Highly-successful Chapman men’s basketball coach Mike Bokosky retires; assistant takes over

Mike Bokosky gives advice to his team during one of the many games he coached. (Photo courtesy Larry Newman).

After 31 seasons and more than 500 wins, Mike Bokosky has announced that he is retiring as the head coach of the Chapman University men’s basketball team, athletic officials said Monday.

Longtime assistant and Chapman University alumnus Dan Krikorian (2007) has been named as his successor.

“It is impossible to put into words the impact that Coach Bokosky has had on Chapman University and the student-athletes he has mentored during a career that has spanned four decades,” said Director of Athletics Terry Boesel in a statement. “His leadership on the court and around our department will be greatly missed but we wish him all the best as he moves into his next chapter.”

Bokosky won 67 percent of his games over 31 seasons and retires with a career record of 532-261 with Kirkorian at his side for the last 162 wins.

He came to Chapman in 1992 to take over a struggling program that was transitioning out of Division II. The Panthers went 7-19 in Bokosky’s first year but he quickly turned the program around as the Panthers went 17-8 in his second season (the first as a full-fledged member of Division III) and started a streak of 23 consecutive winning seasons. His teams finished with a winning record in 28 of his 31 seasons at the helm.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to live out my dream of coaching basketball. Coming to Chapman 32 years ago has turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve made in my career,” said Bokosky. “Dan is already a fantastic coach. He has some great players coming back and I am confident he will become an exceptional head coach.”

Bokosky guided the Panthers through their transition into Division III as an independent in 1994-95 and finally into the SCIAC in 2013-14. He led the Panthers to five NCAA Tournament appearances, two SCIAC regular season titles and two SCIAC Tournament titles. Krikorian rejoined Bokosky on the bench as an assistant coach for every SCIAC accomplishment and three of the five NCAA appearances.

Chapman had nine 20-win seasons under Bokosky’s tenure. His players garnered three Academic All-American honors and eight All-Region honors since 1994 as well as the D3hoops.com National Rookie of the Year in 2015-16. He has coached 21 All-SCIAC players since joining the conference in 2013-14.

After growing up in Santa Ana, Bokosky played collegiately at Riverside Community College and Saddleback Community College before transferring to Fort Lewis College in Colorado. He returned to Orange County with coaching stops at Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine before landing his first and only head coaching job at Chapman.

In addition to Bokosky’s hiring of his eventual successor, he was also the first to bring Chapman’s current Director of Athletics to campus. He hired Boesel as an assistant coach in 1992 where he stayed for three years until he was hired as the Head Coach at the University of La Verne. Boesel returned to Chapman as the Associate Director of Athletics in 2006 and took over his current role in 2015.

“Coach Krikorian played for Coach Bokosky and has coached with him for over a decade,” added Boesel. “He is an accomplished coach and leader and is well-known throughout the basketball community. We are excited to hand him the reigns of our men’s basketball program and have no doubt that he will continue the tradition of success.”

“There are a whole lot of people in my life who have given me the support, confidence, and encouragement over the years to pursue a life in coaching. It’s difficult to fully express my appreciation of them as I accept this new position,” Krikorian said in a statement from the athletic department.

“From the players, coaches, alumni, parents, and greater Chapman community, the chance to build a program that has an impact far beyond the court is a major source of focus and excitement.”

Krikorian’s journey has also centered around his Orange County roots.

A graduate of Costa Mesa High School, Krikorian returned to his alma mater to begin his coaching career. He coached at the high school level for four years before returning to Chapman as an assistant coach, where he spent all his collegiate coaching career. He helped lead the Mustangs to a pair of CIF playoff appearances in his time at his high school alma mater.

Krikorian played for Bokosky from 2003-07, graduating with a degree in Business. He also has a Master’s from Chapman in Leadership Development. He appeared in 73 games for the Panthers during his four years, averaging 3.1 points per game. He often came off the bench as a threat from beyond the arc, sinking 58 three-pointers in his career.

More than 80 percent of his made shots came from three-point range. He brought his three-point shooting specialty to the bench and coached the 2015-16 Panthers to the best three-point percentage in all of Division III.

Krikorian has become well-known in the global basketball community as the co-founder and co-host of the popular Slappin’ Glass podcast. He began the podcast with his former Chapman teammate Patrick Carney in 2020 and has gained the attention of basketball coaches at every level – garnering mentions during NBA game broadcasts and major print publications.

Krikorian added:

“Chapman has a special energy. It’s something you feel when you first step on campus, as I certainly did as a recruit, and still do to this day.  I’ve seen the continued growth of Chapman over the last couple of decades and am now happy to lead the men’s basketball program at a time when the school continues to ascend to new heights.”

—Courtesy Steven Olveda, Sports Information Director