Chris Lowery - Men's Basketball Coach - Kansas State University Athletics

Chris Lowery

Title:
Associate Head Coach
Phone:
(785) 532-6531

A veteran college coach with more than 25 years of experience, Chris Lowery is in his 10th season as associate head coach at Kansas State after being the first hire by head coach Bruce Weber on April 5, 2012. He was promoted to associate head coach on October 2, 2012.

Lowery has played an instrumental role in one of the best stretches in K-State history, which includes 170 wins, two Big 12 regular-season championships (2013 and 2019) and five NCAA Tournament appearances (2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019) in the past nine seasons. The Wildcats’ two conference titles are the second-most by a Big 12 school in that span with the 2012-13 championship the first-ever in the Big 12 era and the first conference title by the school in more than 36 seasons.

Lowery helped K-State post consecutive 25-win campaigns in 2017-18 and 2018-19 for the first time in school history, as the Wildcats collected a 25-12 overall record and advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in eight seasons in 2017-18 before posting a 25-9 mark and earning a second Big 12 regular-season title in 2018-19. The school was one of 24 programs nationally, including 15 in power conferences, with 25-win seasons in each of those two seasons.

During his time at K-State, Lowery has tutored 14 players named to All-Big 12 teams the past nine seasons, including first team members Rodney McGruder (2013), Dean Wade (2018, 2019) and Barry Brown, Jr. (2019), second team picks Angel Rodriguez (2013), Marcus Foster (2014) and Brown (2018), third team honoree Wesley Iwundu (2016, 2017) and honorable mention selections Xavier Sneed (2019, 2020), Kamau Stokes (2019) and Mike McGuirl (2021).

In addition, he has helped mentor the 2019 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (Brown), four Big 12 All-Defensive Team members in Rodriguez (2013), Iwundu (2016) and Brown (2018, 2019) as well as three players selected to the league’s All-Newcomer Team, including Brown and Wade, who became the first Wildcat duo to be honored on all-rookie squad in 2015-16.

Lowery has played a major role in the development of a number of these players, including Brown and Wade, who became the first Wildcat duo to be named All-Big 12 First Team in the same season in 2018-19. Wade, who became just the second Wildcat to earn All-Big 12 First Team honors in back-to-back seasons, is one of just three players to rank in the school’s Top 10 in both career scoring (1,510) and rebounding (685). Brown, who became the first Wildcat to be named conference Defensive Player of the Year since Rolando Blackman in 1980, left K-State as the all-time leader in games played (139), consecutive games played (139) and steals (254). He has also been key in the development of current NBA players Rodney McGruder (Detroit Pistons) and Wes Iwundu (New Orleans Pelicans).

Lowery is in his third stint as a member of Weber’s staff after having served as his assistant coach at Southern Illinois (2001-03), Illinois (2003-04) and now, K-State. During this period, the duo has helped the three schools to a combined 248-152 (.620) record, including a 119-95 (.556) mark in conference play, with eight NCAA?Tournament appearances, including trips to the Sweet 16 in 2002, 2004 and 2018.

Lowery arrived at K-State after an eight-year stint (2004-12) as the head coach at his alma mater, Southern Illinois, where he posted a 145-116 (.556) record with four postseason appearances, two Missouri Valley Championships and one State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title. His teams averaged 18.1 wins over his tenure, including three 20-win seasons, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament on three occasions (2005, 2006, 2007), including a 2007 trip to the Sweet 16. Lowery was twice named the Missouri Valley Coach of the Year (2005, 2007).

Lowery coached two AP honorable mention All-Americans at SIU, including Darren Brooks in 2005 and Jamaal Tatum in 2007. In addition, his players earned numerous Missouri Valley honors, including two Players of the Year (Brooks and Tatum), four Defensive Players of the Year (Brooks, Randal Falker, Bryan Mullins twice), two Freshmen of the Year (Mullins and Kevin Dillard) and one Sixth Man Award (Tony Young). He coached 12 all-conference players, including five first-team selections, to go with 10 MVC All-Defensive Team honorees, five All-Freshmen picks and four All-Newcomer and Most Improved Team members.

Lowery began his coaching career at Rend Lake College in Ina, Illinois, in 1995, where he helped the Warriors to a 20-win season. He followed with stints at Missouri Southern (1997-2000) and SE?Missouri State (2000-01) before returning to his alma mater as an assistant to Weber, helping the Salukis to a 52-15 (.776) record from 2001-03 with back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference titles and consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament. He followed Weber to Illinois in 2003-04, where he helped the Fighting Illini to a 26-7 overall record and a trip to the Sweet 16. Illinois also captured its first outright Big Ten regular season title in more than 52 years in 2003-04, as Lowery helped coach future NBA players Deron Williams, Dee Brown, Roger Powell and Luther Head.

After his one-year stint at Illinois, Lowery returned to his alma mater as the 12th head coach at Southern Illinois on April 9, 2004. In his first year, SIU posted a 27-8 record, including a 15-3 mark in MVC play, and Lowery became the youngest coach, at the age 32, to ever win Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year honors. The Salukis won the MVC regular season crown and beat Saint Mary’s in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. In 2006-07, he helped SIU to its greatest season in school history, as the team won a school-record 29 games and advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2006-07. The squad finished with a No. 11 ranking in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and earned its highest NCAA Tournament seed (No. 4).

Lowery was a standout player for legendary Saluki head coach Rich Herrin from 1990-94. Known as a scrappy, hustling player, he helped lead a basketball renaissance at SIU, guiding the Salukis to consecutive NCAA Tournaments in 1993 and 1994. He helped the school to an 86-37 mark during his playing career, including four postseason appearances and two Missouri Valley Conference titles. He scored 1,225 points and dished out 391 assists in his career. He earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from the university in 1995.

For his efforts as a player (1991-94), assistant coach (2001-03) and head coach (2004-12), Lowery was inducted into the Southern Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame on October 18, 2019. In those three capacities, he was part of 283 wins with a combined seven NCAA Tournaments and eight MVC Championships.

Lowery was a standout player at Harrison High School in Evansville, Indiana and, for those accomplishments, was named to the 2015 Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Silver Anniversary Team, along with Damon Bailey, Eric Montross and former Wildcat Elliot Hatcher.

Lowery also has some international coaching experience with USA Basketball, serving as an assistant with the U-19 team who won the gold medal at the 2009 World Championships. He coached alongside TCU’s Jamie Dixon and Purdue’s Matt Painter for a squad that included future NBA players Gordon Heyward, Shelvin Mack, Klay Thompson and Kemba Walker.

A native of Evansville, Indiana, Lowery, 48, and his wife, Erika, have three children, Lexis, C.J., and Jazmyn. The couple’s son, Kahari, passed away in November 2016.