The Long Beach State Beach have officially hired San Diego State Aztecs assistant coach Chris Acker as their next men's basketball head coach. He is the 17th coach of the program and has been doing incredibly well as this is his first time coaching a Power Five program.
In the school's official press release, Executive Director of Athletics Bobby Smitheran revealed why the school hired Acker.
"Our search committee placed a premium on identifying a candidate with a championship pedigree, a desire to support the holistic development of the young men in our basketball program, and a connection to the tremendous community of Long Beach."
"Chris Acker exemplifies all of those qualities, and his brand of leadership is exactly what is needed for the next era of Beach Basketball." h/t Long Beach State
Not much about Acker's personal life has been disclosed. It will be interesting to see how he leads the Beach.
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What has Chris Acker done in his coaching career before joining Long Beach State Beach?
Chris Acker, 43, has been in the coaching world for a long time. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Citrus from 2007-13. He eventually left the program to become a head coach for the West Los Angeles College from 2013-15.
He returned to the assistant coaching circuit and was hired by the Hawai Rainbow Warriors in 2015. He was in charge of the defensive schemes and the player development. He left before the 2017 season to be with the Boise State Broncos. He left the Broncos two years later to become an assistant coach with the San Diego State Aztecs.
Acker helped the Aztecs get to four straight NCAA Tournaments and appeared in last year's national championship game. Will the new hire of Acker for Long Beach State be successful in this tenure?
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