Nebraska-Kearney head men’s basketball coach Kevin Lofton announced today that Devin Eighmey (pronounced amy) and Ken Moses will be his assistant coaches.
Over the last two seasons, Moses served as the Lopers graduate assistant while Eighmey held the same title at NW Missouri State. Both will be involved in all aspects of the program.
“The biggest strength Ken and Devin bring to the table as they know how tough this conference is. Both have been GA’s in the MIAA and understand the travel and how hard it is to win night in and night out. They know the preparation it takes to be successful and also the kind of players you need to win in the MIAA.”
Moses helped UNK win 33 games over the last two seasons, seeing the Lopers twice reach the MIAA Tournament in Kansas City. Three different players have earned all-league recognition in 2014 and 2015, including ’15 Player of the Year Connor Beranek.
Prior to coming to Kearney, Moses spent three years as an assistant coach at his alma mater, RMAC-member Colorado State-Pueblo. He helped the ThunderWolves win 39 games, which included a fourth place showing in the league during the 2012-13 season.
As a player for Pueblo, Moses appeared in 80 games with 15 starts. He graduated from Mililani High School in Honolulu, Hawai’i.
“Ken has done a real good job in the two years he’s been a part of our program. He has great rapport with the kids and everyone wanted to see him stick around and continue to develop as a coach,” said Lofton.
A native of Independence, Mo., Eighmey was part of a NW Missouri program that won 49 games over the past two winters. The Bearcats won its first outright MIAA regular season title in 30 years in 2014-15 while also reaching the NCAA “Sweet 16” for a second straight season.Devin Eighmey
Northwest had a slew of individual honors over the past two seasons, including an NABC All-American, two MIAA Freshmen of the Year and two MIAA Defensive Players of the Year.
Prior to working in Maryville, Eighmey coached at Division II William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo. He helped the Cardinals win 14 games and reach the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament during 2012-13.
“I know Coach (Ben) McCollum at Northwest. Along with Coach (Pat) Eberhart at UNO and Coach (Brian) Dolan at Wayne, they all spoke very highly of Devin,” said Lofton. “He was a part of some great teams the past two years. Devin is real energetic, has a good basketball mind and recruiting is something he does extremely well.”
As a player, Eighmey was a two-time all-region selection at Central Missouri College and then played at Division II Upper Iowa and Peru State. In his senior season for the Bobcats, he was named team captain and played in all 30 games.
He graduated from Peru with a double major (K-12 Health & P.E. and Sports Management & Exercise Science) and helped coach the Bobcats while finishing his degree. Eighmey also holds a Master’s in Education from NW Missouri.
UNK returns its top five scorers off last year’s 18-10 team, including first-team All-MIAA selections Connor Beranek
http://www.lopers.com/news/2015/6/19/MBB_0619151729.aspx
