STANFORD, Calif. – The Stanford men's basketball staff continues to grow, as Alex Yano has been named the program's director of operations. Yano was previously the director of operations for Kyle Smith, the Anne and Tony Joseph Director of Men's Basketball, at Washington State.
"Alex is a recent graduate of the prestigious Edward R Murrow school of communications at Washington State. In his role as director of basketball operations he will fill a number of important responsibilities for the program," said Smith. "No job is too small and no role may be more important than what Alex will do for the program. He did an outstanding job at Washington State and his talents and hustle will help Stanford transition to the ACC."
Yano joined the Washington State staff under Smith for the 2023-24 campaign, helping guide the Cougars to a 25-10 mark and second-place finish in the Pac-12 in 2023-24. The Cougars received a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the round of 32 with a victory over Drake in the opening round. Yano was also the program's head manager from 2020-22.
Sandwiched between his time at Washington State, Yano spent one season at Hawaii as a graduate manager. The Warriors posted 22 wins in 2022-23 including a championship in the Diamond Head Classic.
Yano is a 2020 graduate of Washington State with a degree in journalism and media production. He added a graduate degree at the University of Hawaii in 2023.