Current position | |
---|---|
Title | Head coach |
Team | UAB |
Conference | American |
Record | 103–38 (.730) |
Biographical details | |
Born | Louisville, Mississippi, U.S. | March 13, 1968
Playing career | |
1986–1987 | NC State |
1988–1991 | UAB |
1992–1993 | Valencia [1] |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1994–1995 | South Alabama (assistant) |
1995–2001 | UAB (assistant) |
2001–2005 | Cincinnati (assistant) |
2005–2006 | Cincinnati (interim HC) |
2006–2018 | Ole Miss |
2020–present | UAB |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 369–207 (.641) |
Tournaments | 2–4 (NCAA Division I) 15–7 (NIT) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
SEC tournament (2013) 2 SEC West Division (2007, 2010) C-USA tournament (2022) AAC tournament (2024) | |
Awards | |
Fourth-team Parade All-American (1986) NY Post Big East Coach of the Year (2006) SEC Coach of the Year (2007) NBC Sports SEC Coach of the Year (2013) UAB Sports HOF (2022) | |
Andy Kennedy (born March 13, 1968) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach of the UAB Blazers men's basketball team. He was head men's basketball coach at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) from 2006 to 2018. Kennedy was a player in high school at both Winston Academy and Louisville High School. He was a 1986 Parade All-American and he went on to play for North Carolina State and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). On March 20, 2020, he was announced as the seventh head coach of UAB.
Kennedy, a 6'7" forward, was a 1986 Parade All-American, as well as the Mississippi Player of the Year at Louisville High School. He started his collegiate career at North Carolina State where he was a member of Jim Valvano's 1987 Atlantic Coast Conference championship team.
Following his freshman season, Kennedy transferred to UAB where he played under another legendary coach, Gene Bartow. From 1988 to 1991, Kennedy was a two-time all-conference performer that led the Sun Belt Conference in scoring at 21.8 points per game in 1991. Kennedy finished his UAB career as the program's second all-time leading scorer with 1,787 points. Kennedy still holds numerous school and conference records.
On 2022 October 7 Kennedy was inducted into the UAB Sports Hall of Fame. He became just the 4th men's player selected.
After graduation, Kennedy played briefly for the NBA's Charlotte Hornets at guard. [2] [3] [4] [5] He later began a three-year professional career abroad, playing in Greece, the Netherlands, Spain and Puerto Rico. Chronic knee problems brought his career to an early end. He had his second ACL tear and subsequently his fifth and final knee operation while playing in Puerto Rico and chose to retire as a player and transition into coaching.
Kennedy's coaching career began as an assistant for the University of South Alabama during the 1994–95 season. Since then he has also served as an assistant coach at UAB from 1996 to 2001 and the University of Cincinnati from 2001 to 2005. Kennedy's first head coaching position came during the 2005–06 season when he was named interim head coach for Cincinnati after Bob Huggins resigned. He led the Bearcats to a 21–13 record and an NIT appearance that year. He was named the NY Post Big East Coach of the Year.
In his first year as head coach of Ole Miss, Kennedy led the Rebels to a 21–13 overall record and 8–8 in conference play record to become co-champions of the Southeastern Conference Western division. The Rebels made it to the semi-finals of the SEC tournament, but fell to the eventual champions, Florida. The Rebels then received an NIT berth and won the first round against Appalachian State but fell to the eventual runners-up, Clemson.
In his 12 seasons at Ole Miss, Kennedy became the program's all-time wins leader, as well as the only head coach since World War II to finish with a winning record in SEC play.
Among Kennedy's accomplishments at Ole Miss:
On February 12, 2018, Kennedy initially announced that he and Ole Miss had agreed to part ways following the 2017–18 season. [6] However, Kennedy resigned effective immediately on February 18, 2018. [7]
In 2018, Kennedy agreed to a deal with the SEC Network to become a college basketball analyst across the ESPN family of networks. During the 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 seasons, Kennedy was featured as an in-game color analyst, studio analyst, and sideline reporter covering college basketball.
After 2 years working with ESPN, on March 20, 2020, Kennedy was hired as the head coach at UAB, replacing Robert Ehsan. [8] In his first year Kennedy led the Blazers to a 22–7 record. The 22 wins were the most by a first year head coach in the NCAA and the most wins for UAB since 2016. [9] Under Kennedy's guide, UAB finished with their highest NET ranking (83) [10] in program history and the program's highest Kenpom ranking (102) [11] since 2011. The Blazers were led by their defense, as they finished with the most conference wins (13) in Conference USA as well as the most series sweeps. UAB finished 4th in the country in scoring defense, [12] and the 4th best turnover margin. [13] For the first time in school history, UAB had 2 members selected to the conference All-Defense team. [14] Kennedy's first year leading his alma mater saw UAB reach its then-4th highest winning percentage in program history, and be one of 17 programs in America with at least 22 wins and 7 or fewer losses. [11]
In 2021-22, Kennedy added transfer Jordan Walker in route to UAB's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2015. [15] The Blazers finished with a record of 27-8, a then-school record for wins in a single season. Kennedy's squad finished 49th in the NET ranking [16] 51 in Kenpom ranking [17] The Blazers ranked 4th nationally in steals [18] and 6th in scoring offense. [19] UAB had two players selected All-Conference USA and one selected to the All-Defense team. [20] Walker was also named Conference USA Player of the Year. [21]
Kennedy's 3rd season added multiple major program accomplishments. UAB finished the campaign with a record of 29-10, a new UAB single-season record for wins (29). Kennedy led the Blazers to their second straight post-season with an appearance in the final of the NIT, their first since 2016, and UAB's first ever appearance in the final of a post-season tournament. [22] The Blazers defeated Southeastern Conference Members Vanderbilt, Georgia, and South Carolina, UAB's first win in Bartow Arena vs a Power 5 opponent since 2013, [23] and the 1st time in history winning three games vs the SEC in the same season. [24] UAB finished the season ranked 47 in KenPom, [25] the programs highest mark since 2004 [26] , and Jordan Walker and Trey Jemison each were named All-Conference USA with Jemison also being named to the All-Defensive team. [27] The Blazers also finished 2nd nationally in rebounding. [28]
2023-24 was Kennedy fourth and UAB's first season in the American Athletic Conference. The Blazers finished the year with a record of 23-12, winning the AAC tournament championship, and advancing to their 2nd NCAA Tournament in 3 seasons, and 3rd straight post-season appearance. [29] Kennedy also became the fastest coach in UAB program history to reach the 100-win milestone (136 games). [30] The Blazers defeated Maryland, their first win against a Big Ten Conference opponent since 2006. [31] UAB also defeated two nationally ranked opponents for the first time since 2010. [32] Junior forward Yaxel Lendeborg [33] was named First-Team all-AAC and the conference Defensive Player of the Year, the first time UAB has had at least one first team selection three consecutive years since 2012. [34] [35]
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cincinnati Bearcats (Big East Conference)(2005–2006) | |||||||||
2005–06 | Cincinnati | 21–13 | 8–8 | 8th | NIT Quarterfinals | ||||
Cincinnati: | 21–13 (.618) | 8–8 (.500) | |||||||
Ole Miss Rebels (Southeastern Conference)(2006–2018) | |||||||||
2006–07 | Ole Miss | 21–13 | 8–8 | T–1st (West) | NIT Second Round | ||||
2007–08 | Ole Miss | 24–11 | 7–9 | 3rd (West) | NIT Semifinals | ||||
2008–09 | Ole Miss | 16–15 | 7–9 | T–4th (West) | |||||
2009–10 | Ole Miss | 24–11 | 9–7 | T–1st (West) | NIT Semifinals | ||||
2010–11 | Ole Miss | 20–14 | 7–9 | T–3rd (West) | NIT First Round | ||||
2011–12 | Ole Miss | 20–14 | 8–8 | T–6th | NIT First Round | ||||
2012–13 | Ole Miss | 27–9 | 12–6 | T–2nd | NCAA Division I Round of 32 | ||||
2013–14 | Ole Miss | 19–14 | 9–9 | T–6th | |||||
2014–15 | Ole Miss | 21–13 | 11–7 | T–3rd | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
2015–16 | Ole Miss | 20–12 | 10–8 | T–6th | |||||
2016–17 | Ole Miss | 22–14 | 10–8 | T–5th | NIT Quarterfinals | ||||
2017–18 | Ole Miss | 11–16 | 4–10 | ||||||
Ole Miss: | 245–156 (.611) | 102–98 (.510) | |||||||
UAB Blazers (Conference USA)(2020–2023) | |||||||||
2020–21 | UAB | 22–7 | 13–5 | 2nd (West) | |||||
2021–22 | UAB | 27–8 | 14–4 | 2nd (West) | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
2022–23 | UAB | 29–10 | 14–6 | 3rd | NIT Runner-up | ||||
UAB Blazers (American Athletic Conference)(2023–present) | |||||||||
2023–24 | UAB | 23–12 | 12–6 | 4th | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
2024–25 | UAB | 2-1 | |||||||
UAB: | 103–38 (.730) | 53–21 (.716) | |||||||
Total: | 369–207 (.641) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion |
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The UAB Blazers are the varsity intercollegiate athletic programs that represent the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). The school is one of the fourteen member institutions of the American Athletic Conference and participates in Division I of the NCAA. The school's men's basketball team plays in 8,508-seat Bartow Arena. The Blazers' colors are green and gold. The men's basketball program has a long history of success spanning several decades.
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The Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team represents the University of Alabama in NCAA Division I men's basketball. The program plays in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Among SEC teams it trails only long-time basketball powerhouse Kentucky in SEC tournament titles, is third behind Kentucky and Tennessee in SEC regular season conference titles, and is fourth behind Kentucky, Texas, and Arkansas in total wins. Alabama was retroactively recognized as the pre-NCAA tournament national champion for the 1929–30 season by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll. The team has appeared in the NCAA tournament 24 times, most recently in 2024, and has made ten Sweet Sixteens, two Elite Eights, and one Final Four in the tournament. Alabama's current head coach is Nate Oats.
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The UAB Blazers men's basketball team represents the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in NCAA Division I men's college basketball, with the 2023–24 season being the Blazers' first as members of the American Athletic Conference. The Blazers play home games at Bartow Arena and are coached by Andy Kennedy. UAB has appeared 17 times in the NCAA men's basketball tournament and most recently appeared in 2024.
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The Battle for the Bones is a sports rivalry between the University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers and the University of Memphis Tigers. The two NCAA Division I schools compete in various sports, with men's basketball and college football in particular being prominent.
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The Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team represents the University of Mississippi in the sport of basketball. The Rebels compete in the NCAA Division I and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They started the 2015–16 season playing home games at Tad Smith Coliseum on the university's Oxford campus, but played their final game in that facility on December 22, 2015. The Rebels opened a new on-campus arena, The Pavilion at Ole Miss, on January 7, 2016. The Rebels were led by 12-year head coach Andy Kennedy until his resignation on February 18, 2018. Tony Madlock, an assistant under Kennedy, served as the interim head coach for the remainder of the 2017–18 season. On March 15, 2018, the school hired former Middle Tennessee head coach Kermit Davis as the new head coach and was formally introduced on March 19. Davis was fired in his sixth season on February 24, 2023, after posting a 2–13 conference record with two games remaining on the schedule. Assistant coach Win Case took over as interim coach for the remainder of the season.
The 1979–80 UAB Blazers men's basketball team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in the 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was head coach Gene Bartow's second season at UAB. The Blazers competed in the Sun Belt Conference and played their home games at the BJCC Arena. They finished the season 18–12, 10–4 in Sun Belt play and lost in the finals of the conference tournament to VCU. They were invited to the 1980 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) only to fall in the first round to Southwestern Louisiana.
The 2012–13 Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team represented the University of Mississippi in the 2012–13 college basketball season. The team's head coach was Andy Kennedy, in his seventh season at Ole Miss. The team played their home games at the Tad Smith Coliseum in Oxford, Mississippi as a member of the Southeastern Conference.
The 2023–24 UAB Blazers men's basketball team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by fourth-year head coach Andy Kennedy, and played their home games at the Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Alabama as first-year members of American Athletic Conference (AAC).
The 2024–25 South Florida Bulls men's basketball team represents the University of South Florida during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The season marks the 53rd basketball season for USF, and the 12th as a member of the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls will play their home games at Yuengling Center on the university's Tampa, Florida campus. They will be led this season by interim head coach Ben Fletcher after head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim passed away on October 24, 2024 at the age of 43.
The 2024–25 UAB Blazers men's basketball team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team is led by fifth-year head coach Andy Kennedy, and played their home games at the Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Alabama as second-year members of American Athletic Conference (AAC).