Following up on a rumor from earlier in the week (http://hoopdirt.com/blog/ed83b1f7/toledo-rumor/…)…North Dakota State assistant Jason Kemp has officially been named as an assistant at Toledo. Here’s the official statement:
Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk announced the hiring of Jason Kemp today as an assistant coach for the Rocket men’s basketball program. Kemp comes to Toledo following six years as an assistant coach at North Dakota State.
“I am extremely pleased to welcome Jason to our Rocket family,” Kowalczyk said. “Jason has been instrumental in helping North Dakota State become one of the top mid-major programs in the country, and his knowledge and experience will be vital to continuing our program’s ascent. He is familiar with all facets of how a successful program operates, and I’m looking forward to the new ideas he can provide to our players and coaching staff.”
Kemp, 32, has spent his last eight years on the Bison’s basketball staff, first as a graduate assistant coach for two seasons (2005-07) under current Nebraska head coach Tim Miles and for the last six years (2007-13) as an assistant under Saul Phillips. During his time as an NDSU assistant coach, the Bison posted a 108-77 (.584) overall and 63-43 (.594) Summit League record and advanced to post-season play on three occasions (2009 NCAA, 2012 CBI, 2013 CBI). He also aided in the Bison’s transition from NCAA Division II to Division I classification and helped NDSU to an NCAA Tournament in its first year of eligibility for post-season play.
“I’m very thankful and excited to be joining the Rockets’ program,” Kemp said. “The job that Coach Kowalczyk has done in just three years has been extremely impressive. The staff has put together a group of young men who have worked hard to put Rocket Basketball back on the map. My eight years of experience with a championship-level program at North Dakota State have prepared me for a new challenge. It’s going to be a privilege to work at The University of Toledo, and I will work hard to continue building on the recent success the basketball program has enjoyed.”
A Madison, WI native, Kemp was a four-year letterwinner in basketball at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He served as a team captain his senior year before joining his former head coach Stu Engen as an assistant coach at Minnesota State Moorhead for the 2004-05 campaign.
Kemp earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science from Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2004 and completed a master’s degree in sport and recreation management at North Dakota State in December 2006.
Stay with HoopDirt for the latest college basketball coaching news and rumors.
