Clovis North basketball coach to be inducted into hall of fame

Clovis North boys basketball coach Tony Amundsen guides his team in a game against Arroyo Grande Feb. 27. He will be inducted into the CCCMBCA Hall of Fame March 12. Gabe Camarillo/Clovis Roundup

Clovis North boys basketball coach Tony Amundsen has dedicated his life to the game. Whether it be as a coach or a player, he has left a lasting impact on the sport that he loves dearly.

On March 12, Amundsen’s contributions to the sport will be recognized as he is inducted into the California Community College Men’s Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

“It’s an honor. Obviously as a player going through I didn’t think about anything like that,” Amundsen said. “To get an award like this and be recognized is nice.”

Amundsen played at Chabot College, and during his freshman year, he made some noise by averaging 22.5 points per game, earning all-state and first-team all conference honors while leading his team to the finals of the state tournament.

As a sophomore, he averaged 22.9 points per game, shooting 40 percent from the three-point line and was named to the All-Golden State Conference first team and Northern California State Player of the Year. Amundsen led his team to the Final 8 tournament and finished his junior college career as Chabot’s all-time leading scorer.

“It’s just a product of two very good years,” he said. “Our team was very good for those two years and I played well and to be recognized for it is an honor.”

After his days at Chabot, Amundsen played at the University of the Pacific where he averaged 15.5 points per game, leading the Big West Conference his junior year in three-point percentage (47 percent) and earning all-conference honors his senior season.

After college, Amundsen continued his playing career professionally overseas, making stops in Denmark and Germany.

But all along, he knew that he wanted to stay in the game as a coach.

“I knew I wanted to go into coaching so the whole time I was stealing from the coaches that I played for and to help develop my own coaching philosophy,” he said. “I was taking notes the whole time knowing that I wanted to become a coach.”

Before becoming head coach at Clovis North, Amundsen spent five years at the helm of Bullard High’s basketball program. There, he was named Division I California State Coach of the Year in 2012. He coached the Knights to three Central Section titles, and that year his team advanced to the Division I Southern California championship game, losing to eventual state champion Mater Dei out of Santa Ana.

Amundsen said he is looking forward to the experience of being inducted and having fellowship with other inductees.

“We’re going to have a nice dinner and I’ll get to hear some of the fellow inductees speak, so that will be really cool to hear that and I’ll get to share my story.”

 

Michael graduated from Fresno State in May 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in print journalism. During his time at the university, he served as sports and managing editor for The Collegian, Fresno State’s student-run newspaper. In addition to the Clovis Roundup, Michael has written for The Fresno Bee, the Kingsburg Recorder and Selma Enterprise. He has a passion for sports and can be found on the sidelines at local games, bringing the citizens of Clovis the athletics news they deserve.