SAN FRANCISCO — Former University of Hawaii men’s basketball coach Chris Gerlufsen was named the new head coach at the University of San Francisco on Friday following the Dons’ first-round NCAA Tournament loss and subsequent departure of Todd Golden for Florida.

Gerlufsen, 45, coached at UH for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons — including for 13 games as acting head coach in his first season in Manoa in the stead of Eran Ganot, who was out with medical concerns.

UH went 8-5 in those games, including wins over Golden and previously unbeaten USF, and against UTEP in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic first round. Upon Ganot’s return, Gerlufsen reverted to his top assistant role for the rest of that season and the next.

He was credited with coordinating the Rainbow Warriors' offense and recruiting some of UH’s top talent over the last two seasons, including guard Noel Coleman and forward Kamaka Hepa.

Gerlufsen accepted the associate head coach position at USF under Golden following the 2020-21 season.

His promotion from within at USF came on the same day the news of Golden’s new position in Gainesville, Fla., was announced.

USF went 24-10 this season for fourth place in the West Coast Conference and earned a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament. It lost a thriller to No. 7 Murray State, 92-87, on Thursday.

"My time here on the Hilltop has been nothing short of spectacular thus far,” Gerlufsen said in a USF news release. “I'm indebted to Coach Golden for his leadership and friendship and I know he will have continued success at the University of Florida. I am ready to get to work immediately with our players to build on the foundation that has been laid as we will strive to continue to compete for West Coast Conference championships and national recognition."

Golden said: "Much of the success we had this season was because of the addition of Chris to our staff. He is a great man, who is also an outstanding basketball coach. There is no doubt in my mind that he will continue leading this program on its upward trajectory, and continue taking the Dons to new heights. Chris will be a fantastic leader for this program moving forward."

Before UH, Gerlufsen, a Philadelphia native, was an assistant at San Diego and Hartford.