Hawaii will always be a piece of Chris Acker’s home – even amid the battles to come.
When he took the podium for his introduction as the 17th head coach in Long Beach State men’s basketball history, Acker, a Chaminade University alumnus and former Hawaii assistant coach, frequently referenced his past as an important piece for the future.
“I was so fortunate that it (my first Division I stop) was at Hawaii, a place that I had familiarity with having gone to college there,” Acker told Spectrum News in a phone conversation prior to his Thursday press conference.
“I'm forever grateful for Eran Ganot. I'm forever grateful for the state of Hawaii.”
Acker, then the head coach at West Los Angeles College, was hired at UH as part of Ganot’s initial staff for the 2015-16 season, a campaign that would become one of the best in program history with a record 28 wins, a Big West championship and the Rainbow Warriors’ first NCAA Tournament victory. Acker was lauded along the way for his passion for player development.
He remained in Manoa for one more season before leaving to join Leon Rice at Boise State. Two years later, he switched Mountain West schools and worked under Brian Dutcher at San Diego State for the last five years – including the Aztecs’ run to the NCAA championship game in 2023.
At Thursday’s press conference in a packed room at LBSU, he thanked all three head coaches, who he said allowed him to be an “intricate” part of the success of their programs. And he credited the 2023-24 Beach players and staff for their noteworthy run to the Big West tournament championship and NCAA Tournament appearance, which occurred after LBSU Athletic Director Bobby Smitheran informed 17-year head coach Dan Monson that he was fired upon the season’s end.
Smitheran, who was hired at LBSU last August after a 15-year tenure at San Diego State, did not wait long to make a signature hire.
Messages of congratulations on a Beach introductory video included Dutcher, retired SDSU coach Steve Fisher, Acker’s father Luther Acker III, and fiancée Stephanie Donaldson and their children.
Acker, 43, told the crowd that “I’m ready” for what he described as his “dream job.” His family members all live between five and 15 minutes from campus. That morning, he took a walk in the neighborhood around LBSU. He thanked family and mentors and remembered his late mother.
At the presser, Acker sought to walk the line between humility and assertiveness as he assumed his first Division I head job.
“We can do something that hasn’t been done in this program for a very long time,” Acker said. He also noted, “I’ve left every program that I’ve been in better than it’s been when I got there. Every single one.” He also observed that UH has not returned to the same level of success of the 2015-16 season.
Acker and the Beach will go against UH at least twice a year as a fellow Big West institution, including an annual visit to the Stan Sheriff Center.
“It’s always had a special place in my heart because I went to college there and obviously coached there. And the people there embraced me,” Acker told Spectrum News. “And so I love Hawaii. I love everything about it.”
Then Acker, who once infamously declared for the NBA Draft as a Silverswords reserve, reverted to his mantra of “err on the side of aggression.”
“When we come to the Stan Sheriff Center, will be coming to compete. And so, the focus for me is making sure that the aloha shirt and the (lei) on our neck (won’t) sidetrack from the mission. That'll be the only thing I'll be focused on when we get there.”
Ganot told Spectrum News that Acker has remained one of his “closest friends in the business” since he left and that the two frequently keep in touch.
“He’s part of our family,” Ganot said. “A guy you’ll always be rooting for, and who deserves the opportunity and will do great with the opportunity.”
Acker has plenty of work to do before he sees his old program for the first time.
Off the floor, he said he wants to instill player values of mental health and mutual well-being. On it, he wants his team to play an aggressive defense and a run-first offense.
“We are going to be the best defensive team in the Big West, unequivocally, without question,” he said at his presser. “We’re going to run. We’re going to run at home, and we’re going to run on the road. That’s important to me, because I don’t like front-running teams.”
Four members of the Beach’s starting five – Lassina Traore, Aboubacar Traore, Jadon Jones and A.J. George – entered the transfer portal after season’s end.
Recruiting some of them back out of the portal is one of his first orders of business.
In that, he gave Ganot credit for how he managed the 2015-16 team, which predominantly featured players recruited by previous coaches.
“Eran was really, really good about mixing in what he wanted to do, and what the guys (already there) were comfortable doing,” Acker told Spectrum News.
He added of Ganot at his press conference, “You can’t bulldoze your way into anything and expect anybody to get anything done for you. You gotta meet guys halfway, you have to have conversations, (and) guys have to be in on what you’re trying to accomplish.”
Acker must also assemble a staff of his own. He said he has no shortage of options.
As for what he expects of Year 1, the topic of UH basketball’s ’15-16 success was a recurring theme.
“(A similar season) would be a blessing,” Acker said. “But we did that one day at a time. It wasn't something that just happened overnight. We didn't expect for anything, we work for everything. And that's kind of the philosophy we'll have here.”
Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.