Zach Hamer is in his first season as assistant coach after being elevated to the role on July 1, 2023. It is his fifth year overall with the Illini program, after spending his first two seasons as video coordinator followed by two years as assistant to the head coach.

Illinois Basketball has enjoyed widespread success over the last four seasons, with Hamer’s tenure aligning with the winningest four-year Big Ten run in program history.

Illinois won 21 games during the regular season and finished ranked No. 21 in the AP poll in 2020. The Illini then went 24-7 in 2021, including a 16-4 mark in conference play followed by the Big Ten Tournament championship to earn an NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed. The Illini set a school record by defeating six top-10 teams and ended the year at No. 2 in the final AP poll, the second-highest rating in program history.  Illinois won the 2022 Big Ten Championship after going 23-10 overall and 15-5 in conference play to officially win its first regular-season title since 2005. Illinois won 20 games again in 2023 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Hamer arrived at Illinois in the summer of 2019 after spending the previous two seasons on staff with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was an advance scout in 2019 after debuting as a coaching associate in 2018. Hamer handled opponent scouting, with a focus on defensive game planning, and created video playbooks on all NBA teams.

Along with his NBA experience, he spent the 2018 season in the WNBA, serving as video coordinator for the Indiana Fever.

During his time in the professional ranks, he also gained extensive experience in player development.

Hamer was a four-year student manager at Vanderbilt from 2013-17, working for head coaches Kevin Stallings and Bryce Drew. He served as head manager during his final two seasons, culminating in consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances with the Commodores in 2016 and 2017.

A native of Northbrook, Illinois, Hamer earned a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University in human and organizational development in 2017.