Long Beach State Hired Ken Ammann as Basketball GM
The university appointed the veteran coach to oversee strategy and revenue for its basketball programs.
Updated on Sept. 28, 2026 in Basketball
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Long Beach State has hired Ken Ammann as the Associate Athletic Director of Basketball Strategy and Revenue. He will serve as the general manager for both the men's and women's basketball teams to improve competitiveness.
Why it matters
The university created this position to address recent struggles, including a 17-47 record for the men's team since 2024 and last season's 5-25 finish for the women's team. Ammann is tasked with managing NIL partnerships, donor relations, and roster planning in an evolving college sports landscape.
Ammann brings a record of 546 career wins from his 25 seasons at Concordia University Irvine. He previously secured over $250,000 in annual fundraising for the program.
The players
Ken Ammann
He is the newly appointed Associate Athletic Director of Basketball Strategy and Revenue at Long Beach State.
Long Beach State
It is the public university in California that oversees the men's and women's basketball programs.
Concordia University Irvine
It is the university where Ammann previously coached for 25 seasons and secured two NAIA National Championships.
Duke
It is a prominent university that adopted a similar basketball general manager position four years ago.
Villanova
It is a major collegiate basketball program that, like Duke, implemented a general manager role four years ago.
The details
Ammann will focus on revenue sharing, student-athlete support, and roster planning as the university looks to stabilize its basketball programs. The move mirrors a trend adopted by major programs like Duke and Villanova, which began appointing general managers roughly four years ago.
Timeline
Long Beach State announced the hiring of Ken Ammann in September 2026.
LBSU women's basketball finished with a 17-3 Big West record in 2023.
The men's basketball team accumulated a 17-47 record since 2024.
Roadmap
The hiring of a basketball general manager reflects an industry-wide transition where athletic departments must function like professional franchises to survive. Schools are increasingly prioritizing dedicated staff for NIL and portal management to remain competitive against rivals.
The move aims to reverse two consecutive years of the men's team missing the Big West Tournament. Long Beach State fans can expect a revamped approach to roster management to address the current 17-47 record trend.
The takeaway
The move to a general manager model highlights the necessity of administrative expertise in modern college athletics. Success under this new structure will likely depend on the ability to leverage donor relations and NIL partnerships to retain key student-athletes.
Further reading
For more on the changing landscape of collegiate sports, visit Basketball.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The562.
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