Kearney, Neb. – Nebraska-Kearney Athletic Director Jon McBride announced today that Southern Illinois Edwardsville lead assistant
Kevin Chaney is the Lopers new head women's basketball coach.
He replaces Carol Russell, who resigned in early March.
Chaney, a California native, will be the sixth head coach in the program's modern era (since 1969). During this time, UNK has won over 670 games and made 14 national tournament appearances.
“Bottom line, Kevin is ready to run his own program. He brings outstanding professional and personal attributes to UNK. He will be a strong addition to the Loper athletic program,” said McBride.
Chaney recently completed his 16th season as an assistant coach. He has worked at two NCAA
Division I schools (Nevada & SIUE), two NCAA Division II schools (Minnesota-Duluth & Lincoln, Mo.) and one junior college (Solano C.C., Calif.).
“I am very excited to be a part of the great tradition of women's basketball here at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. I plan to implement an exciting style of basketball that our fans will truly enjoy and honor a commitment to excellence with our team in the classroom. My vision is to build a program that promotes hard work, a competitive spirit, with a disciplined yet fun environment that manifests intense Loper Pride on the court,” said Chaney. “With the support of Chancellor Doug Kristensen and our Director of Athletics, Jon McBride, we will begin a new era that will bring Loper Basketball back to the conference championship and to national prominence in Division II basketball. I am truly honored to begin my head coaching career here at UNK and excited for the challenges and opportunities before us.”
Over the last two seasons, Chaney has been the top assistant at SIUE, helping the Cougars make the transition from Division II to Division I.
"We are extremely excited for
Kevin Chaney as well as the University of Nebraska-Kearney. Kevin is an outstanding individual, recruiter, mentor of student-athletes and coach. We've been very fortunate here to have him be part of building our foundation in our transition to Division I. I am confident he will be an integral part of Nebraska-Kearney's future success," said Dr. Brad Hewitt, SIUE Director of Athletics.
Involved in all aspects of the program, he was the recruiting and travel coordinator, academic advisor and worked closely with post player development on the court.
"He's been a big part of our staff. He has helped us start to build the foundation of our program and get us moving in the right direction. He's very professional, very organized, and really cares about the players,” said SIUE head coach Amanda Levens, who also worked with Chaney at Nevada. “Nebraska-Kearney is getting a good coach and an even better person. We appreciate all the work he has put in here and wish him the best in building his own program."
Before Edwardsville, Chaney spent one year in Duluth, which is a member of the NSIC (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference). The RMAC and NSIC comprise the Central Region.
For the Bulldogs, he worked as recruiting coordinator, travel coordinator, academic advisor, coach in charge of all defense and presses and as camp director for all summer camps and clinics.
Prior to UMD, Chaney spent one year as an assistant men's coach at Lincoln, located in Jefferson City, Mo. He served as the Blue Tigers recruiting coordinator, travel coordinator, academic advisor and developed and implemented a new scouting and recruiting database.
Chaney's first job at the four-year level came at Nevada, where he was an assistant from 2003-06. During his tenure he served as the Wolf Pack's recruiting and travel coordinator, fundraising coordinator, liaison for compliance, strength and conditioning coach and athletic trainer. As a new program, Chaney had to create and build a new recruiting database and develop fundraisers for the program.
Inheriting a program that had very few wins, Chaney was part of a turnaround that saw the Wolf Pack reach 13 wins three years later and have a fourth place finish in the WAC (Western Athletic Conference), which was the 7th ranked Division I conference at the time
Chaney began his coaching career at Solano Community College of Fairfield, Calif. As the top assistant from 1994-2003, he helped guide the Falcons to five conference championships, one California state Elite Eight appearance and one final four trip.
During this time, Chaney was the first assistant coach voted to the Board of Directors for the California Community College Women's Basketball Association.
A graduate of the College of San Mateo and San Diego State University, he will receive a Master's in Kinesiology with and emphasis in Sports Management from SIUE next month. He has a 21-year old daughter, Krystal, who lives in Southern California studying to be an X-ray technician.
Chaney is a member of the WBCA (Women's Basketball Coaches Association), BCA (Black Coaches Association) and FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes).
In 2009, he graduated from the Achieving Coaching Excellence Program (A.C.E.), which was sponsored by the BCA, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics (CWA) and the Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee.
