I mentioned this one back on 3/26 (DAILY DIRT). It’s now official. Here’s the announcement from Lewis University on the hiring of Kevin Reynolds as their head basketball coach:
Lewis University Assistant Vice President for Athletics John Ashaolu announced today (April 7) that Kevin Reynolds has been named the 11th head coach in Lewis men’s basketball history. Reynolds is a proven program builder with a track record of leading turnarounds and guiding teams to NCAA tournament appearances at multiple institutions.
“Throughout this process, it was important for us to identify a leader who could elevate our program competitively while developing young men the right way” Ashaolu said. “Kevin Reynolds embodies that vision. Out of more than 175 candidates, his experience, success at the Division II level, and ability to connect with student-athletes set him apart. He is a high-level recruiter, a strong tactician, and a coach whose teams compete with relentless effort. Kevin fits seamlessly into the culture we are building at Lewis, and we are excited for what lies ahead.”
In his time as a head coach, Reynolds has amassed an overall record of 252-138, won an average of almost 20 games per season and appeared in six postseasons (Three NCAA Tournaments, One NAIA National Tournament, One Division I NIT and One ECAC Tournament) while leading numerous programs to quick turnarounds ranging from the Division I to NAIA level.
“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be the next Men’s Basketball Coach at Lewis University” Reynolds said. “President Elect Dr. Christopher Sindt, Assistant Vice President for Athletics John Ashaolu, and their staff have a unified, vision for the men’s basketball program and Lewis University athletics. This is the perfect time to join and be a part of the Flyers family. We plan to work together as a team to accomplish our goals for Lewis University Basketball.”
Reynolds joins the Flyers after serving as an assistant coach with Lincoln Memorial this past season. With the Railsplitters, Reynolds helped the squad win 19 games and earn a berth to the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional. Additionally, he helped mentor Walter Campbell who earned All-South Atlantic Conference and CSC Academic All-District accolades.
From 2022-25, Reynolds served as the head coach at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pa., where he engineered one of the most successful program turnarounds in the country. With the Pioneers, Reynolds was the winningest coach in the state of Pennsylvania from 2022-24 while helping Point Park transition to Division II and join the Mountain East Conference from the River States Conference. Reynolds led Point Park to 64 wins. As a whole, Point Park only had 32 total wins from 2019-22, a 32-win differential with Reynolds on the sideline. Reynolds also accomplished the first back-to-back 20-win seasons in program history from 2022-24. He coached and recruited one All-American, six RSC Scholar-Athletes, and two RSC Champion of Character team members with Point Park along with four All-Conference players, one RSC Newcomer of the Year, and one RSC Player of the Year. Point Park under Reynolds also had four 1,000-point scorers & one 2,000-point scorer in a two-year period.
During the 2021-22 season before Reynolds, the Pioneers went 10-16 and in Reynolds first season at the helm of the program the next year, he boosted Point Park to a 23-7 overall record and an RSC Tournament berth. The next season proved to be the most successful under Reynolds tenure as he captured the RSC Regular Season and Tournament Championships while amassing a 31-3 overall record, the most wins in a single season in Pioneers men’s basketball history, while ending the year ranked 15th nationally in the NAIA. Reynolds also helped lead the Pioneers that season to the NAIA Tournament as well, the first national tournament postseason berth for the Point Park men’s basketball program in 17 years.
Home court advantage was also a major factor in the success of Reynolds as with Point Park, the Pioneers were 34-3 in two seasons (2022-24) at home, helping aid one of the largest turnarounds in NAIA history.
No stranger to the Great Lakes Valley Conference, Reynolds was an assistant coach at Quincy from 2021-22 where helped the Hawks with 15 games, an improvement from only six wins the year before, and qualify for the GLVC Tournament as well. Prior to Quincy, he served as the director of basketball operations at Texas A&M – Corpus Christi from 2019-2021, helping the Islanders qualify for the Southland Conference Tournament both years.
Reynolds other major head coach position was also located in the Quaker State as he was at the helm of the Slippery Rock program from 2008-2018. Reynolds once again turned around a dormant program as he amassed 188 wins during his time with the Rock. From 1998-2008, the program only totaled 76 wins, a difference of 122 with Reynolds leading the program. Reynolds is the second winningest coach in program history with his 188 wins at the Rock where he qualified for 3 NCAA tournaments (2014-15, 2012-13, 2010-11) and one ECAC post season tournament in 2013-14 while making nine Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament appearances. In Slippery Rock history, there has only been 15 20 win season, Reynolds was responsible for six of those in his time there, leading to him winning PSAC Coach of the Year in 2008-09. He coached and recruited 17 All-PSAC performers, seven All-Atlantic Region student-athletes, and three All-Americans with 18 players coached and recruited to the Rock signing professional basketball contracts as well.
Prior to Slippery Rock, Reynolds was an assistant coach at Morehead State from 2007-08. With the Eagles, he coached Kenneth Faried, the 22nd pick of the Denver Nuggets in the 2011 NBA Draft and a FIBA gold medalist with Team USA in 2014. Reynolds helped the squad finish third in the Ohio Valley Conference regular season & qualified for the OVC Tournament. Reynolds coached and/or recruited four All-OVC performers, one All-District student-athlete, and one All-American in his lone season at Morehead State.
The longtime coach got his first head coach experience at the University of Denver during the 2006-07 season as he served as the interim head coach for remainder of the season, helping lead the Pioneers to a trio of wins and a berth in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. As an assistant coach from 2004-07 under Terry Carroll, Reynolds helped lead Denver to the NIT and the Sun Belt Conference regular season champions title in 2004-05 while mentoring five All-Sun Belt Conference performers, one all-district student-athlete, and one All-American. He also coached 2004-05 Sun Belt Player of the Year and 2005-06 Defensive Player of the Year Yemi Nicholson who went on to play overseas.
Reynolds also served as an assistant or associate head coach at Drake, Indiana University Pennsylvania, Penn State and Edinboro where he mentored and developed multiple all-conference and All-American players while helping with program turnarounds at every school as well.
Reynolds began his coaching career at Indiana University Pennsylvania, serving as a graduate assistant. He was a four-year varsity player at Bloomsburg from 1987-91 where he helped lead the Huskies to 83 wins and a Sweet Sixteen berth during the 1988-89 campaign. He also helped the Huskies capture two PSAC East Titles (1988-89/1990-91) during his playing days as well.
Away from the sideline, Reynolds served as the director of international sports marketing at And-1 from 2003-04 and was an intern with the Buffalo Bills in the summer 1991, the same season the Bills made their second of four consecutive Super Bowls.
Reynolds earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from Bloomsburg and a Master of Arts in Industrial and Labor Relations along with his MBA at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
“Lewis University has an excellent academic reputation, a close-knit campus, a terrific location just outside the city of Chicago, and plays in the best NCAA Division II conference in the country (GLVC),” Reynolds said. “Lewis is one of the select few NCAA Division II institutions that provides an excellent combination of quality academics and winning athletics. I am excited to get started for the new era of Flyers basketball!”
