Xavier University Athletics
Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Crawford Family Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- cohena7@xavier.edu
- Phone:
- 513.745.2851
Adam Cohen, the Crawford Family Associate Head Coach, is in his 12th year as a collegiate assistant or associate head coach. He has helped lead four programs to postseason success: Harvard in the Ivy League (reaching the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament), Vanderbilt in the SEC (NCAA Tournament), Stanford in the Pac 12 (NIT) and Xavier in the BIG EAST (NCAA Sweet 16).
Prior to coming to Xavier in 2022, Cohen spent six seasons at Stanford. After serving as an assistant coach for the Cardinal his first two seasons, Cohen was elevated to Associate Head Coach prior to the 2018-19 season. Prior to Stanford, Cohen served as an assistant coach at Vanderbilt (2014-16), Harvard (2013-14) and Rice (2012-13).
“Adam Cohen has earned a reputation as one of college basketball’s brightest assistant coaches,” said head coach Sean Miller. “His tireless work ethic, recruiting ability and knowledge of the game combine to make him an excellent Associate Head Coach for the Xavier program.”
Cohen, who plays the key role of Recruiting Coordinator, also prides himself on player and leadership development. Cohen, whose primary development focus is the guard play, worked with Souley Boum, 2023 First Team All-BIG EAST selection, and Colby Jones, 2023 NBA Draft choice now playing with the Sacramento Kings.
Cohen helped Miller lead Xavier to one of the top five winningest seasons in school history in 2023, tying the school record for BIG EAST wins in a season and leading the Musketeers to the 2023 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. Xavier led the nation in assists for the 2022-23 season at 19.1 apg., while ranking in the top 10 in scoring offense (10th at 80.9 ppg.), field goal percentage (seventh at .492) and 3-point percentage (fifth at 39.0). XU led the BIG EAST Conference in all four categories.
Cohen was named one of the 50 Most Impactful High Major Assistants for 2022-23 (survey of industry professionals by Silver Waves Media). The NABC named Cohen to its prestigious 30-under-30 Team, recognizing the nation’s top assistant coaches, at the 2016 Final Four in Houston. Cohen was invited to take part in the 2022 NCAA Champion Forum for Men’s Basketball at the NCAA National Office in Indianapolis, Ind., in May. He was also invited to the prestigious Athletic Director U’s Collegiate Coaching Consortium at the 2018 Final Four in San Antonio.
Regarded as an excellent recruiter, Cohen has also earned a reputation as a talented teacher with a knack for developing talent and there are plenty of great examples of that skill. Ziaire Williams was the 10th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft to the Memphis Grizzlies, KZ Okpala was drafted by the Miami Heat in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft, and Tyrell Terry went to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the 2020 Draft. Cohen, who led the recruiting efforts for the Cardinal program, was instrumental in landing multiple top 20 recruiting classes, including back-to-back McDonald’s All-Americans for the first time in Stanford history.
Stanford finished 20-12 overall in 2019-20, and was in contention for an NCAA Tournament berth before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the season. Cohen played an important role for a Stanford team that won 19 contests overall, finished third in the Pac-12 and won 11 conference games – its highest finish and most conference wins in 10 seasons – in 2018. The Cardinal earned a postseason berth for the first time in three years.
Cohen has a proven track record in developing point guards. Under Cohen’s tutelage, Max Guercy became the all-time assist leader at Rice, Siyani Chambers developed into a First Team All-Ivy League selection at Harvard, Wade Baldwin IV was an NBA first-round draft pick from Vanderbilt and Daejon Davis set the program’s freshman assist record and was a Pac-12 All-Freshman Team selection at Stanford.
Cohen arrived at Stanford prior to the 2016-17 season, after serving as an assistant coach at Vanderbilt for two seasons. He helped guide the Commodores to 40 combined victories and postseason berths in his two years in Nashville. Vanderbilt won 19 games and reached the NCAA Tournament in 2015-16.
Prior to Vanderbilt, Cohen was an assistant coach at Harvard. During the 2013-14 campaign with the Crimson, he helped guide the program to its fourth straight Ivy League title, an NCAA Tournament appearance, and program records for overall victories (27) and conference wins (13). Cohen broke into coaching during the 2012-13 season, serving as an assistant coach at Rice.
Cohen, who has had national success working in the SEC, Pac-12, Ivy League and Conference USA, is attacking the new challenge of the BIG EAST. A 2008 graduate of Arizona with a degree in political science, Cohen served as a student manager and assistant video coordinator under Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson. After a year as a graduate assistant at New Orleans, Cohen joined the staff at USC as the Trojans’ video coordinator. He was elevated to Director of Operations after just one year. Cohen spent three seasons at USC (2010-12) prior to joining the coaching staff at Rice.
Cohen, who serves on the Board of Directors for Rising Coaches Elite, was appointed to the Coaching for Literacy Coaches Council in 2017. He has overseen several elite camps, including the 2007 Nike Basketball clinic in Chengdu, China.
Oustide of coaching, Cohen is a member of the IDEA Initiative, the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Awareness leadership group for Xavier Athletics.
Cohen, a native of Buffalo, New York, and his wife, Danielle, have a four-year-old son, Leo, and a one-year-old son, Jordan.
