SUNYAC to Recognize Buffalo State Men's Basketball Coach Fajri Ansari with Retiree Award
The SUNYAC will be honoring Fajri Ansari with the Retiree Award at the league's awards dinner in June. This award is presented to personnel of full member institutions or the conference office with a minimum of 15 years of service within the conference. In December, Ansari announced his impending retirement as the head coach of the Buffalo State men's basketball team following the conclusion of his 19th at the end of the 2023-24 academic year.
Ansari will retire as the second-winningest coach in Buffalo State program history and has amassed 200 total victories, behind only legendary head coach Dick Bihr's 449 career wins at Buffalo State.
As head coach, Ansari has led Buffalo State to the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) postseason in nine of 17 seasons, as well as the program's 18th SUNYAC tournament title in 2011. The Bengals earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament and advanced to the NCAA "Sweet 16" in 2011, tying for ninth nationally after victories over Gwynedd-Mercy and Johnson & Wales in the opening two rounds.
"As a coach, he brought out the best in his players," said Justin Mitchell, a forward for Buffalo State on the 2011 championship team. "But it wasn't just about basketball, he wanted his players to succeed as people too. You could always call him, and he did his best to make sure that I would succeed academically too."
Ansari accumulated a 200-226 record in 17 full seasons after being named head coach in June of 2005. He has coached 24 SUNYAC All-Conference selections, as well as five D3hoops.com All-Region honorees and two SUNYAC Rookie of the Year winners in his tenure.
Ansari's teams recorded 15 or more victories in five seasons, including a 23-7 record in 2010-11 in which the Bengals recorded their most wins in a season since 1991-92.
Ansari also served in the admission's office at Buffalo State from 1981 until his appointment to lead the men's basketball program in 2005, including 20 years as the Assistant Director of Admissions and Director of Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) Admissions. In all, Ansari has been a respected presence at Buffalo State for 42 years.
"I'm thankful for my over 40 years at Buffalo State, and my time as the head basketball coach," Ansari remarked. "I've had the opportunity to coach and mentor hundreds for young adults who have gone on to accomplish great things in both basketball and in their professional lives."
"I'm proud of what we've been able to accomplish in my time here, and now is the right time to move on," Ansari said. "I am looking forward to having a strong conclusion to the 2023-24 season, and to dedicate more of my time to community service in the Buffalo community and spending more time with my family."
One of Ansari's most profound endeavors was the development of Camp Achieve in 1996. An initiative aimed at providing support through SAT prep work and life skills training, Camp Achieve has combined basketball with academic support for many of the top high school players in the region.
A highly successful high school basketball coach in the Western New York area, Ansari was the head coach at Turner Carroll High School from 1989 through 2003. During that time, Ansari led his teams to two State Federation Championships, five State Catholic Association titles, and three Monsignor Martin Manhattan Cup Championships.
Following the closure of Turner Carroll, Ansari was an assistant coach at nearby Hutchinson Technical High School for two seasons. He has also coached internationally with Rwanda's National and University Teams, the United States College Exhibition Team, and the Western New York High School Team overseas.
"Fajri's impact on Buffalo State over the course of his career is immeasurable," said Buffalo State Director of Athletics Renee Carlineo. "He has been a coach, mentor, leader, and friend to generations of student-athletes and our entire community. He is genuinely one of the best people I know. I will be forever grateful to have Fajri as someone to have learned from and looked up to as a young coach, and now as a colleague and friend. He is the type of human being that we need more of in this world."
Celebratory events that will be open to the community will be announced towards the end of the semester to commemorate Ansari's impact on Buffalo State.