John Lamanna is in his fourth calendar year as Director of Athletics at Ave Maria University and recently concluded his fifth season as the head men's basketball coach. Lamanna was named the interim Director of Athletics August 2016 with the interim tag for the position being removed on in January 2017.
Lamanna has helmed a complete turnaround in the men's basketball program, turning the program into one of the premiere teams in The Sun Conference. Over the past two seasons, the Gyrenes have won 30 games against conference opponents, including four conference tournament wins. The 2019-20 Gyrenes won 20 games for the second season in a row, a first in program history. The team rose to the No. 11 spot in the NAIA Coaches' Poll, the best ranking in school history.
He also oversaw the development of the program's first-ever two-time All-American, Leo Behrend, who was named an Honorable Mention selection in 2019 and a Third Teamer in 2020. The AMU basketball record book is littered with players from Lamanna's tenure as coach, including numerous of the program's top scorers and rebounders. The program's efforts also extended beyond the court, as nine Gyrenes have earned Academic All-Sun Conference honors during his tenure.
During the 2018-2019 season, his fourth on campus, Lamanna guided the Gyrenes to their first ever conference championship, as well as a berth in the NAIA Division II National Tournament. Ave Maria won the 2019 Sun Conference Tournament to earn the automatic berth in the national tournament, capping off a 23-9 season. For his efforts, Lamanna was named the Sun Conference Coach of the Year, an award doled out by his peers.
Prior to Ave Maria, Lamanna lead the men’s basketball program at NCAA Division III program Franciscan University as its first Head Men’s Basketball Coach at the NCAA level. Prior to his four-year stint at Franciscan, Lamanna assisted the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) in the transition from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I competition. With the renewed focus of athletics at AMU, Lamanna is excited about the rare opportunity that coaching basketball at Ave Maria presents.
“With the continued growth of the university and athletic department as a whole, we are experiencing a re-definition of what sports and spirituality really mean,” He explains. “Ave Maria University and the men’s basketball program are developing men who learn, live and compete in an environment that encourages virtuous decisions in all aspects of their lives. This is very unique within the current culture of college athletics. “
Since Lamanna’s arrival to Ave Maria, the program has been going through its own conversion. “We are establishing who AMU Basketball is and not just what we stand for, but how do we bring Christ to others through our actions.” Lamanna continues, “This group of young men who are committed to the mission of the university, are trail blazers in this new area of athletics here at Ave Maria. It is this group of student-athletes who have committed themselves to the quest of making Ave Maria University a premier collegiate basketball program at the NAIA Division II level.”
Under Lamanna’s leadership, the men’s basketball program has seen its student-athletes receiving academic accolades and an All Sun Conference basketball team selection.
Prior to Lamanna’s arrival at Ave Maria University, he spent four years as the head men’s basketball coach at Franciscan University. The program at Franciscan experienced many successes during Lamanna’s tenure. The men’s basketball program was honored by the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference as the 2011-2012 Team Perak Performer Award, which is presented to the program with the team highest cumulative grade point average in their specific sport. Additionally, he recruited the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Newcomer of the year 2011-2012 and one of the top post players at the NCAA Division III level who finished the 2012-2013 ranked 5th in the nation in blocked shots.
Before his most recent stop as a NCAA Division III head coach, he spent eleven season at the NCAA Division I level. From 2006-2011, Lamanna was an Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach at UC Davis. During his tenure at UC Davis, the Aggies finished as high as third place in the Big West Conference and participating in post season play in three of his five seasons. Lamanna recruited and coached four All Big West Conference student-athletes and one All Academic Big West Conference student-athlete. Additionally, Scouthoops.com ranked UC Davis with the best Big West recruiting class in 2007 and ESPN.com ranked UC Davis with the 8th best mid major recruiting class in the country. Beyond Lamanna’s recruiting responsibilities, he had his hands in all aspects of the program and played pivotal role in the programs successes.
Lamanna spent 2004-2006 as the Director of Men’s Basketball Operations at Loyola Marymount University (LMU). During his time on campus at LMU, the Lions completed their best season in over ten years, finishing second place in the West Coast Conference (WCC), only to fall in the waning seconds to Gonzaga University in the 2003-2004 WCC Championship Game. While at LMU, Lamanna saw a total of three Lions named to the All WCC Team.
Lamanna received his start in college basketball at Washington State University, where he was a Student Assistant from 2000-2004. During his time at Washington State, Lamanna had the opportunity to work under Dick Bennett and current Head Coach at the University of Viriginia, Tony Bennett. It was also at Washington State where Lamanna worked with Gary Stewart, who was the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at UC Davis.
Through the course of Lamanna’s career, he has had two stints with USA Basketball. First in the summer of 2002, Lamanna was selected to assist at the tryouts and training camp for the Youth Festival, where he worked with the top high school basketball players in the nation, who compete later that summer against other youth national teams at the World Youth Festival. Lamanna lived at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado during the tryouts and training camp for the Youth Festival team. The following summer (2003) USA Basketball invited Lamanna back for a second stint at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to assist with the tryouts and training camp for the Junior National Team and Pan American Team, which saw the nation’s top collegiate basketball players compete against other nations in the World Games and Good Will Games later that summer. During Lamanna’s two stints with USA Basketball, he had the opportunity to work with members of the Basketball Hall of Fame and top college coaches in the country.
Since 2005, Lamanna has been the Director of the Reese’s NCAA Division I College Basketball All Star Game held at the Final Four site the Friday before the Final Four. Lamanna has worked as an Assistant Coach each year under Hall of Fame Basketball Coaches along with current top Division I coaches in the country.
Additionally, Lamanna served as an Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach for the college basketball select team which competed in New Zealand against professional club teams in the spring of 2001.
Outside of coaching, Lamanna is a published author with an article published by Scholastic Coach and Athletic Director Magazine entitled “How to Establish an Academic Philosophy as a Coach” and an article published by Winning Hoops Magazine which was a comparative analysis of two different man-to-man defensives. Additionally, Lamanna was featured in American Basketball Quarterly Magazine in an article about how scouting and technology can lead to success.
At all of Lamanna’s stops he has been very active within the community. Currently, the Gyrenes participate yearly in community service or what the program calls “Acts of Mercy”. This has found the Gyrenes working with the less fortunate in both Immokalee, Fla. and Naples, Fla.
A Spokane, Wash., native, Lamanna graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from Washington State University and a master’s degree in Counseling from Loyola Marymount University. Lamanna with his wife, Sara, have three children, Gabi, Tony and Louis.
Lamanna continues to be affiliated with and work with Athletes in Action, SportsLeader, Varsity Catholic and National Association of Basketball Coaches.
