University of Nebraska at Kearney head men’s basketball coach Kevin Lofton is resigning from his position effective immediately.
Lofton has been part of the UNK program since 1995, serving as a graduate assistant, assistant head coach, associate head coach, co-head coach and head coach during that time.
Assistant coach Antoine Young will lead the Lopers for the remainder of the season as interim head coach.
“We are grateful for Coach Lofton’s dedication and contributions to the Loper basketball program,” said UNK Director of Athletics Marc Bauer. “We wish him the best in his future endeavors and thank him for his service to UNK Athletics. We are excited about the future growth and direction of the team.”
An Arizona native, Lofton played basketball at Yavapai College and Regis (Colo.) University before starting his coaching career at North Platte Community College. He joined UNK in 1995 as a graduate assistant and was promoted to assistant head coach in 1997 and associate head coach in 2001.
Lofton and Tom Kropp were co-head coaches from 2005 to 2015, compiling a 156-125 record over 10 seasons and reaching the NCAA Division II national tournament in 2006 and 2007. Lofton and Kropp were named Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Co-Coaches of the Year in 2006-07, when the Lopers went 24-7 and reached the second round of the national tournament.
Following Kropp’s retirement, Lofton was elevated to head coach in March 2015. His teams have gone 107-122 since then, including a 5-23 record last season and 0-1 mark to start the current campaign. The Lopers recorded back-to-back 20-win seasons from 2015-17 and reached the second round of the NCAA Division II tournament in 2016, but haven’t won a conference championship since 2006.
Young started his coaching career at Concordia University in Seward and spent two years as a graduate assistant at Pittsburg State University before joining the UNK staff in summer 2018. He was a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection while playing for Creighton University and helped the Bluejays reach the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
Kevin Lofton coaching career
2015-23: UNK (Head Coach)
2005-15: UNK (Co-Head Coach)
2001-05: UNK (Associate Head Coach)
1997-2001: UNK (Assistant Head Coach)
1995-97: UNK (Graduate Assistant Coach)
1994-95: North Platte Community College (Assistant Coach)
