Garrett Furubayashi enters his seventh season at San Francisco after joining the program in the fall of 2017. Currently the longest tenured member of the USF coaching staff, Furubayashi will be in his third season as director of operations for the Dons.
During his time on the Hilltop, Furubayashi has been a part of the four winningest seasons at USF since the program’s return from shutdown in 1985. Since his arrival, the Dons have averaged 21.8 wins per full season. In the previous 32 seasons, USF had only reached 21 wins once.
In 2022-23, Furubayashi helped the Dons to a 20-win season under first-year head coach Chris Gerlufsen. During the season, USF took home the 2022 Hall of Fame Classic championship, the program’s second consecutive preseason tournament title. The campaign also featured a 37-point win over #25 Arizona State - San Francisco’s largest margin of victory over a ranked team in program history.
During the 2021-22 season, the USF Dons experienced historic success behind head coach Todd Golden. With Furubayashi’s help, San Francisco won 24 games - the program’s highest win total since 1981-82. The Dons earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament, which was the team’s first since the tournament bracket was expanded to its modern format of 64+ teams. USF’s return to March Madness snapped a 24-year drought dating back to 1998. The Dons’ 2021-22 campaign was Furubayshi’s first as director of operations. At the time of his hire, he was the youngest person to hold that title in all of Division I men’s basketball.
Originally entering the program as a student manager under Kyle Smith, Furubayashi was hired as a graduate manager by Todd Golden in the spring of 2019. During the 2020-21 season, he was a part of the Dons’ coaching staff that led USF to an upset victory over #4 Virginia. The victory was San Francisco's first win against an AP top-5
team since 1981.
In his current role as director of operations, Furubayashi handles all aspects of team travel, manages the program’s budget, and assists with the Dons’ non-conference schedule. He is heavily involved with the Dons’ analytical efforts behind the scenes. He also acts as the program’s liaison to the other departments within USF athletics.
Additionally, Furubayashi spearheads the community service initiatives of San Francisco men’s basketball.
In his previous position of graduate manager, Furubayashi helped with USF’s scouting efforts in addition to coordinating the Dons’ on-campus recruiting. He also assisted with player development, working closely with USF guard Jamaree Bouyea for several seasons. On February 10, 2023, Bouyea became the first San Francisco Don to play in an NBA game since Bill Cartwright in 1995.
In addition to his role at USF, Furubayashi currently serves as the director of strategy for the Asian Coaches Association. Since assuming this position in April of 2020, the coalition has grown exponentially in its outreach to coaches across the basketball industry. Furubayashi is in charge of all promotion and coordination of ACA events
throughout the calendar year.
In 2019, Furubayshi graduated from the University of San Francisco summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He also received his master’s in sport management from the University of San Francisco in December of 2021. At the time of his graduation, Furubayashi was chosen as the commencement speaker for the
College of Arts and Sciences.
What they are saying about Garrett Furubayashi:
“Garrett is one of the most intelligent young coaches in college basketball. He has an
attention to detail and a capacity to work like no other. As Director of Strategy, Garrett
has also been tremendous in building the Asian Coaches Association into what it is
today.” - Mike Magpayo, UC Riverside Head Coach
CAREER EXPERIENCE:
2021-present San Francisco, Director of Basketball Operations
2019-21 San Francisco, Graduate Manager
2017-19 San Francisco, Undergraduate Manager
