I mentioned this move earlier today in the DAILY DIRT – it’s now official. Adams State has hired Kenny Tripp as their new head men’s basketball coach. Here’s the official announcement from the school:
Adams State University Athletic Director Katelyn Smith has announced Kenny Tripp as the tenth head men’s basketball coach in program history. The announcement came on Tuesday after an intensive search and vetting of over 130 applicants.
“In a very thorough and competitive search process, I am excited to announce Coach Tripp as the next Head Men’s Basketball at Adams State University and we welcome him to our department,” said Smith. “It was very clear that his energy, character and passion for the sport matched exactly what we were looking for in this role. The future of Men’s Basketball is very bright and I am thrilled about this new era and for Coach Tripp to continue to build on the successes of the program.”
Tripp just completed his fourth year as an assistant coach at the University of Idaho and in three of those seasons the Vandals improved their win total from the previous year. His primary duties included recruiting where he was instrumental in bringing in both Isaac Jones and Divant’e Moffitt, both of which earned All-Big Sky Conference honors after the season.
Tripp also played an integral role in coordinating Idaho’s offense, which this past season was ranked in the top 50 in the nation in multiple categories. Tripp was also the coaching staff’s direct liaison from an academic standpoint and during his time at Idaho the program reached an all-time high in terms of semester GPA and saw each player that exhausted their eligibility earn an Idaho degree.
In addition, Tripp worked to coordinate the team’s travel, did opponent scouting, helped to oversee the program’s budget and equipment, along with many other administrative duties.
“I am extremely excited and humbled for the opportunity to lead the Adams State University basketball program. I’d especially like to thank Athletic Director Katelyn Smith, President David Tanberg, and the rest of the search committee for their belief in me.,” said Tripp. “The people on campus and the community of Alamosa were a huge draw and create a unique, positive experience for student-athletes. I can’t wait to get started and get Plachy Hall rocking!”
Tripp joined Idaho after spending one season as the coordinator of operations with Washington State men’s basketball. During his time at with the Pac-12 Cougars, Tripp assisted with travel, video coordination, compliance, statistical analysis, scouting and handling of day-to-day operations.
In the summer of 2019, Tripp went with the United States Basketball Academy to China where he was the head coach of a team of former NCAA student-athletes that were seeking exposure to the professional international basketball scene. They competed against the U22 Chinese National Team, the Polish Junior National team, and a Lithuanian professional team.
Tripp is no stranger to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) after having spent one season with Metropolitan State University of Denver as an assistant. Prior to that, he spent two seasons with Regis University as a graduate assistant coach. In addition to being a part of the first 20-win season at Regis since the 1997-98 season, he worked with guard Jarrett Brodbeck, who would go onto become the all-time leading 3-point shooter in RMAC history.
Tripp began his career in college basketball as a student manager with the University of Nevada from 2011-15. In 2011-12, the Wolf Pack went on a 16-game winning streak, had the conference player of the year, and were Western Athletic Conference champions.
Originally from Sacramento, Calif., Tripp earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Nevada in 2015, and his Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Strategic Management from Regis in 2017. Tripp and his wife, Alexa were married in 2022.
