Michael Plank enters the third season of his second stint at San Francisco after rejoining the Dons’ coaching staff as an assistant coach in the summer of 2021. Since Plank’s return to the Hilltop, USF has amassed a record of 44-24 (.647) - the most wins over a two-year span since the program was reinstated in 1985.
In 2022-23, Plank helped the Dons to a sixth straight full season of 20+ wins under first- year head coach Chris Gerlufsen. During the season, USF took home the 2022 Hall of Fame Classic championship, the program’s second consecutive preseason tournament title. The campaign also featured a 37-point win over #25 Arizona State - San Francisco’s largest margin of victory over a ranked team in program history.
During Plank’s first season back on the Hilltop, the 2021-22 USF Dons experienced historic success behind head coach Todd Golden. San Francisco won 24 games - the program’s highest win total since 1981-82. The Dons earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament, which was the team’s first since the tournament bracket was expanded to its modern format of 64+ teams. USF’s return to March Madness snapped a 24-year drought dating back to 1998.
In Plank’s first year back on staff, USF finished among college basketball’s elite in defensive efficiency. The team’s 26th ranked defense on KenPom helped the Dons earn an overall ranking of 23rd in KenPom and 26th in NCAA NET. That defensive success carried over from Plank’s previous stop at Washington State, where the Cougars were ranked the 24th best defense on KenPom in his final season of 2020-21.
On the recruiting front, Plank serves as a central figure with deep West Coast ties. He has helped recruit several important players to USF, including graduate transfer Tyrell Roberts (All-WCC First Team in 2022-23). Under Plank’s guidance, the Dons 2023 recruiting class ranked 25th nationally in overall transfer activity (via EvanMiya.com). In 2022 and 2023, Plank was invited to the TopConnect Basketball Symposium which connects the best assistant coaches in college basketball with athletic directors around the country.
Plank has spent time at virtually every level of basketball, from grassroots circuits to the NBA. Immediately prior to San Francisco, Plank spent two seasons as the recruiting coordinator at Washington State for head coach Kyle Smith. There he helped recruit three prospects ranked in the top ten all-time in Washington State history. One of those prized recruits, Mouhamed Gueye, would go on to be selected in the 2023 NBA Draft. At pick #39, he became the highest selection out of Washington State since Klay Thompson in 2011.
In Plank’s first year at Washington State, the Cougars jumped 201 spots in defensive efficiency on KenPom (from 284 to 83). During the following year of 2020-21, the team’s defense climbed another 59 spots, enabling the Cougars to turn in their first winning record in nine seasons.
Before Pullman, Plank worked as an assistant coach at City College of San Francisco under head coach Justin Labagh. In 2018-19, he was instrumental in guiding the Rams to a 31-2 overall record that culminated in CCSF taking home the Coast Conference championship. Five separate players from that team earned All-Conference honors, including Coast Conference MVP Malcolm Johnson.
In the professional ranks, Plank spent time with the Milwaukee Bucks organization as part of head coach Jason Kidd’s training camp and mini camp staff in 2018. In this role, Plank assisted with all team practices and workouts. During the same year, Plank assisted head coach Jeff Van Gundy at the FIBA USA Men's National Team camp in Santa Cruz, CA.
On the AAU circuit, Plank served as the head coach of the Portland Basketball Club 17U for Nike EYBL. While in charge, he recruited and coached several top prep players in the Pacific Northwest, including three ESPN Top 100 talents. As head coach, Plank implemented a unique development program that helped prepare his players for the college ranks.
From 2014-16, Plank worked on the bench as an assistant coach at Portland State where he took the lead on the Vikings’ recruitment. In Plank’s first year with PSU, the team’s winning campaign was highlighted by a resounding road victory over USC. That result served as a flagship win for the Big Sky Conference, which went 2-18 in all other games against Power 6 teams that season.
Prior to his time at Portland State, Plank spent one season as an assistant coach at Casper College in Wyoming. Before that, he got his first chance in the Division I ranks as a graduate assistant for the San Francisco Dons in 2012-13.
Plank got his start with coaching jobs at his alma mater of Willamette (Division III) from 2008-12 and Portland Hoops Kings South (AAU) from 2006-08. At Willamette, Plank served as the team’s lead assistant and recruiting coordinator.
As a student-athlete, Plank played four years of basketball and football for Willamette University in Salem, OR. He also played one season of baseball. Plank graduated in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. In 2016, he earned his master’s in educational leadership from Concordia University. Plank and his wife Tina reside in San Francisco with their two daughters, Myla and Nala.
CAREER EXPERIENCE:
2021-present San Francisco, Assistant Coach
2019-21 Washington State, Recruiting Coordinator
2018-19 City College of San Francisco, Assistant Coach
2016-18 Portland Basketball Club 17U (EYBL), Head Coach
2014-16 Portland State, Assistant Coach
2013-14 Casper College, Assistant Coach
2012-13 San Francisco, Graduate Assistant
2008-12 Willamette University, Assistant Coach
2006-08 Portland Hoops Kings South (AAU), Head Coach
