. His accomplishments include guiding the team to four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances (2012-15), seven Ivy League Championships (five consecutive titles from 2011-15 and back to back titles in 2018 and 2019), three NIT appearances and seven 20-win seasons. He became the all-time winningest coach in program history after a historic win over Boston College on December 7, 2016.

Prior to his time at Harvard, Coach Amaker served as the head men’s basketballcoach at both the University of Michigan and Seton Hall University. After his2004 Michigan team won the NIT championship, Amaker became the youngest African American coach to win a national tournament title. In 2006, Michigan finished as the runner-up in the NIT championship game. While at Seton Hall, Amaker was credited with bringing in the number one nationally ranked recruiting class, guiding the 2000 team to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA tournament.

Before becoming a head coach, he was an assistant coach and associate head coach at his alma mater, Duke University. He was part of five Final Four teams and back-to-back NCAA Championships in 1991 and 1992. After earning McDonald’s and Parade All-American honors in high school, he was recruited to Duke where he was a four-year starting point guard. Amaker led the team to the 1986 NCAA title game and, as team captain during the 1986-87 season, was named an All-American and college basketball National Defensive Player of the Year. He also won a gold medal as part of the US National team at the 1986 World Championships and was subsequently drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1987 NBA Draft.

 

He currently serves on the board of directors of the National Association of Bas- ketball Coaches (NABC), Co-Chairs the Committee on Racial Reconciliation for the NABC and is also a board member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches Foundation. Amaker shares the award of 2020-21 NABC Guardians of the Game Pillar award inclusion. In 2021 he was named a Champion of Diversity and Inclusion by the NCAA. Amaker previously served as a Special Assistant to former Harvard Presidents Drew Faust and Larry Bacow. He is an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School and is a member of the Board of Overseers for

the Boys & Girls Club of Boston.