UCI adds assistant

Amadou “Pape” Koundoul has been named an assistant coach with the UC Irvine men’s basketball program, Coach Russell Turner announced Monday.

Koundoul was an assistant at Centenary College in Louisiana last season. He is returning to California, where he previously served as an associate director and coach for Branch West Recruiting Service.

In August, 2007, Koundoul became head coach and partner of Summit College Prep in Simi Valley with duties that included overseeing the team budget, managing international player affairs, practice and game strategies as well as evaluating player development.

He previously served as associate head coach and physical education instructor at Stonebridge Preparatory School where he helped coach the team to a No. 9 national ranking.

His background also includes working at Saint Stanislaus College in Bay St. Louis, Miss., as a French and physical education instructor in addition to coaching basketball.

Koundoul served as a graduate assistant coach and video coordinator for his alma mater, Cleveland State University, in 2005-06. His duties included editing game tapes and assisting with individual workouts.

Koundoul played two seasons at Cleveland State (2002-04), one at Vincennes (Ind.) University (2000-01) and one season at Highland Community College in Illinois (2001-02).

He earned his bachelor’s in communications from Cleveland State in 2005.

He is a native of Dakar-Senegal, Africa.

“I am excited that Pape is returning to Southern California and joining our staff at UCI,” Turner said in a statement. “He is an incredibly talented guy who adds a wide array of skills to our staff, and I look forward to his contributions.

“Pape is an excellent coach and teacher of the game, and his enthusiasm will be easy for everyone in the UCI community to see. His background and experience will allow us to extend our recruiting reach, and I am pleased to add another former player and dedicated professional to our staff,” Turner said.

From staff reports