The University of Tulsa head men’s basketball coach Frank Haith announced on Tuesday that he has added Kenton Paulino to his staff as an assistant coach.
“I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Kenton, Shelette and their daughter, Keira, to Tulsa,” Haith said. “Pam and I have known Kenton and Shelette for many years and they fit our University and Tulsa communities perfectly. Kenton has always been a winner and he has carried that tenacity for winning into his coaching career. I have always had great respect for his preparation, energy and passion for the game of basketball. Those traits have made him one of the best young coaches in our game.
“Kenton helped recruit and develop great players as an assistant coach at Fresno State and his ability to build relationships on and off the court will allow him to thrive here at Tulsa.”
“First, I want to thank Coach Haith for giving me this amazing opportunity,” Paulino said. “Coach Haith recruited and coached me at Texas, so I have known him since I was 17. He is someone that has been a mentor to me and someone that I have looked up to for a long time. I am familiar with the rich history of the Tulsa program and have heard nothing but great things about the city. I am extremely excited to work with the outstanding coaching staff and student-athletes that Coach Haith has brought together and to be a part of Tulsa’s winning tradition.”
Paulino comes to Tulsa after serving five seasons as an assistant coach (2012-17) at Fresno State, where he was primarily responsible for game preparation, recruiting, skill development and summer camp coordination.
During his time in the Valley he helped build the Bulldogs into a perennial contender in the Mountain West Conference. Paulino aided Fresno State to 92 wins, including three 20-win campaigns, and three postseason appearances in his tenure. With Paulino on the staff, Fresno State increased its conference win total in four of his five seasons.
Last season, the Bulldogs won 20 games and earned their third trip to the postseason in the last four years with a berth in the National Invitational Tournament. That came on the heels of a sterling 25-10 record in 2015-16 that included the Mountain West Tournament title, which was the program’s first conference championship since 2000, and a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Fresno State increased its win total from 11 to 21 in Paulino’s second season (2013-14) on the bench and the Bulldogs finished as the runner-up in the 2014 College Basketball Invitational.
Paulino was instrumental in the development of guard Marvelle Harris, who was named the 2015-16 Mountain West Preseason and Postseason Player of the Year. Harris averaged 20.7 ppg and was an NABC All-District selection as well as an Associated Press All-America honorable mention pick. He was twice named first-team All-Mountain West and was a two-time member of the league’s All-Defensive Team.
Paulino also worked extensively with forward Paul Watson, who was the 2014 Mountain West Freshman of the Year and a Freshman All-American. In all, Bulldogs student-athletes earned 10 all-conference certificates, including three All-Defensive Team honors.
Paulino earned his first assistant coaching job at Lamar in 2011-12 and helped the Cardinals to the Southland Conference Tournament title and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2000. Additionally, Lamar topped 20 wins for the first time in 24 years and its 23 wins tied for the third-highest single-season total in program history.
Prior to his time at Lamar, Paulino worked for three seasons (2008-111) as a special assistant at Texas under head coach Rick Barnes. There he helped the Longhorns to 75 wins, three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and the program’s first No. 1 ranking in the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls (2009-10).
Paulino was recruited to Texas by Haith and played for the Longhorns from 2002-06. A two-year starter and four-year letterwinner, Paulino was a member of four NCAA Tournament teams and made trips to the Final Four (2003), Elite Eight (2006) and Sweet 16 (2004). He appeared in 106 games playing both the point and shooting guard positions and was a team tri-captain as a senior.
During that senior campaign in 2005-06, Paulino helped lead the Longhorns to a 30-7 record, the Big 12 Conference regular-season title and an Elite Eight appearance. He started all 37 games that season and earned the Lowe’s Home Improvement Most Improved Player award from the team, was a member of the conference’s All-Underrated Team as selected by the media and was one of six players nationally named to the Sports Illustrated “All-Glue” team.
The senior forever put his stamp on March Madness with a game-winning 3-pointer as time expired that sent the Longhorns on to the Elite Eight with a dramatic 74-71 win over No. 22 West Virginia.
After his senior season, Paulino played two years professionally. He spent a year oversees in Turkey and another as a member of the Austin Toros (2007-08), the NBA G League affiliate of the San Antonio Spurs.
Paulino earned his bachelor’s of arts degree in ethnic studies from Texas in 2008. The Los Angeles native is married to the former Shelette Williams and the couple have a daughter, Kiera Meshell.
