A collegiate coaching veteran with over 17 years of experience, Kenneth Mangrum joined the Georgia Tech men’s basketball staff as an associate head coach in April 2026.
Mangrum arrives at Georgia Tech following a two-year stint at Vanderbilt where he helped the Commodores to 47 combined wins and back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in nearly a decade. Under the direction of head coach Mark Byington, Vanderbilt turned a program that went 9-23 in 2023-24 into a top-25 program just a season later, entering the Associated Press poll for the first time since 2015 and finished the 2024-25 season with 20 wins and an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. This past season, the Commodores compiled a 27-9 overall record, reached the SEC Tournament Championship game and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Prior to Vanderbilt, Mangrum spent the 2023-24 season as associate head coach at New Mexico State. From 2018-23 (five seasons), Mangrum was at Troy, serving as an assistant coach for three seasons before being elevated to associate head coach his final two. Mangrum overlapped with Cross for four seasons as a Trojan. In his final two, the Trojans recorded their first back-to-back 20-win campaigns for the first time in nearly 20 years.
Mangrum also had stops at Texas Southern (2017-18), helping guide the Tigers to a 24-14 mark and 14-4 ledger in conference play, and UT Arlington (2013-17) for four seasons. During his time at UT Arlington, Mangrum and Cross led the Mavericks to success, setting a program-record with its 27-9 season in 2016-17 and claiming the Sun Belt Regular Season Championship. In four seasons at UTA, the Mavericks went 88-58 and advanced to the postseason twice.
Before UT Arlington, Mangrum was at Sam Houston for the 2012-13 season, helping the Bearkats to a 24-11 record, an appearance in the Southland Conference championship game and its first postseason win at the Division I level.
“I’m excited to be rejoining Coach Cross’s staff as he has been a consistent winner at every stop,” Mangrum said. “Georgia Tech has a rich tradition of success and I believe in the vision of Coach Cross and the administration to restoring the men’s basketball program back to prominence.”
A native of Waco, Texas, Mangrum got his start at the collegiate level at Angelo State where he served as an assistant from 2007-13. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from North Texas where he played four seasons (1998-2002) for the Mean Green, playing in 100 games and where he still ranks in the top-15 in career steals (106).
