Former Northern Iowa star who stunned Kansas lands first head coaching job

Kansas basketball was recently eliminated in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season. Bill Self and the Jayhawks have endured some heartbreaking losses during that stretch, both coming at the hands of Arkansas two years apart.

But while those defeats were painful, arguably the most devastating March loss of the Self era came against Northern Iowa in 2010. The villain of that game was Ali Farokhmanesh, who has now landed his first head coaching job at the NCAA level.

Kansas villain Ali Farokhmanesh will now coach a top mid-major program

The 2009-10 Kansas squad was easily one of the best in the 21st century and had the talent to make a Final Four. But unexpectedly, a small Midwestern school in Cedar Falls came to the Round of 32 to break the hopes and dreams of Jayhawk fans.

KU nearly came back from a 12-point deficit, but a Farokhmanesh 3-pointer with 35 seconds remaining iced it for the Panthers. That shot not only eliminated the top-seeded Jayhawks but also ended the collegiate careers of beloved stars Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich. He finished the contest with 16 points and four 3-pointers.

After that legendary performance, Farokhmanesh stayed out of the national spotlight. He played some professional basketball overseas before transitioning into coaching. Over the past decade, he has steadily climbed the coaching ranks, first as an assistant at Nebraska, then at Drake, and most recently at Colorado State.

Now, he is taking over the head coaching role at CSU after Niko Medved left the program. Medved coached in Fort Collins from 2018 to 2025, leading the Rams to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances before departing for Minnesota.

With Farokhmanesh now at the helm, Colorado State remains in strong hands considering his deep understanding of the mid-major landscape makes him a promising hire. One thing for certain is that if CSU and Farokhmanesh ever face off against the Jayhawks, it would make for quite a compelling storyline.