Updated November 5, 2026, 2:52 p.m. ET
Central Michigan men’s basketball head coach Andy Bronkema has been placed on leave, the university announced Thursday (Nov. 5). No further details were shared by the school.
CMU athletic director Amy Folan said associate head coach Raymoan McAfee will serve as interim head coach. Folan did not announce how long McAfee would serve as interim head coach.
“Since joining our program in April 2025, Coach McAfee has built strong relationships with our student-athletes and brings deep experience in developing student-athletes and preparing champions, and I have every confidence that our team is in good hands under his leadership,” Folan said in a statement. “I am also confident that our incredibly passionate fans at CMU Chippewa will continue to support the young men in our program.”
Bronkema did not immediately respond to a call from the newspaper seeking comment. His bio remains on the athletic department’s website and his outgoing voicemail still says, “Turn on, Chips.”
Bronkema, 42, was just entering his second season as head coach of the Chippewas after a long and successful career at Ferris State, where he won a Division II national championship. Bronkema signed a five-year contract to become Central Michigan’s head men’s basketball coach, and it was expected to pay him at least $310,000 a year.
Bronkema replaced Tony Barbee as head coach of the Chippewas and had a 10-21 record in his first season. This season, they were picked to finish last in the Mid-American Conference in a preseason poll.
Central Michigan opened this season with an 83-78 victory at Louisiana-Monroe on Monday, November 2. The Chippewas will host Alma on Friday, November 6.
McAfee is a Detroit native who played at Pershing High School and then at Ferris State under Bronkema. He had two stints on Bronkema’s coaching staff at Ferris State, then spent three seasons on Wayne State’s staff before joining Bronkema at Mt. Pleasant beginning with the 2025-26 season.
Bronkema, a native of McBain in northern Michigan, was head coach for 12 seasons at Ferris State, posting a 278-105 record, including 38-1 in the 2017-18 season, when the Bulldogs won the Division II national championship. After the national championship, he was frequently mentioned for Division I head coaching positions and was close to being hired by Detroit Mercy at one point, before the school ended Mike Davis in 2018.
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