Coaching Staff
Head Coach
Fajri Ansari, third year
ansarif@buffalostate.edu
Assistant Coaches
Andrew McLaren, Kevin Glover, Glenn Taplin
Fajri Ansari is in his third year as the head coach of the Bengals, after leading the team to a 25-26 record and a berth in the SUNYAC playoffs in his two seasons.
A two-time New York State Federation Champion in the high school ranks, Ansari replaced Dick Bihr who announced his retirement after 25 seasons with a record of 449-211.
Ansari is 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 four players currently playing at 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.
Ansari is also familiar with recruiting to 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.
Assistant Coach Andrew McLaren
A former four-year letterwinner at Buffalo State, Andrew rejoined the Bengals in 2005-06 as an assistant coach. He competed for Buffalo State from 1998 to 2002, captaining the team as a senior. He came to the Bengals via Iona Preparatory Academy in New Rochelle, NY. After completing his playing career, McLaren immediately joined the coaching ranks, assisting one season at Turner Carroll High School, helping to lead the chargers to a Monsignor Martin Manhattan Cup Championship. The following season, he interned with Division I Canisius College’s men’s basketball team, and spent the 2004-05 season as an assistant at Erie Community College. McLaren earned a bachelor’s degree in health and wellness from Buffalo State. He is single and currently resides in Buffalo.
Assistant Coach Kevin Glover
Kevin joined the Bengals’ coaching staff for the 2005-06 season, after spending three years as the director of the Instructional High School Basketball Camp for Preventionfocus, Inc. at Niagara University. He has also coached boys’ basketball at the Boys and Girls Club of Buffalo. As a player, Glover played for Ansari at Turner Carroll. He went on to become a National Junior College Second Team All-American baseball player at Monroe Community College, and was an All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference pick for two consecutive seasons at Division I Canisius College. Glover graduated from Canisius in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in interpersonal communication, and currenly works as a Teen Services Supervisor at Preventionfocus, Inc. He and his wife Delvina live in Buffalo with their children Jordan and Justin.
Assistant Coach Glen Taplin
Glenn is in his first season as an assistant coach with the Bengals’ men’s basketball team after spending the past two seasons as a coach with St. Francis High School. Taplin is a former football standout. An Honorable Mention All-American quarterback at Lafayette High School, he went on to become a First Team All-Eastern Region wide receiver at Canisius College. He completed his bachelor’s degree from Canisius in 2003 and earned a master’s degree from Buffalo State in 2007. He currently works full-time as a retention coordinator at the University at Buffalo. He resides in East Amherst with his wife Cheryl and their children Ericka and Sterling.
