Sam Kohnke was named head men’s basketball coach at Langston after building a consistent track record of winning, program growth, and postseason success at each of his previous stops.
Over the past three seasons, his teams have won three consecutive conference championships, further establishing him as one of the top young coaches in college basketball and a proven program builder. Kohnke most recently served one season as head coach at Oklahoma City University, where he led the Stars to a 21-11 record in 2025-26, an 18-7 mark in Sooner Athletic Conference games, and the SAC Tournament championship. The title marked OCU’s first conference tournament championship since 2019 and secured the program’s first NAIA National Tournament appearance since that same year. Kohnke took over the program in late July with just five players on the roster, inheriting a team coming off back-to-back 10-win seasons that did not qualify for the SAC Tournament.
Prior to OCU, Kohnke spent four seasons as head coach at Central Baptist College, where he authored the most successful stretch in program history. He compiled a 91-38 overall record, became the program’s all-time wins leader, and led the Mustangs to three consecutive 21-win seasons. Over his final three years, his teams won 76 games, the most of any college basketball program in the state of Arkansas during that span. Under Kohnke, CBC reached the NAIA National Tournament in each of his final two seasons and advanced to the NAIA Elite 8 in 2024.
His 2023-24 team captured both the American Midwest Conference regular-season and tournament championships, and he was recognized as AMC Coach of the Year and recipient of the Raymond Bright Award as Conway’s top college coach. His 2024-25 team finished 17-1 in AMC regular-season play, earned a share of the conference championship, and advanced to the NAIA Round of 32.
Across his head coaching career, Kohnke has consistently combined program building with player development. He has coached four NAIA All-Americans along with a conference player of the year, defensive players of the year, and numerous all-conference and academic honorees. Known for his emphasis on discipline, toughness, and player connection, his programs have shown steady year-over-year improvement while competing for championships.
A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Kohnke’s coaching career includes stops at Tulane University, Millsaps College, Central Baptist College, and the University of North Texas. He got his start as a volunteer assistant at Tulane under former NBA Coach of the Year Mike Dunleavy. He then served as associate head coach and later interim head coach at Millsaps, helping lead the program to its first winning season in over a decade. He then spent a season as an assistant coach at Central Baptist, contributing to a conference championship and NAIA National Tournament appearance before later returning as head coach.
Kohnke also worked as a graduate assistant at North Texas under Grant McCasland.
Kohnke earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, where he was also a student-athlete.
