Men's Basketball
Kennedy, Billy
Billy Kennedy
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Phone:
- (270) 809-6804
Billy Kennedy just finished his fifth season as Murray State University’s head men’s basketball coach and the Racer program again had an outstanding season in 2010-11 that included the program’s 22nd Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship and seventh appearance in the National Invitation Tournament.
Under Coach Kennedy’s guidance, the Racers recorded their 24th all-time 20-win season and their 24th straight winning season, which ranks them fourth in the nation along with Connecticut and behind only Syracuse (41), Kansas (28) and Arizona (27).
MSU went 23-9 and Kennedy had the distinction of picking up his 100th win at Murray State (He’s the third fastest at MSU to get to 100) when the Racers defeated Tennessee State (Feb. 3). His winning percentage of .668 ranks second among MSU coaches who have served five or more seasons.
Kennedy also scored his 200th overall victory in his 13th season as a head coach against Tennessee Tech (Jan. 15).
When the 2010-11 season was finished, Kennedy became the only coach in MSU history to be named OVC Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons.
The 23-9 season comes on the heels of Kennedy’s 31-9 campaign in 2009-10 when MSU also won a game in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1988.
In the last two seasons the Racers are 54-14 (.794) overall and 31-5 (.861) in the OVC under Coach Kennedy.
THE KENNEDY ERA AT MURRAY STATE
It is difficult to determine where to start when describing the Billy Kennedy era at Murray State. Does one begin with the rebuilding season of 2006-07 when he managed to keep MSU’s consecutive winning season streak intact with a patch-work roster? Or do we examine the last two seasons that include 54 victories, two OVC regular season titles plus back-to-back postseason appearances in the NCAA and NIT?
“When I look back on the time leading up to our first season here, it’s amazing what we accomplished,” Kennedy said. “I remember looking at the roster and we only had five guys, but we added Danero Thomas, Ed Horton, Bruce Carter and Dwayne Paul and did a lot more than what people thought we would do.”
In Kennedy’s five seasons at MSU, the Racers are a total 70-24 (.744) in OVC play with two outright championships and three second place finishes.
One top of being named OVC Coach of the Year twice, Kennedy was also named NABC District-19 Coach of the Year following the 2009-10 season and he was also a finalist for the Skip Prosser Award and Hugh Durham Award. The Racers were honored with the OVC Men’s Basketball Sportsmanship Award in voting by the leagues’ head coaches following the 31-5 season.
“We have developed continuity of having a great staff,” Kennedy said. “Steve Prohm has been with me 12 of the 13 years of my time as a head coach. Isaac Chew has been here four seasons and Amir Abdur-Rahim played for me and now coaches with me, so we do have a staff that has been together for a while.”
After numerous close calls and three-straight second- place finishes, the Racers won both the Ohio Valley Conference regular season and tournament championship in the 2009-10 season. The Racers capped it off with the program’s second win in the NCAA Tournament when they took down Vanderbilt in San Jose, Calif. That 2009-10 season is in the books as the best all-time in 85 seasons of this storied program. 31 wins and a 17-game winning streak were just two of several MSU records that fell during the Racers’ run to their 14th trip to the big dance.
Kennedy has achieved a lot in his profession, especially in the last seven seasons where his teams have averaged 21 wins per season and have earned four conference championships and two trips to the NCAA Tournament and one to the NIT.
KENNEDY’S OUTLOOK
Has Kennedy enjoyed coaching more than he is right now after 26 seasons in the game and 13 as a head coach?
“No, especially from an X’s and O’s standpoint,” Kennedy said. “We’ve got such a good group that we don’t have to come in everyday and jack them up and coach effort and that’s why we had a great season. When you get that, you can win, and we’re hoping to do it again.”
Kennedy has developed his own unique philosophy from the coaches he served with as an assistant and the time he has been a head coach.
His view on how to run a college basketball program is simple…it’s all about the student-athletes and the relationship he has with them once they decide to join the Murray State family.
“We have a goal in our program and that is to train young men physically, mentally and spiritually,” Kennedy said. “And to display toughness and character on and off the court.”
Kennedy’s love for college basketball is very evident.
“I thought I’d be a head coach some day, but I was never caught up in thinking I had to be a head coach,” He said. “I love college basketball, I love what I do and I’m blessed to be doing what I do. Just to be a part of this great game has been fun.”
RACERS PERFORM OFF THE COURT
Not only have the Racers won many basketball games, they’ve performed in the classroom and won the OVC’s Team Academic Award for men’s basketball for the 2008-09 school year.
“We feel that our program is going in the right direction, and we’re pleased with the progress we’ve made,” Kennedy said. “Our student-athletes are doing it the right way. “
In addition to academic achievement, MSU is also about winning championships and that is where Kennedy wants to be.
“That’s what we’ve been striving and building for since I came here,” Kennedy said. “My staff and I want to get it done and so does our team.”
THE KENNEDY BASKETBALL FOCUS
Kennedy’s basketball philosophy starts with a rock-solid foundation of tough, in-your-face defense.
In the 2009-10 season, Kennedy’s Racers dominated the court on defense and were part of a group of only eight teams that led their conference in overall field goal percentage (.499) and field goal percentage defense (.387).
The Racers led the OVC in scoring defense, field goal percentage defense, three-point percentage defense, blocked shots and steals plus they held the opponent’s leading scorer under his average in 31 of 36 games.
Under Kennedy’s watch, the Racers have led the league in defending the three-point shot for the four of five seasons and scoring defense in the last three seasons. They’ve been in the top-four in field goal percentage defense in all of his five season and have led the league in this category three times.
“When I was a player that’s how I played.” Kennedy said. “I wasn’t a great offensive player, but I could play defense, and I think that if I could do it then anybody can.”
When he became a head coach, Kennedy made a commitment to making defense the calling card of his teams.
“Everyone knows that’s what we do at Murray State,” he said. “We just need to make sure that we keep that as the main focus of our team. It’s easy to get distracted by the success we’ve had, to think about making the threes and all the pretty stuff. We’re a blue-collar team, and that’s the way we will be.”
KENNEDY’S COACHING LEGACY
Kennedy’s road to Murray State began April 12, 2006 after six years as the head coach at Southeastern Louisiana University and one season as an assistant at the University of Miami (Fla.). In his final two seasons at SLU, Kennedy guided the Lions to a 44-18 record, two Southland Conference regular season titles and the school’s first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.
He was named Coach of the Year by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (In District-8) in back-to-back years.
In 2004-05, Southeastern posted a 24-9 record, the best in school history, won its second consecutive Southland Conference title with a 13-3 league mark, claimed the school’s first conference tournament championship and advanced to face Oklahoma State in the NCAA Tournament.
In his one season assisting Frank Haith at Miami, Kennedy helped lead the Hurricanes to the quarterfinals of the National Invitational Tournament with an 18-16 record. Miami had wins over North Carolina, Maryland and Oklahoma State.
Prior to taking over at SLU, Kennedy spent two seasons (1997-99) as head coach at Centenary College where he was able to turn the program around in just two seasons. Centenary went from only six wins in 1997-98 to a 14-14 mark in his final season.
The Metairie, La., native spent 11 seasons as an assistant coach at seven Division I schools, including New Orleans, Wyoming, Northwestern State, Tulane, Texas A&M, Creighton and the University of California. He helped lead New Orleans to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 1987. UNO was a 13-seed when they upset 2-seed BYU and then lost to Alabama. Kennedy also assisted Wyoming’s run to the NCAA Tournament in 1988. During his four seasons at California, the Golden Bears had two 20-win seasons and made three appearances in the NCAA Tournament and one trip to the Sweet 16.
He earned a solid reputation as a recruiter early in his career while an assistant at California where three of his classes were considered among the best in the nation. Kennedy recruited Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Tony Gonzalez to the Cal program.
KENNEDY’S EDUCATION-FAMILY
Kennedy, 45, received his Bachelor of Arts degree in social studies education from Southeastern Louisiana University in 1986. He was a star basketball player at Holy Cross High School in New Orleans before attending Delgado Community College where he earned an associate of arts degree in general studies in 1984.
He is still a big fan of his hometown team, the New Orleans Saints, and was thrilled to see the Saints win the Super Bowl in 2010. The fact that it coincided with the Racers’ run to the NCAA Tournament was just icing on the cake.
Kennedy is married to the former Mary Ethredge, and he has four children, Will (22), Lexie (20), Brooks (15) and Anna Cate (6).
Under Coach Kennedy’s guidance, the Racers recorded their 24th all-time 20-win season and their 24th straight winning season, which ranks them fourth in the nation along with Connecticut and behind only Syracuse (41), Kansas (28) and Arizona (27).
MSU went 23-9 and Kennedy had the distinction of picking up his 100th win at Murray State (He’s the third fastest at MSU to get to 100) when the Racers defeated Tennessee State (Feb. 3). His winning percentage of .668 ranks second among MSU coaches who have served five or more seasons.
Kennedy also scored his 200th overall victory in his 13th season as a head coach against Tennessee Tech (Jan. 15).
When the 2010-11 season was finished, Kennedy became the only coach in MSU history to be named OVC Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons.
The 23-9 season comes on the heels of Kennedy’s 31-9 campaign in 2009-10 when MSU also won a game in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1988.
In the last two seasons the Racers are 54-14 (.794) overall and 31-5 (.861) in the OVC under Coach Kennedy.
THE KENNEDY ERA AT MURRAY STATE
It is difficult to determine where to start when describing the Billy Kennedy era at Murray State. Does one begin with the rebuilding season of 2006-07 when he managed to keep MSU’s consecutive winning season streak intact with a patch-work roster? Or do we examine the last two seasons that include 54 victories, two OVC regular season titles plus back-to-back postseason appearances in the NCAA and NIT?
“When I look back on the time leading up to our first season here, it’s amazing what we accomplished,” Kennedy said. “I remember looking at the roster and we only had five guys, but we added Danero Thomas, Ed Horton, Bruce Carter and Dwayne Paul and did a lot more than what people thought we would do.”
In Kennedy’s five seasons at MSU, the Racers are a total 70-24 (.744) in OVC play with two outright championships and three second place finishes.
One top of being named OVC Coach of the Year twice, Kennedy was also named NABC District-19 Coach of the Year following the 2009-10 season and he was also a finalist for the Skip Prosser Award and Hugh Durham Award. The Racers were honored with the OVC Men’s Basketball Sportsmanship Award in voting by the leagues’ head coaches following the 31-5 season.
“We have developed continuity of having a great staff,” Kennedy said. “Steve Prohm has been with me 12 of the 13 years of my time as a head coach. Isaac Chew has been here four seasons and Amir Abdur-Rahim played for me and now coaches with me, so we do have a staff that has been together for a while.”
After numerous close calls and three-straight second- place finishes, the Racers won both the Ohio Valley Conference regular season and tournament championship in the 2009-10 season. The Racers capped it off with the program’s second win in the NCAA Tournament when they took down Vanderbilt in San Jose, Calif. That 2009-10 season is in the books as the best all-time in 85 seasons of this storied program. 31 wins and a 17-game winning streak were just two of several MSU records that fell during the Racers’ run to their 14th trip to the big dance.
Kennedy has achieved a lot in his profession, especially in the last seven seasons where his teams have averaged 21 wins per season and have earned four conference championships and two trips to the NCAA Tournament and one to the NIT.
KENNEDY’S OUTLOOK
Has Kennedy enjoyed coaching more than he is right now after 26 seasons in the game and 13 as a head coach?
“No, especially from an X’s and O’s standpoint,” Kennedy said. “We’ve got such a good group that we don’t have to come in everyday and jack them up and coach effort and that’s why we had a great season. When you get that, you can win, and we’re hoping to do it again.”
Kennedy has developed his own unique philosophy from the coaches he served with as an assistant and the time he has been a head coach.
His view on how to run a college basketball program is simple…it’s all about the student-athletes and the relationship he has with them once they decide to join the Murray State family.
“We have a goal in our program and that is to train young men physically, mentally and spiritually,” Kennedy said. “And to display toughness and character on and off the court.”
Kennedy’s love for college basketball is very evident.
“I thought I’d be a head coach some day, but I was never caught up in thinking I had to be a head coach,” He said. “I love college basketball, I love what I do and I’m blessed to be doing what I do. Just to be a part of this great game has been fun.”
RACERS PERFORM OFF THE COURT
Not only have the Racers won many basketball games, they’ve performed in the classroom and won the OVC’s Team Academic Award for men’s basketball for the 2008-09 school year.
“We feel that our program is going in the right direction, and we’re pleased with the progress we’ve made,” Kennedy said. “Our student-athletes are doing it the right way. “
In addition to academic achievement, MSU is also about winning championships and that is where Kennedy wants to be.
“That’s what we’ve been striving and building for since I came here,” Kennedy said. “My staff and I want to get it done and so does our team.”
THE KENNEDY BASKETBALL FOCUS
Kennedy’s basketball philosophy starts with a rock-solid foundation of tough, in-your-face defense.
In the 2009-10 season, Kennedy’s Racers dominated the court on defense and were part of a group of only eight teams that led their conference in overall field goal percentage (.499) and field goal percentage defense (.387).
The Racers led the OVC in scoring defense, field goal percentage defense, three-point percentage defense, blocked shots and steals plus they held the opponent’s leading scorer under his average in 31 of 36 games.
Under Kennedy’s watch, the Racers have led the league in defending the three-point shot for the four of five seasons and scoring defense in the last three seasons. They’ve been in the top-four in field goal percentage defense in all of his five season and have led the league in this category three times.
“When I was a player that’s how I played.” Kennedy said. “I wasn’t a great offensive player, but I could play defense, and I think that if I could do it then anybody can.”
When he became a head coach, Kennedy made a commitment to making defense the calling card of his teams.
“Everyone knows that’s what we do at Murray State,” he said. “We just need to make sure that we keep that as the main focus of our team. It’s easy to get distracted by the success we’ve had, to think about making the threes and all the pretty stuff. We’re a blue-collar team, and that’s the way we will be.”
KENNEDY’S COACHING LEGACY
Kennedy’s road to Murray State began April 12, 2006 after six years as the head coach at Southeastern Louisiana University and one season as an assistant at the University of Miami (Fla.). In his final two seasons at SLU, Kennedy guided the Lions to a 44-18 record, two Southland Conference regular season titles and the school’s first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.
He was named Coach of the Year by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (In District-8) in back-to-back years.
In 2004-05, Southeastern posted a 24-9 record, the best in school history, won its second consecutive Southland Conference title with a 13-3 league mark, claimed the school’s first conference tournament championship and advanced to face Oklahoma State in the NCAA Tournament.
In his one season assisting Frank Haith at Miami, Kennedy helped lead the Hurricanes to the quarterfinals of the National Invitational Tournament with an 18-16 record. Miami had wins over North Carolina, Maryland and Oklahoma State.
Prior to taking over at SLU, Kennedy spent two seasons (1997-99) as head coach at Centenary College where he was able to turn the program around in just two seasons. Centenary went from only six wins in 1997-98 to a 14-14 mark in his final season.
The Metairie, La., native spent 11 seasons as an assistant coach at seven Division I schools, including New Orleans, Wyoming, Northwestern State, Tulane, Texas A&M, Creighton and the University of California. He helped lead New Orleans to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 1987. UNO was a 13-seed when they upset 2-seed BYU and then lost to Alabama. Kennedy also assisted Wyoming’s run to the NCAA Tournament in 1988. During his four seasons at California, the Golden Bears had two 20-win seasons and made three appearances in the NCAA Tournament and one trip to the Sweet 16.
He earned a solid reputation as a recruiter early in his career while an assistant at California where three of his classes were considered among the best in the nation. Kennedy recruited Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Tony Gonzalez to the Cal program.
KENNEDY’S EDUCATION-FAMILY
Kennedy, 45, received his Bachelor of Arts degree in social studies education from Southeastern Louisiana University in 1986. He was a star basketball player at Holy Cross High School in New Orleans before attending Delgado Community College where he earned an associate of arts degree in general studies in 1984.
He is still a big fan of his hometown team, the New Orleans Saints, and was thrilled to see the Saints win the Super Bowl in 2010. The fact that it coincided with the Racers’ run to the NCAA Tournament was just icing on the cake.
Kennedy is married to the former Mary Ethredge, and he has four children, Will (22), Lexie (20), Brooks (15) and Anna Cate (6).
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