Andy Kennedy has returned to coaching in college basketball. The former Ole Miss Head Coach will return to his alma mater, the UAB Blazers. This is a fantastic hire for UAB because they get a talented coach capable of doing well with limited resources. He is also already familiar with the program and has a built-in incentive to stay and build the program. UAB has some work to do to rebuild its program, but Kennedy could do it.
Sources: Andy Kennedy has agreed in principle to become the next head basketball coach at UAB. Official announcement expected soon.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 19, 2020
Kennedy’s last season with Ole Miss in 2017-18 was his only losing season in his coaching career. He only made the NCAA Tournament two times in 12 years with one SEC Tournament Championship. His career at Ole Miss saw him with a record of 245-156. It is easy to argue that really didn’t have the institutional support needed with Ole Miss. Andy Kennedy also spent one year with Cincinnati in 2005-06 and led the Bearcats to a 21-13 record.
The coaching talent is absolutely there with Kennedy and being in a smaller conference may help him shine through with less than ideal talent at times. UAB finished 19-13 this year with a 9-9 Conference USA record. Their former head coach Rob Ehsan was fired after four seasons despite never finishing with a losing record. He also had two different 20 win seasons in those four years.
The program felt it was time to move on and getting an alumnus in Andy Kennedy certainly helps matters. The window for Andy Kennedy to succeed could be significant should the Blazers give him the time. This is a great hire for UAB and hopefully, things work out for them and their new head coach.
