Colorado State promoted lead assistant Ali Farokhmanesh to head coach on Wednesday to replace the departed Niko Medved.
Farokhmanesh was on the Rams’ staff for all seven seasons of the Medved era. Medved exited for the Minnesota job after Colorado State sustained a last-second setback to Maryland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Rams were 143-85 with three NCAA Tournament appearances and an NIT Final Four appearance in those seven seasons. They were 26-10 this season.
“Serving under Coach Medved has been a privilege, and I will forever be grateful to him for bringing me to Fort Collins,” Farokhmanesh said in a news release. “This university and state are special because of the great people. I am grateful for all who have been so welcoming and supportive of me and my family during our time here and look forward to continuing to grow those bonds in our community.
“I can’t wait to continue to build off the championship foundation our players have established and push it to greater heights.”
Farokhmanesh, 36, is a March Madness legend for the ages, stemming from his performance in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
In the first round, he buried a 3-pointer from the left wing with 4.9 seconds left to give Northern Iowa a 69-66 victory over UNLV.
Two days later, he played a major role in helping Northern Iowa defeat top-seeded Kansas 69-67 to reach the Sweet 16. He received a pass on a fast break with his team leading by one and stopped on the right flank and sank a dagger 3-pointer with 34 seconds left.
Now the guy famous for hitting big shots gets his shot to run a Division I program.
“I am thrilled that Ali will continue leading our men’s basketball program, now as head coach,” Rams athletic director John Weber said in the news release. “Ali has a relentless attitude that he attacks each day with, which was important to us as we looked for the next leader of our men’s basketball program.
“After an extremely comprehensive and competitive national search, Ali’s continued leadership of this program is important and really excites me. His ability to connect with people has made him successful throughout his career.”
Farokhmanesh made 152 3-pointers and averaged 9.7 points over his two seasons at Northern Iowa.
–Field Level Media
