West Chester University men’s basketball head coach Damien Blair has announced that former assistant, Ben Kay, has returned to the Golden Rams as his top assistant for the 2021-22 campaign. Kay replaces Dane Watts, who stepped down from coaching in August.
Kay spent two seasons on Blair’s coaching staff from 2015 to 2017, before leaving to become the head coach at Penn State-Brandywine for one season and then the Director of Basketball Operations at Division I Rider University for the past two seasons. He brings with him extensive knowledge of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) as well as experiences gained in being a head coach and in charge of his own program and a Director of Basketball Operations at the next level of college basketball.
“It is great to have someone with Ben’s enthusiasm and high level of expertise in the areas of recruiting, fundraising and the X’s and O’s,” Blair commented. “He is also very familiar with the way in which we do things, so I am confident tha the will have an instant impact on the program’s success.”
Kay helped Rider finish the 2020-21 campaign at 18-12, earning them the third seed in the postseason conference tournament. Kay assisted the coaching staff in all aspects of running the program with an emphasis on equipment management, budgeting, recruiting and managing the support staff.
“I am really excited to come back to West Chester in this capacity,” Kay said. “West Chester is home to me and a place that helped mold me into the coach and educator that I am today. I earned my master’s degree in Public Administration from West Chester University and spent two years early in my coaching career here. I cannot thank Coach Blair and WCU’s Director of Athletics, Terry Beattie, enough for this opportunity and cannot wait to get started.”
Kay spent 2017-18 as head coach at Penn State-Brandywine, leading the Lions to one of the top seasons in program history. During that campaign, Kay captured the school’s first conference championship after reach the title game for the first time since 1991. As a result of all that success, PSU-Brandywine also made an appearance in the U.S.Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Tournament, and Kay was named Sam Cozen Small College Coach of the Year The Lions finished with more than 20 wins for the first time in 12 years. The Lions became the first men’s team to win a game in the national tournament when they knocked off New Hampshire Institute of Technology (NHIT) to reach the national semifinals.
A 2012 graduate of Drexel University, Kay earned his bachelor’s degree in Business and Marketing. He also earned his master’s degree in Public Administration with certificates in Sports Management and Administration at West Chester University.
https://wcupagoldenrams.com/news/2021/9/16/mens-basketball-announces-ben-kay-as-top-assistant.aspx
