Chris Buchanan joined the UTRGV men’s basketball team as a special assistant to the head coach on July 1, 2022 and was promoted to assistant coach in September, 2022.
Buchanan came to UTRGV from Odessa College, where as an assistant coach in 2021-22, he helped the team to the NJCAA Tournament Quarterfinals and an undefeated record in conference play. He executed and presented strategic scouting reports to the coaching staff and players that led to an average margin of victory of 20 points. Buchanan coached an All-American and four All-Conference selections while recruiting current top Division I and junior college prospects. He also assisted with the team’s academics, as the team finished the fall with a 3.56 GPA.
Buchanan was an assistant coach at Portland from 2019-21 after serving as the assistant director of basketball operations since the summer of 2017. As one of the youngest Division I assistant coaches in the nation, Buchanan recruited multiple All-West Coast Conference and Player of the Week selections. He prepared and presented scouting reports, collaborated with the strength & conditioning staff, and coordinated with academics. In his operations role, Buchanan managed day-to-day operations, including game day, practice and travel logistics, managing and training student managers, and implementing youth clinics and camps.
Prior to his time at Portland, Buchanan worked as the Assistant Director of Scouting for Anthony Ray’s Arizona Preps from 2015-17 after working as an intern the previous two years. His role included traveling to local, regional, and national tournaments to evaluate high school and junior college prospects for the organization. He co-ran the Arizona Preps Fall Showcase from 2015-17, which brought together many former Arizona area standouts and helped land local prospects college basketball scholarships.
Buchanan also worked many high-profile camps including the Reebok All-American Headliners Camp, Arizona Preps Spring Showcase, West Coast Elite All-Star Camp, West Coast Elite’s Spring High Academic Camp, John Lucas Enterprises Right Way Camp, and John Lucas Enterprises’ International Middle School Combine.
Buchanan graduated from Arizona in May 2015 with a bachelor’s in communications and a minor in sports management. While in Tucson, he worked for WildcatAuthority.com, a Scout.com affiliate web site that focused on Arizona basketball recruiting.
A McDonalds All-America nominee as player at Arcadia High School in Phoenix, Buchanan went on to play two years at Peninsula College in Port Angeles, Wash. He was a part of the Peninsula team that won the Northwest Athletic Associate of Community Colleges Championship as a freshman and the team was ranked No. 15 nationally as a sophomore. The Pirates finished with a 47-13 overall record in his two years with the program.
