Chris Acker (born May 1, 1980) is an American basketball coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of the Long Beach State Beach.
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Long Beach State |
| Conference | Big West |
| Record | 1–8 (.111) |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | May 1, 1980 |
| Playing career | |
| 2001–2003 | Howard College |
| 2003–2004 | Chaminade |
| Position(s) | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2007–2013 | Citrus (assistant) |
| 2013–2015 | West Los Angeles |
| 2015–2017 | Hawaii (assistant) |
| 2017–2019 | Boise State (assistant) |
| 2019–2024 | San Diego State (assistant) |
| 2024–present | Long Beach State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 1–8 (.111) |
Early life and playing career
editAcker was born on May 1, 1980.[1] He grew up in Compton, California, but attended St. James School, Maryland.[2] He was a nominee for the McDonald's All-American Game at St. James.[2] Afterwards, he played two seasons at Howard College in Texas before transferring to Chaminade University of Honolulu.[3]
With the NCAA Division II Chaminade Silverswords, Acker saw limited action as a junior, starting three games as a guard while having an average of five points with 13.3 minutes-per-game.[4] Despite his limited experience at a small school, Acker declared for the 2004 NBA draft as an early entrant, something that received significant attention due to his very unlikely chances of being selected.[5][6] He was not selected, but did subsequently play for several seasons internationally, including in the U.S., Greece, Portugal and China.[3][7]
Acker later attended the University of Phoenix, where he received a bachelor's degree in 2010, and received a master's degree from Concordia University Irvine in 2012.[8]
Coaching career
editAcker became an assistant coach at Citrus College in 2007 and remained an assistant through the 2012–13 season, helping them win a state championship in 2008.[9] In 2013, he joined West Los Angeles College as head coach, and led a team that started with only true freshmen to an 18–9 record by his second season.[9] He became an assistant coach with the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in 2015.[9] In charge of defensive schemes and player development at Hawaii, he helped the team win the Big West Conference (BWC) with an appearance in the NCAA tournament in his first season.[10]
In 2017, Acker was hired as an assistant coach for the Boise State Broncos.[11] Two years later, he left to become an assistant with the San Diego State Aztecs.[12][13] Starting with his second season there, Acker helped the Aztecs reach four straight NCAA tournaments, which included a 2023 appearance in the national championship.[14]
Acker was announced as the head coach of the Long Beach State Beach on April 2, 2024.[15]
References
edit- ^ "Chris Acker". Eurobasket.com.
- ^ a b "Catching Up with Chris Acker '99". St. James School, Maryland.
- ^ a b James, Jimmy (July 6, 2023). "Former Washington County basketball star reflects on Final Four". The Herald-Mail – via archive.is.
- ^ "Chaminade's Acker declares for draft". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. May 15, 2004. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Simpson, Kalani (May 21, 2004). "Acker ready for NBA education". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ McInnis, Brian (June 8, 2017). "UH's Acker to join Boise State as assistant coach". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. p. C6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Simpson, Kalani (May 17, 2006). "Acker still trying for an NBA Xplosion". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. p. 17, 21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Chris Acker". San Diego State Aztecs.
- ^ a b c McInnis, Brian (May 23, 2015). "Ex-Chaminade guard Acker joins Ganot's staff". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. p. C3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hall, Will (June 7, 2017). "Boise State hires Hawaii assistant Chris Acker". KTVB.
- ^ "UH basketball assistant coach Chris Acker leaves for Boise State". Hawaii News Now. June 7, 2017.
- ^ Roberts, Rachel (June 2, 2019). "Boise State basketball loses assistant coach to rival Mountain West program". Idaho Statesman.
- ^ Zeigler, Mark (February 15, 2020). "Aztecs assistant Chris Acker makes 'awkward' return to Boise State". The San Diego Union-Tribune.
- ^ "Report: Long Beach State set to hire Chris Acker". KPVI-DT. March 27, 2024.
- ^ Zeigler, Mark (April 2, 2024). "'My dream job': SDSU assistant Chris Acker is Long Beach State's new head coach". The San Diego Union-Tribune.
