Kenyon Spears joined the University of the Incarnate Word Athletics Senior Staff as the associate athletic director for Administration & Athletics Diversity and Inclusion Designee (ADID) on Nov. 1, 2020. He brings 16 years of Division I coaching experience at six institutions. In his new role, Spears oversees game operations, facilities and UIW Athletics' diversity and inclusion efforts. He also now serves as the sport administrator for baseball, track and field/cross country and swimming and diving.
Spears came to UIW as the an assistant men's basketball coach in June 2017. Over his three years on the basketball staff, he was instrumental in helping empower Cardinal student-athletes to be their best in the classroom, community and competiton.
In the 2019-20 season, the Cardinals had six conference wins, a five-win improvement from the one conference win in 2018-19. The six wins doubled the number of conference wins from the previous two seasons combined. Additionally, UIW tied the number for most true road wins since the 2015-16 season. The Cardinals won more games overall than the previous season for the first time since joining Division I.
Spears assisted in guiding Keaston Willis through a solid freshman season, which led to a Southland Conference Freshman of the Year accolade. This marked a first in program history for the Cardinals. Fellow freshman Drew Lutz, who led the team in steals and assists while ranking second on the team in scoring, tied the school record for assists by a freshman in the DI era.
In the classroom, Spears has helped UIW continue to set the standard. The Cardinals achieved the first perfect (1,000) APR in UIW men's basketball history (for 2018-19), and the 2019-20 Cardinals turned in a record-setting 3.34 fall semester team GPA, likely a top GPA in the nation for DI men's basketball.
In the community, UIW is close to hitting its full-year goal of 275 hours of community service, having given back at places like the San Antonio Children's Hospital, Habitat for Humanity, and the Village at Incarnate Word. During the school closings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, student-athletes also read to elementary students virtually.
Spears spent 2016-17 as an assistant coach at LIU Brooklyn, who went 20-12 overall and 13-5 in the Northeast Conference. Among the Blackbirds' wins was a road win over St. John's in December.
Spears is no stranger to the Southland Conference. He is a 2001 graduate of Lamar University, where he was team captain and led the Cardinals to a Southland Conference Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament appearance his senior year. Spears coached at his alma mater for two seasons after graduating. Prior to his stint with LIU Brooklyn, Spears served three seasons as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator at New Orleans.
Spears spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at LIU Brooklyn, most recently helping them to a second-place finish in Northeast Conference at 13-5, with a 20-12 overall record. He help mentor the NEC player of the year, Jerome Frink, and NEC Most Improved Player Iverson Fleming.
Prior to his time at University of New Orleans, he was an assistant at Brown University under head coach Jesse Agel. Before his stint with Brown, Spears coached at Wagner College, where he was a component of the Seahawks' record-setting 23-win season in 2007-08.
