Al Grushkin joined the staff in the fall of 2024 as the Defensive Analyst.
Al Grushkin is a 35-year coaching veteran, who has 11 years as a head coach, winning 194 games while leading five different teams to a National rankings. Grushkin has been apart of 16 postseason experiences, highlighted by a 2023 Elite 8 appearance with Kansas State and seven conference championships. He helped develop 12 players for the NBA, highlighted by three NBA call-ups during the 2016-17 season with Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Grushkin boasts eight years of professional experience, including seven years in the NBA, highlighted by two seasons as an assistant coach in the NBA G-League.
Career Highlights:
- Led or assisted 11 program’s to a conference title or postseason within first 2 seasons of arrival.
- Head Coach of 5 nationally ranked teams in 10 seasons at 2 different programs.
- Defensive coordinator for 4 different NCAA Division I programs, 3 of which won league championships.
- Coaching experience at both the NBA and collegiate level, including NCAA Division I and NCAA Division II.
Collegiate Experience:
- Kansas State University - Analyst
- Indiana Tech - Head Coach
- Arkansas State University - Associate Head Coach
- University of Incarnate Word - Head Coach
- University of Texas San Antonio - Assistant Coach
- Idaho State university - Associate Head Coach
- Western Illinois University - Assistant Coach
- University of Arkansas - Assistant Coach
- University of Tulsa - Assistant Coach
Professional Experience:
- Indiana Pacers - Regional Scout
- Fort Wayne Mad Ants - Assistant to Head Coach
- Erie Bay Hawks - Assistant to Head Coach
- St. Louis River Sharks - Head Coach
- NBA Regional Scout - Marty Blake Associates
Grushkin was as an assistant coach with Arkansas State for two seasons. He spent the previous six years to his arrival at ASU as the head coach at Incarnate Word, but has also coached at UT-San Antonio, Idaho State, Western Illinois, Arkansas, Tulsa and Georgia State as either an assistant or associate head coach.
Grushkin, well known for his abilities as a defensive coach, helped turn around ASU’s defense. Grushkin helped the Indians move from No. 9 ranking in the Sun Belt Conference in field goal percentage defense to a No. 3 ranking last season. In fact, ASU’s opponent’s shot .450, but that percentage dropped to .420 last season. The Indians held 14 opponents to less than 40 percent shooting and five opponents under 35 percent.
Grushkin inherited an Incarnate Word program that was making the move from NAIA to NCAA Division II status and compiled a 94-70 record during his six-year tenure with the Cardinals. In the first season the team finished 25-4, won the Heartland Conference and advanced to the NCAA Regional Semifinals. The next seasom his squad compiled a 20-8 record and ranked as high as 20th nationally. Grushkin’s teams finished in the nation’s top 25 in scoring defense every year. During his time at Incarnate Word, Grushkin also served as the NABC Congressman for the Heartland Conference and was a member of the NCAA South Central Regional Advisory Board.
Prior to his arrival at Incarnate Word, Grushkin was an assistant coach and the recruiting coordinator at UT-San Antonio. During his initial year at UTSA, the Roadrunners jumped from the bottom of the Southland Conference standings to a second-place finish and the 1998 team won the Southland Conference Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. He also helped make major improvements in the team’s defense as it finished in the league’s top two in every defensive category during his stay. While at UTSA, Grushkin wrote “Defense With an Attitude”, which was published by Winning Hoops Magazine in 1998.
Grushkin served as the associate head basketball coach and recruiting coordinator at Idaho State University, helping lead the Bengals to a Big Sky title, their first in 17 years. Idaho State team received votes in the national Top-25 polls and at one time had the nation’s 12th best record, 15th best scoring margin and seventh longest home winning streak. Five of Grushkin’s signees went on to play professionally at some level. Grushkin’s major responsibilities centered around recruiting and team defense, but he also worked with scheduling, office administration and post player development.
Grushkin was a member of the Western Illinois coaching staff as an assistant and the recruiting coordinator. Grushkin’s major responsibilities included team defense, but he also wrote “Multiple Zone Offense” that was published by NABC Magazine. While Grushkin was at WIU, the Leathernecks had four signees that received all-conference recognition and had recruiting classes that were ranked as the Mid-Continent Conference’s best by Van Coleman’s Future Stars and the Chicago Windy City Review.
While an assistant coach at Arkansas, Grushkin was primarily responsible for scouting, academics, scheduling and conditioning, but also assisted in the Razorback's defensive game plan in victories over nationally-ranked Kansas and Ohio State. During his time at Tulsa as an assistant coach, the Golden Hurricane posted a 50-12 record and were a national top-10 team, won two Missouri Valley Conference championships and made two NCAA Tournament appearances.
Grushkin made his first collegiate stop at Georgia State, where he was an assistant coach. He was also the head basketball coach at Bishop Byrne High School in Memphis, Tennessee, posting a two-year mark of 40-25 while leading the school to back-to-back playoff appearances.
Grushkin earned his bachelor’s degree from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia, and his masters degree from Georgia State.
Al and his wife, Debbie, have one daughter, Michelle, son-in-law Lance Soele, grandson, Lane and one son, Mike.
