Men's Basketball
Konkol, Eric
Eric Konkol
- Title:
- Head Coach
| PERSONAL INFORMATION | |
|---|---|
| Hometown: Amherst, Wis. | |
| Education: Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 2000 Tennessee, 2002 |
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| Family: Meagan - Wife, Ethan - Son, Ryan - Son | |
| COACHING EXPERIENCE | |
| 2022-present: Tulsa, head coach |
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| 2015-2022: LA Tech, head coach |
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| TULSA HIGHLIGHTS | |
| - Was named 31st men's head basketball coach on March 21, 2022. | |
| LA TECH HIGHLIGHTS | |
| - His 153 wins ranked third on the LA Tech program's all-time coaching wins list. - Led the Bulldogs to six 20-win seasons and two postseason appearances. - His 23 wins in 2015-16 was the most by a first year head coach in program history. |
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| COACHING HIGHLIGHTS | |
| - 2020-21 Conference USA Coach of the Year, NABC District 11 Coach of the Year, LABC Louisiana Major College Coach of the Year and LSWA Louisiana Coach of the Year. - 2021 finalist for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award. - 3x recipient of the Tommy Joe Eagles Memorial Award as the Louisiana Major College Coach of the Year |
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| POSTSEASON HIGHLIGHTS | |
| - Three NCAA Tournament appearances and six NIT Appearances - NIT Champions with Tulsa in 2000-01. - One Sweet 16 appearance (2012-13). |
The Golden Hurricane basketball turnaround continues in Eric Konkol’s fourth season as head coach. In year three, the Hurricane won 13 games, including its first conference tournament win under Konkol, defeating Temple in the opening round.
Heading into his fourth campaign at Tulsa, Konkol has rebuilt the roster, with 10 newcomers joining four returners from last season’s squad. College basketball analytics expert Evan Miyakawa has Tulsa's eight player transfer class as the second-best from the offseason among the American Athletic Conference teams. The website ranks Tulsa's overall transfer activity 37th in the NCAA.
In 2024-25, Tulsa posted a 13-20 overall record with six American Athletic Conference wins. Two of those league victories came against Wichita State, Tulsa’s first regular season sweep of its oldest rival since the 1995-96 season. It was also the first win at Charles Koch arena for the Golden Hurricane since Dec. 8, 2001, snapping a streak of 12-straight losses on the road.
In year two, Tulsa saw an 11-win improvement from year one, posting a 16-15 overall record with seven American Athletic Conference wins in 2023-24. Among those league victories, Tulsa defeated regular-season champion South Florida and third-place finisher Charlotte.
During his tenure, Konkol has coached National Freshman of the Year and The American Freshman of the Year PJ Haggerty, as well as two all-conference selections, Haggerty and Dwon Odom, and four all-freshman honorees in Ian Smikle, Matt Reed, Tyshawn Archie and Haggerty.
Konkol was named at The University of Tulsa’s 31st head basketball coach on March 21, 2022. He returned to where he began his start in collegiate coaching as a graduate assistant coach for Tulsa’s 2001 NIT Championship team under Head Coach Buzz Peterson.
Konkol, 49, returned to Tulsa following seven seasons at Louisiana Tech, where he compiled a 153-75 record. He won 46 games in his first two seasons, the most for any previous LA Tech head coach, and his 153 career victories was the third-highest win total in school history. Konkol’s teams produced six seasons with 20+ wins and finished among the top three teams in Conference USA standings five of his seven years.
Now, Konkol has a career head coaching record in 10 seasons of 187-135 for a .581 winning percentage. He has served 25 years as a collegiate coach and has been a part of 14 20-win seasons with 10 postseason tournament appearances.
“I’m thrilled and honored to return to Tulsa as head men’s basketball coach,” said Konkol at his introductory press conference. “This program is rich in tradition with a history built on tough players and passionate fans from our city. Our staff will work relentlessly to recruit and develop both to compete for championships and have one of the most electric home court environments in the country.”
“The University of Tulsa has a long, proud history of great basketball programs. Going back decades, our student-athletes have been successful on the court and in the classroom. Eric Konkol has a record of recruiting, coaching and mentoring young men to be the best they can be and to lift their teams to new heights. I have no doubt he will bring that same level of dedication, energy and ambition to TU,” said University President Brad R. Carson at the Konkol press conference.
After his first stop at Tulsa, Konkol continued his coaching career at Tennessee, George Mason and Miami (Fla.) as an assistant coach. He received his first head coaching position in 2015 as LA Tech picked Konkol to lead the Bulldog program.
Konkol led his first two LA Tech teams to consecutive 23-10 seasons as well as third and second place C-USA finishes, respectively. After a 17-16 record in 2017-18, Konkol had his Bulldogs back at 20 wins in 2018-19 with a 20-13 mark.
In 2019-20, Konkol’s team posted an overall mark of 22-8 in 2019-20 but the postseason was halted due to the public health threat of COVID-19. Konkol was named the 2020 LSWA Louisiana Coach of the Year and the LABC Louisiana Major College Coach of the Year.
During the 2020-21 campaign, Konkol guided LA Tech to a 24-8 overall record, a Conference USA West Division title and a third-place finish in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) by defeating Ole Miss, Western Kentucky and No. 1 overall seed Colorado State in the championship consolation game. As a result, Konkol garnered numerous awards including Conference USA Coach of the Year, NABC District 11 Coach of the Year, LABC Louisiana Major College Coach of the Year and LSWA Louisiana Coach of the Year. He was also a finalist for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award.
LA Tech completed the 2021-22 season, his final year, with an overall 24-10 record and a 12-6 league mark. The Bulldogs finished the season with a 75.2 scoring average. Overall, Konkol’s LA Tech teams averaged 74.2 points over his career while holding the opposition to 67.9 points in 228 contests.
Before his head coaching stint at LA Tech, Konkol spent four seasons (2011-15) on the Miami (Fla.) coaching staff under Jim Larranaga. Prior to that, he was with Larranaga for seven years (2002-05, 2007-11) at George Mason assisting in all aspects including recruiting, practices, individual player workouts and game preparation.
At Miami, Konkol was a part of three 20-win seasons and three postseason tournament appearances. Known as the team’s offensive coordinator, he helped the 2014-15 Hurricanes post a 25-13 record, the second most wins in program history, and an appearance in the NIT Championship game.
Miami snapped two impressive winning streaks along the way, defeating eventual national champion Duke, 90-74, at Cameron Indoor Stadium, ending the Blue Devils’ 41-game home winning streak which was the longest active streak in Division I at the time. The ‘Canes also defeated then-No. 8/7 Florida in a non-conference battle which snapped the Gators’ 33-game home winning streak, the third longest in the country.
In his third season, Miami returned no starters from the previous season, but the team still posted its seventh-straight winning season with a 17-16 overall record. The ‘Canes ranked No. 2 in field goal defense and No. 3 in scoring defense in the ACC, good enough for No. 11 and No. 39 nationally.
The program saw several firsts in his second season, including ACC regular season and tournament championships, a No. 2 ranking in the national polls and 29 total victories with 15 league wins. Miami matched program bests in earning a No. 2 seed at the NCAA Tournament and playing in the Sweet 16.
Konkol helped lead the Hurricanes that season to four 20+ point wins over ACC opponents, including a 27-point rout of No. 1 Duke and a 26-point victory against North Carolina. Miami was the first team to beat Duke and UNC by 25+ points since the start of ACC play in 1953 and the ‘Canes defeated three teams in the Top 20 for the first time since joining the ACC in 2004-05.
Konkol worked daily with ACC and Lute Olson National Player of the Year and All-American Shane Larkin, who left UM after his sophomore season to enter the 2013 NBA Draft. Larkin was a finalist for the Bob Cousy, Naismith and John R. Wooden awards and named the ACC tournament MVP. Konkol also improved the games of ACC Defensive Player of the Year Durand Scott and All-ACC performer Kenny Kadji, as well as ACC All-tournament players Julian Gamble and Trey McKinney Jones.
At George Mason, Konkol served under Larranaga from 2002-05 and again from 2007-11, helping the Patriots register 19.8 wins per year. In the interim, he spent two years coaching at national power Hopkins High School in Minnesota under Ken Novak, Jr.
He helped guide GMU to four postseason appearances, including NCAA berths in 2008 and 2011. In 2011, the team defeated Villanova to advance to the third round of the NCAA Tournament, earned a regular season Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) title and posted a school record-tying 27 wins.
Konkol was responsible for coordinating George Mason’s schedule, which was pivotal to the Patriots earning just their second at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2011. He served as Mason’s scouting director from 2002-05 and helped recruit the top non-BCS recruiting class in 2009 according to ESPN.com. Konkol also monitored the academic progress of the men’s basketball student-athletes, graduating 20 of 22 student-athletes who completed their eligibility. The program was recognized by the NCAA with an Academic Progress Rate in the nation’s top 10 percent for both 2009 and 2010.
While working at Tennessee as a graduate assistant coach on Buzz Peterson’s staff for the 2001-02 season he earned his master’s degree in sport management.
A native of Amherst, Wis., Konkol earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in exercise management from Wisconsin Eau Claire. He played three seasons of basketball for the Division III program, advancing to the national championship game in 2000. Konkol received the team’s Inspiration Award after his junior and senior seasons and was an honorary captain as a senior.
Konkol spent his first two years, including one redshirt season, at Wisconsin at Platteville playing for legendary Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan.
Konkol and his wife, Meagan, have two sons, Ethan and Ryan.
KONKOL's CAREER COACHING RECORD
As Head Coach…
| Year | School | Position | Record | Postseason |
| 2015-16 | LA Tech | Head Coach | 23-10 | Vegas16 |
| 2016-17 | LA Tech | Head Coach | 23-10 | |
| 2017-18 | LA Tech | Head Coach | 17-16 | |
| 2018-19 | LA Tech | Head Coach | 20-13 | |
| 2019-20 | LA Tech | Head Coach | 22-8 | |
| 2020-21 | LA Tech | Head Coach | 24-8 | NIT 3rd Place |
| 2021-22 | LA Tech | Head Coach | 24-10 | |
| 2022-23 | Tulsa | Head Coach | 5-25 | |
| 2023-24 | Tulsa | Head Coach | 17-16 | |
| 2024-25 | Tulsa | Head Coach | 13-20 | |
| 10 Years | Head Coach | 187-135 (.581) | 2 postseason appearances |
As Assistant Coach…
| Year | School | Position | Record | Postseason |
| 2000-01 | Tulsa | Student Assistant | 26-11 | NIT Champions |
| 2001-02 | Tennessee | Graduate Assistant | 15-16 | |
| 2002-03 | George Mason | Assistant Coach | 16-12 | |
| 2003-04 | George Mason | Assistant Coach | 23-10 | NIT 3rd Round |
| 2004-05 | George Mason | Assistant Coach | 16-13 | |
| 2005-06 | Hopkins HS (Minn.) | Assistant Coach | ||
| 2006-07 | Hopkins HS (Minn.) | Assistant Coach | ||
| 2007-08 | George Mason | Assistant Coach | 23-11 | NCAA |
| 2008-09 | George Mason | Assistant Coach | 22-11 | NIT |
| 2009-10 | George Mason | Assistant Coach | 17-15 | |
| 2010-11 | George Mason | Assistant Coach | 27-7 | NCAA 3rd Round |
| 2011-12 | Miami (Fla.) | Assistant Coach | 20-13 | NIT 2nd Round |
| 2012-13 | Miami (Fla.) | Assistant Coach | 29-7 | NCAA Sweet 16 |
| 2013-14 | Miami (Fla.) | Assistant Coach | 17-16 | |
| 2014-15 | Miami (Fla.) | Assistant Coach | 25-13 | NIT Championship Game |
| 13 Years | Assistant Coach | 275-155 (.639) | 8 postseason Appearances |
MBB | Eric Konkol Pre AAC Tourney
Monday, March 10
MBB | Konkol Temple Postgame
Tuesday, March 04
MBB | Eric Konkol Tulane Preview
Monday, February 24
MBB | Eric Konkol Pre UNT
Monday, February 17
