The Eric Konkol File: A closer look at Tulsa's new head coach

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Published Mar 21, 2022

The Eric Konkol File: A closer look at Tulsa's new head coach

Chris Harmon • InsideTulsaSports

Publisher

@ChrisHarmonITS

Highlights from the career thus far of new Tulsa head coach Eric Konkol:

• Former student assistant at Tulsa under Buzz Peterson in 2000-01.

• Also coached at Tennessee and North Dakota State in his early career.

• Before taking over at Louisiana Tech, Konkol spent four seasons on the staff of Miami's head coach Jim Larranaga. Prior to that, he was with Larranaga for seven years at George Mason.

• Track record of heavily recruiting the state of Texas. Konkol signed 13 players from the Lone Star State during his seven years at Louisiana Tech. Their current roster includes six Texans, along with two players from Arkansas. Both states are important recruiting areas for Tulsa.

• Head coach of La Tech for the past seven seasons with an overall record of 153-75. The Bulldogs finished 24-10 this season.

• In 2020-21, Konkol's 24-8 squad was C-USA champions and made it to the NIT Final Four, defeating Colorado State in the consolation final. Konkol was named C-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.

• During the 2019-20 season, Louisiana Tech was one of only eight teams in the country to rank in the top 40 in FG percentage and FG percentage defense. Konkol was named the LSWA Louisiana Coach of the Year and the LABC Louisiana Major College Coach of the Year after guiding Tech to a 22-8 overall record.

• In 2018-19, Konkol led his team to a 20-win season with eight of those victories coming against teams who also produced 20-win seasons, the most in a single season in program history.

• Konkol's third year at Louisiana Tech in 2017-18 produced another winning season and was highlighted by winning the 10th annual Cancun Challenge championship in Mexico as well as the inaugural New Orleans Shootout.

• Konkol's first two seasons at Tech produced back-to-back 23-win seasons which was the most by a Bulldog head coach through his first two years at the helm.

• Konkol led Louisiana Tech to several marquee wins, including road wins over Ohio State, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. The non-conference win at Ohio State was the program's first over a Big Ten school in 30 years.

• During his time as an assistant under Larranaga at Miami, Konkol helped the 2014-15 Hurricanes team to a 25-13 record, the second most wins in program history, and an appearance in the National Invitation Tournament Championship game. That season, Miami defeated 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 was the third longest in the country.

• In Konkol's second season at Miami, the program saw several firsts, including the Canes 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 in the NCAA Tournament and playing in the Sweet 16.

• Under Larranaga at George Mason, Konkol helped guide the Patriots to four-straight postseason appearances for the first time in Mason history - 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 CAA title and posted a school record-tying 27 wins.