Kevin Kuwik has been named assistant coach, while Will Thoni replaces him as Director of Operations, Davidson head men’s basketball coach Bob McKillop announced on Wednesday.
Coach McKillop on Kuwik
“Kevin was a superb addition to our staff. I’m absolutely certain that he will be an outstanding head coach in the very near future.”
Coach McKillop on Thoni
“Will has clearly earned this next opportunity to move up the coaching ladder. His passion and energy to help our program has been inspiring to all of our players and coaches.”
Both Kuwik and Thoni were integral parts in the Wildcats’ run to their first-ever Atlantic 10 Tournament crown last season and program’s 14th NCAA Tournament appearance.
Kuwik replaces Ryan Mee, who was named the head coach at Vassar College on May 30.
About Kevin Kuwik
Kevin Kuwik joined the Davidson staff a year ago as the Director of Operations after six seasons at the University of Dayton, where he was an assistant coach.
“Being a part of this special program has been a tremendous experience, in particular getting to know and work with Coach McKillop and our staff, the players, and the entire Davidson community,” Kuwik said. “My family and I are so appreciative of Coach for this opportunity, and I am looking forward to the challenge of the upcoming 2018-19 season.”
In addition, he holds 20 years of collegiate coaching and administrative experience, which included brief stints at Ohio State (video coordinator) and one season as the Director of Operations at Butler under Brad Stevens, who is now the head coach of the Boston Celtics.
While at Ohio State, Kuwik was responsible for scouting opponents as the Buckeyes achieved a 63-11 overall record, Big Ten regular season and tournament championships both years, and a pair of Sweet 16 appearances.
Before Butler, Kuwik was a full-time assistant at Ohio University from 2001-08, taking an 18-month leave of absence during 2004-05 to serve with the 113th Engineer Battalion of the Indiana National Guard in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He used leave time to return to the Bobcat bench and help OU win the 2005 Mid-American Conference tournament championship and reach the NCAA’s. During his time in Athens, the Bobcats were 120-95 with two postseason appearances.
Kuwik began his coaching career in 1998 at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tenn. In his two seasons there, the Buccaneers improved from 3-22 to 12-14. He then went to Saint Michael’s College just outside Burlington, Vermont. He helped the Purple Knights to the best season in school history, finishing with a 27-4 record and the No. 3 ranking in the year’s final NCAA Division II poll.
A native of Lackawanna, New York, Kuwik attended the University of Notre Dame, where he served as a student assistant under former NBA coach John MacLeod for three seasons. Kuwik graduated summa cum laude from Notre Dame with a Mechanical Engineering degree in 1996. In his final year in South Bend, he was Senior Class President.
Kuwik was also a Distinguished Military Graduate in Notre Dame’s Army ROTC program. He was able to serve 10 years in the military as he began his coaching career. While serving in Iraq, he earned a Bronze Star for meritorious service (the Army’s highest merit award). He received an honorable discharge from the military in 2006.
Kuwik and his wife Kathryn reside in Huntersville with their daughter, Natalie.
About Will Thoni
Prior to his current role, Will Thoni ’14 spent the last two seasons as the Director of Student-Athlete Development and the two before that as the Assistant for Program Development.
“I am extremely excited about the promotion to Director of Basketball Operations,” Thoni said. “Over the past eight years, Coach McKillop has empowered me to grow in every aspect of our program and provided me countless opportunities to develop as a young coach. I am very fortunate to have worked with some outstanding coaches as well as so many fantastic student-athletes that have contributed greatly to my time here. I am looking forward to continuing our quest for Atlantic 10 Championships.”
Since joining the Davidson staff in 2014, Thoni has helped the Wildcats to an 82-48 overall record, 45-27 conference mark and three postseason appearances (2015 & 2018 NCAA, 2016 NIT).
Thoni has been a valuable part of the Wildcats’ program the last eight years. After serving as a student manager for three, he was awarded a spot on the 2013-14 roster as a walk-on.
As a player for Coach McKillop (2013-14) and three-year student manager (2010-13), Thoni was a part of two Southern Conference tournament titles and four straight postseason appearances (2 – NCAA, 1 NIT, 1 CBI).
During the 2012 and 2013 summers, Thoni was a member of USA Basketball’s support staff for the U-17 National and World University Games Team, respectively.
Originally from Sewanee, Tenn., Thoni graduated from Davidson in May of 2014 with a degree in sociology.
