Buffalo State University Athletics

Fajri Ansari enters his 19th year as the head coach of the Buffalo State men's basketball team in the 2023-24 school year. He became the Bengals' head coach prior to the 2005-06 season, and has an overall record of 200-226 at the helm, leading the Bengals to a SUNYAC postseason berth nine times. 

In 2010-11, he led the Bengals to a SUNYAC Championship and a run to the "Sweet 16" in the NCAA Tournament. His Bengals' 23 wins in that season were the most for the program since 1991-92. His team also received the Sam Schoenfeld Award for Sportsmanship from the College Basketball Officials Association (CBOA).

A two-time New York State Federation Champion in the high school ranks, Ansari was well-known in Western New York for his highly successful tenure at Turner Carroll High School from 1989 through 2003. During that span, Ansari led his teams to two State Federation Championships, five State Catholic Association titles, and three Monsignor Martin Manhattan Cup Championships. Following the closing of Turner Carroll, Ansari spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Hutchinson Technical High School. In all, Ansari has mentored 16 scholarship athletes, eight First Team All-Western New York players, including three Players of the Year, and has several players who are currently or have played in the professional ranks.

Ansari is probably best known within the Western New York community, however, for his work as the developer and director of Camp Achieve. An initiative born in 1996, the camp has provided SAT prep work and life skills training, coupled with basketball as a bonding agent for many of the top high school players produced in this region over the past decade.

He has additional coaching experience as an assistant coach with AAU Upstate Developmental Basketball (USDBL) for over 20 years. He also has coached internationally, training and coaching Rwanda's National and University Teams in Africa in 1992. He also worked with the United States College Exhibition Team in Kiev, Ukraine in 1999, and coached the Western New York High School Team in La Rouche SurYon, France in 1994 and 1996. He also coached with the 2010 Upstate New York College All-Star team in the Bahamas, consisting of several Division I players from the Big East Conference.

Ansari also has roots at Buffalo State, working in the college's admissions office since 1981. For 20 years, he was the Assistant Director of Admissions and Director of Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) Admissions, developing and implementing recruitment strategies for students who are academically and financially challenged.

Ansari earned his bachelor's degree in environmental design and planning from the University at Buffalo, and completed a master's in counseling education from SUNY Brockport. He resides in Buffalo with his wife Lavonne, and they have three children, Tariq, Bashir and Naila.