Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- mike.rohn@colorado.edu
Mike Rohn is in his 16th year as a coach and head recruiting coordinator with the University of Colorado men's basketball program. He was elevated from assistant to associate head coach on Oct. 18, 2017.
Rohn, who has been with Tad Boyle from the beginning, is an integral part of the coaching staff that has re-energized the basketball program to national prominence and continues to do so each and every year.
During Rohn’s tenure in Boulder, the Buffaloes’ have accumulated 312 victories, the most by a staff in team history. In addition, he has helped guide the Buffaloes to postseason appearances in 13 of 14 seasons (there was no postseason in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic), including seven in a row (2010-17), a program first.
“One of the steadiest people I have ever worked with,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said. “Mike is the ultimate grinder; works extremely hard and he’s a guy that thinks, a forward-thinker. He’s ready to be a head coach. He has all the tools in what it takes to be a head coach, and is invaluable to our staff, and to me.”
Rohn has helped Colorado six NCAA Tournament appearances, including a program-best three consecutive trips from 2012-14.
Rohn has helped build the CU Events Center into a dominant home court advantage, making the Buffs’ one of the most feared arenas to play in with a 15-year mark of 204-47 (.813).
As the recruiting coordinator, Rohn helped deliver the 13th ranked recruiting class in the nation, and best in the Pac-12, in 2021 according to 247Sports.com. Rivals had the 2021 class ranked 15th. It was Colorado's second Top 25 nationally ranked class in the last five years as the 2017 class was ranked 25th according to Rivals and Scout. That 2017 class would end up with four 1,000 point scorers.
The groundwork of the program’s success was built during the first two years where Rohn assisted with back-to-back 24-win campaigns of 2010-11 and 2011-12. The 24 victories continue to be a school record for victories in a single-season. The 24 wins in his first season were part of CU’s run to the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the school’s last year in the Big 12 Conference.
The following year (2011-12), the program equaled another 24 victories, CU’s first year in the Pac-12 Conference. The Buffaloes became just the 10th team in the nation to win at least four games in four days to capture the tournament title at the inaugural conference tournament. The tournament title was the Buffaloes first since winning the Big 8 in 1968-69.
With the automatic tournament berth, CU earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002-03 and saw the Buffs upset No. 6 UNLV in the first round.
Another successful season followed in 2012-13 (21 wins), where Rohn and the Buffs earned back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths for the first time in 50 years (1961-62 & 1962-63). The following year (2013-14), another NCAA Tournament followed with 23 wins, setting a school record with three consecutive NCAA Tourney appearances and four-straight 20-winning seasons.
The 2013-14 campaign saw CU register 23 wins, the third-most victories in school history. That CU team also tallied a third place finish in the final Pac-12 Conference standings, the program’s highest placing in 18 years.
After a 16-18 campaign, and a trip to the CBI Quarterfinals in 2014-15, Colorado rebounded with its fifth 20-win season in six years in 2015-16. The Buffaloes sported a record of 22-12 and finished fifth in the Pac-12 at 10-8. Rohn helped Colorado to 11 straight wins during the nonconference schedule, the fifth longest in program history and best run since 1961-62. Colorado’s 21 regular season wins tied a school record – joining the 2013-14 and 1996-97 teams – and 22 overall tied for fourth in the school annals.
Colorado made its seventh-straight postseason appearance in 2016-17 with a 19-15 overall record and a berth in the NIT.
In 2017-18, Colorado had the youngest team of his tenure, with nine players that had not played a minute in a Buffaloes' uniform prior to the season. He helped Colorado to 17 wins, the program's seventh winning season in the last eight years. This young group had some bright moments including back-to-back wins over Top 15 teams for the first time in program history
That core group returned in 2018-19 finishing with a 23-13 record, advancing to the NIT Quarterfinals. The 23 wins tied for the third most in team history and just one off the school record. Rohn has now been part of the top four season win totals in team history and five of the top six.
In 2020-21, Rohn helped the Buffaloes to a 21-11 mark, and what would have certainly been a fifth NCAA Tournament appearance during his tenure before the postseason was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Colorado was ranked for a school-record 13 weeks in 2019-20, peaking at No. 16 in mid February.
The bulk of that team returned in 2020-21, and while navagating the continuing effects of the pandemic, put together one of the best seasons in modern CU history. Colorado was 23-9, finished as the Pac-12 Tournament runner-up and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Buffaloes won a school-record 14 conference games and were ranked in both the final AP and Coaches polls for the first time since 1996-97.
With a young team in 2021-22, Rohn helped guide the Buffaloes to their fourth-straight 20-win season, finishing at 21-12, a fourth place finish in the Pac-12 and an appearance in the Postseason NIT. The 2021-22 campaign capped off a four-year run with 88 wins, second in program history only to his first four-year stretch with 92 wins from 2010-14.
During his 15 years in Boulder, Rohn has mentored 12 former CU student-athlete standouts who have made NBA rosters and 27 who have continued their professional careers overseas.
Alec Burks, a sophomore, was CU’s second-ever lottery pick and selected No. 12 overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2011 NBA Draft; Andre Roberson left after his junior year, was the No. 26 overall selection by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2013 (later traded to Oklahoma City).
Spencer Dinwiddie, also a junior, was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the 2014 NBA Draft (second round, No. 38 overall); and Cory Higgins, the school’s all-time co-leader in points, played with the Charlotte Bobcats during the 2011-12 season.
Colorado has been represented in five of the last seven NBA Drafts with Derrick White in 2017 (San Antonio), George King in 2018 (Phoenix), Tyler Bey in 2020 (Philadelphia, traded to Dallas) and Jabari Walker in 2022 (Portland)
Rohn has also coached a number of CU student-athletes to conference excellence.
In 2010-11, Burks was a Wooden Award Top-20 finalist and unanimous All-Big 12 first team selection; Levi Knutson was the Big 12 Conference Sixth Man of the Year, and Higgins was All-Big 12 third team.
In CU’s first year of the Pac-12, Roberson (first team, All-Defensive, All-Tournament team), Carlon Brown (second team, tournament’s Most Outstanding Player), and Dinwiddie (freshman team) garnered all-Conference honors.
In year two of the conference, Roberson (first team, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defensive team); Dinwiddie (first team) and Josh Scott (All-Freshman team) earned post-season accolades, and in year three, Scott continued CU’s prominence among the elite Pac-12 Conference players selected to the first team.
Scott repeated his all-conference honor in 2015-16 and was a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, given to the nation’s best big man. Scott was also on the Pac-12 All-Defensive team while front-court mate Wesley Gordon earned honorable mention. George King was named the Pac-12’s Most Improved Player of the Year.
White earned 2017 All-Pac-12 First Team honors while also being selected to the league's All-Defense team.
King was named to the 2018 All-Pac-12 Second Team. McKinley Wright IV was a Pac-12 All-Freshman Team member while earning honorable mention to the overall All-Conference and All-Defensive teams.
Wright would go on to be a three-time All-Pac-12 First Team selection. Tyler Bey was the 2019-20 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year while earning a pair of all-conference honors.
In August 2014, Rohn was the head coach the Athletes In Action team, a school-first for any CU assistant. AIA is a worldwide Christian sports organization was also comprised of then-CU sophomore Tre’Shaun Fletcher and other college basketball players from around the nation embarking on an eight-day Baltic tour of Russia. Team USA won three of four games against professional competition.
Prior to his arrival to Boulder, Rohn spent the three years as the director of basketball operations at Texas A&M (2007-10) where he was part of the coaching staff that helped the Aggies to a trio of NCAA Tournament Round of 32 appearances. During those three years in College Station, the Aggies won 73 games, in addition to 28 Big 12 Conference games. A&M also led the conference in scoring defense (65.8 ppg.) for the first time in league history during the 2009-10 campaign.
During the 2009-10 season, Rohn helped the development of current NBA players Deandre Jordan, Kris Middleton, and Donald Sloan.
At Wichita State, where Rohn spent seven years (2000-07) as an assistant coach to Mark Turgeon, in addition with current CU Associate Head Coach, Jean Prioleau, the Shockers engineered an impressive resume, earning three-straight NIT trips (2003, 2004, 2005). During the 2005-06 season, the Shockers not only won their first Missouri Valley Conference championship in 19 years, they capped off a 26-9 record with a 2006 NCAA Tournament berth and a Sweet 16 appearance, a school-first in 18 years.
Rohn also helped coach fifth-year student-athlete Paul Miller cap off one of the best careers of any Shocker center by being named the MVC Player of the Year, the first Shocker to earn the award in 21 years, in addition to Jamar Howard (Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year).
Prior to Wichita State, Rohn served three seasons as head coach from 1996-2000 at Dodge City (Kan.) Community College, where he built a 55-38 record and coached the Conquistadors to three consecutive state playoff appearances, including a 21-10 mark in 1999-2000. Rohn was also an assistant coach at Dodge City from 1993-96. In 1997, Dodge City was crowned the 1997 Jayhawk West Conference Champions.
Rohn was a graduate assistant coach at Fort Hays State (1991-93) while earning a master’s degree in sports administration and coaching. He earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1990 from McPherson College, where he was a two-time all-conference selection. There he was named the league’s newcomer of the year as a junior and was the conference player of the year as a senior. He also was named McPherson’s Male Athlete of the Year in 1989. On Oct. 11, 2019, Rohn was inducted into the McPherson College Athletics Hall of Fame.
He also served as an assistant coach at Colby Community College (1990-91) and at his alma mater, McPherson College (1989-1990). Rohn transferred to McPherson after playing two seasons at Dodge City Community College.
Rohn, and his wife, Stephanie, have two daughters, Raegen and Rylee.
