Michael Lyons Joins Air Force Men’s Basketball Staff
4/9/2026 11:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - Former Falcon basketball great Michael Lyons returns to the men's basketball program, as he has been named as an assistant coach for Air Force men's basketball for the 2026-27 season, announced today by head coach Joe Crispin. Lyons returns to the Academy where he graduated in 2013 after a distinguished four-year basketball career.
"I am very excited to welcome back Michael Lyons to the Academy as an assistant coach," Crispin said. "Mike enjoyed a great playing career here at Air Force and will help our cadets develop as men and players. He loves the Academy and knows what it takes to be successful on and off the court. Our Academy community is all the better for his return!"
One of the greatest scorers in program history, he currently ranks fifth all-time in scoring (1,527 points) at Air Force. A four-year letterwinner from 2009-13, he led the team in scoring three-straight seasons, culminating in a senior season that saw him average 17.7 points per game, which is the most by a Falcon in the Mountain West era. Lyons scored 45 points against Colorado State in 2013, which is the fifth-most in a game in Academy history and the most ever in a conference game.
He was named team MVP as a junior and senior and is the lone Falcon in the Mountain West era to earn All-Mountain West honors three times. He is also the last Falcon to earn first-team All-MW honors, doing so in 2013.
During his senior year, he was named the USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week after averaging 36.0 points per game during a dominant stretch. He also earned All-Military Classic Tournament MVP honors and helped lead Air Force to two postseason CIT appearances.
Lyons went on to play professionally in the NBA G League with the Erie BayHawks and was selected in the 2017 G-League Draft by the South Bay Lakers. In addition to his basketball career, Lyons served as a United States Air Force Acquisitions Officer, rising to the rank of Captain. His roles included Military Training Officer at the USAFA Prep School, Government Project Officer at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., Project Officer at Buckley AFB, Colo., and Acquisition Manager at Kirkland AFB, N.M.
Lyons later transitioned into coaching, serving as associate head coach at the USAFA Prep School before becoming head coach in 2025. He was also the co-founder and program director of PLUTO Prospects, a Nike affiliated grassroots program that has grown into a national powerhouse and helped place more than 80 players at the collegiate level.
Lyons, a native of Newport News, Va., graduated from the Academy with a management degree in 2013. He resides in Colorado Springs with his wife, Erica, and three children.
"I am very excited to welcome back Michael Lyons to the Academy as an assistant coach," Crispin said. "Mike enjoyed a great playing career here at Air Force and will help our cadets develop as men and players. He loves the Academy and knows what it takes to be successful on and off the court. Our Academy community is all the better for his return!"
One of the greatest scorers in program history, he currently ranks fifth all-time in scoring (1,527 points) at Air Force. A four-year letterwinner from 2009-13, he led the team in scoring three-straight seasons, culminating in a senior season that saw him average 17.7 points per game, which is the most by a Falcon in the Mountain West era. Lyons scored 45 points against Colorado State in 2013, which is the fifth-most in a game in Academy history and the most ever in a conference game.
He was named team MVP as a junior and senior and is the lone Falcon in the Mountain West era to earn All-Mountain West honors three times. He is also the last Falcon to earn first-team All-MW honors, doing so in 2013.
During his senior year, he was named the USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week after averaging 36.0 points per game during a dominant stretch. He also earned All-Military Classic Tournament MVP honors and helped lead Air Force to two postseason CIT appearances.
Lyons went on to play professionally in the NBA G League with the Erie BayHawks and was selected in the 2017 G-League Draft by the South Bay Lakers. In addition to his basketball career, Lyons served as a United States Air Force Acquisitions Officer, rising to the rank of Captain. His roles included Military Training Officer at the USAFA Prep School, Government Project Officer at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., Project Officer at Buckley AFB, Colo., and Acquisition Manager at Kirkland AFB, N.M.
Lyons later transitioned into coaching, serving as associate head coach at the USAFA Prep School before becoming head coach in 2025. He was also the co-founder and program director of PLUTO Prospects, a Nike affiliated grassroots program that has grown into a national powerhouse and helped place more than 80 players at the collegiate level.
Lyons, a native of Newport News, Va., graduated from the Academy with a management degree in 2013. He resides in Colorado Springs with his wife, Erica, and three children.
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