NCAA tourney cult hero Ali Farokhmanesh joins Drake staff

Ali Farokhmanesh, a former Northern Iowa standout who became a cult hero during the 2010 NCAA tournament, has joined Drake as an assistant coach.

Farokhmanesh helped the Panthers upset No. 1 Kansas in the Round of 32 seven years ago. He knocked down a triple in the final minute of the contest, all but sealing the shocking 69-67 result.

Farokhmanesh, now 29, went on to play professionally in Europe for four years after graduating from Northern Iowa. He returned to the NCAA in 2014 as a graduate assistant at Nebraska, and was promoted to director of player relations and development in 2016.