Men's Basketball
Kennedy, Billy
Billy Kennedy
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Alma Mater:
- Southeastern Louisiana '86
- Instagram:
The architect of one of the best seasons in school history and the 2016 SEC Coach of the Year, Billy Kennedy was named the 21st men’s basketball coach at Texas A&M on May 16, 2011.
Since taking the reins of the program, Kennedy has guided Texas A&M to an SEC title and three trips to the postseason, highlighted by a pair of Sweet 16 run in 2016 and 2018, which match the school’s deepest run in the NCAA Tournament. Under his watch, Aggies have captured 11 all-league honors, most recently in 2018 by Tyler Davis, TJ Starks and two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year Robert Williams.
Kennedy and his coaching staff have also enjoyed tremendous success in drawing top talent to Texas A&M, signing 10 ESPN Top 100 players since 2013, including four highly-regarded players in the 2015 class, which stood out as a consensus top-10 class and ranked as high as sixth nationally by ESPN.
Success on the court, however, is just one measure of A&M’s achievements under Kennedy, who places student-athlete development and academic success among the pillars of the program. In the classroom, Texas A&M has made tremendous strides and was spotlighted during the summer of 2017 when the team was presented an Academic Excellence Award from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
After guiding the Aggies to a banner season in 2015-16, Kennedy garnered SEC Coach of the Year honors from his peers as well as District 21 Coach of the Year from the NABC. The campaign saw Texas A&M capture national attention by setting a school record with 28 victories, earn a share of the Southeastern Conference Championship for the program’s first regular season league since 1986 and advance to the Sweet 16 for just the fourth time.
Additionally, the 2015-16 campaign saw another milestone as the Aggies climbed to No. 5 in both the Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today/Coaches Poll to mark the school’s highest-ever national ranking. The Aggies’ run in the NCAA Tournament began as a No. 3 seed, matching the highest seed during the Big Dance in program history, and featured a historic comeback to reach the Sweet 16. Falling behind by 12 with 44 seconds to play, the Aggies closed regulation of their second-round match up against UNI on a 14-2 run before defeating the Panthers in double overtime to complete the biggest comeback in NCAA basketball history by a team trailing in the final minute of a game.
Kennedy also captured his 300th career coaching victory during the Aggies’ win over No. 14 Iowa State on Jan. 30, 2016. The win stood out as one of four A&M wins over ranked foes during the campaign.
Following the season, Texas A&M’s Alex Caruso, Danuel House and Jalen Jones each garnered All-SEC honors. Jones became A&M’s third first-team All-SEC honoree while House was bestowed honorable mention All-America honors to become the first Aggie All-American since Acie Law IV in 2007.
Kennedy’s tenure in Aggieland has included a unique time of transition that saw A&M play its final season in the Big 12 Conference before moving into the Southeastern Conference during the 2012-13 season.
The 2014-15 campaign saw the Aggies win 21 games as well as capture 11 wins in SEC play to finish in a tie for third in the final league standings. The season culminated in the school’s seventh showing in the National Invitational Tournament where they advanced to the event’s second round.
House was honored as first-team All-SEC after thriving during his first season in Aggieland, finishing fourth among all league players with a 16.2 point-per-game scoring average during conference play.
During the Aggies’ initial campaign in the SEC in 2012-13, Texas A&M made a statement on the national stage as Kennedy led the Aggies to an upset win over defending national champion Kentucky at Rupp Arena, handing the Wildcats their first home SEC loss of head coach John Calipari’s tenure in Lexington. Additionally, A&M claimed another marquee victory in early February when the Aggies downed No. 20 Missouri at Reed Arena.
Kennedy oversaw the development of senior Elston Turner into one of the nation’s most explosive offensive forces as he garnered multiple national player of the week honors after becoming just the third visiting player all-time to score 40 or more points against Kentucky at Rupp Arena before setting the Reed Arena scoring record not once, but twice later in the year. Turner went on to receive first-team All-SEC and USBWA All-District accolades.
A two-time Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year, Kennedy came to Aggieland after five seasons at the helm at Murray State University in Kentucky. There, he guided the Racers to a winning record in each year of his tenure. In his last two seasons at Murray State, his team posted a combined 54-14 record, back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference championships and consecutive trips to the postseason.
“I couldn’t wait to get back to Aggieland,” Kennedy said. “Even though I was there for only a short time, I could tell Aggieland is a special place. Aggies have great pride and passion for their school and their athletic programs.”
Over his last 13 years as a head coach, Kennedy’s teams have averaged over 20 wins per season, earned five conference titles and made five trips to postseason tournaments--three to the NCAA Tournament, one to the NIT and one to the CBI.
Kennedy’s final season at MSU in 2010-11 concluded with a 23-9 campaign, one which saw the Racers capture the OVC regular-season title for the second straight year and earn a spot in the National Invitation Tournament. Kennedy won his second straight OVC Coach of the Year honor for his efforts.
In an outstanding 2009-10 season, Kennedy guided Murray State to a 31-5 mark, the OVC regular-season and tournament titles and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. There, his Racers upset Vanderbilt in the first round--the program’s first tourney win since 1988--before falling in the final seconds of the second round to eventual national runner-up Butler. It was the best season in the program’s 85-year history.
Kennedy was named NABC District-19 Coach of the Year following the 2009-10 season and was also a finalist for the Skip Prosser Award and Hugh Durham Award. The Racers were also honored with the OVC Men’s Basketball Sportsmanship Award in voting by the league’s head coaches.
In Kennedy’s five seasons at MSU, the Racers went 70-24 in OVC play en route to two league championships and three runner-up finishes.
Kennedy came to Murray State after serving the 2005-06 season as an assistant to current Missouri coach Frank Haith at the University of Miami. During that stint, Kennedy helped lead the Hurricanes to the quarterfinals of the NIT with an 18-16 record and wins that year over North Carolina, Maryland, Wake Forest and Oklahoma State.
Before Miami, Kennedy was the head coach for six seasons at his alma mater, Southeastern Louisiana. In his final two seasons at SLU, Kennedy guided the Lions to a 44-18 record, two Southland Conference regular-season titles and the school’s first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.
He was named Coach of the Year by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (District 8) in back-to-back years, and was named SLC Coach of the Year in 2004.
His 2004-05 squad posted a 24-9 record, the best in school history, won its second consecutive Southland Conference title with a 13-3 league mark, claimed the school’s first conference tournament championship and advanced to face Oklahoma State in the NCAA Tournament.
Prior to taking over at SLU, Kennedy spent two seasons (1997-99) as head coach at Centenary College where he was able to turn the program around in just two seasons. Centenary went from only six wins in 1997-98 to a 14-14 mark in his final season.
Before his first head coaching job at Centenary, the Metairie, La., native spent 11 seasons as an assistant coach at seven Division I schools, including Texas A&M for the 1990-91 season. Kennedy’s other stops included New Orleans, Wyoming, Northwestern State, Tulane, Creighton and California.
He helped lead New Orleans to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 1987. That year, UNO was a 13-seed when they upset 2-seed BYU before falling to Alabama. Kennedy also assisted Wyoming’s run to the NCAA Tournament in 1988. During his four seasons at California, the Golden Bears had two 20-win seasons and made three appearances in the NCAA Tournament--with one trip to the Sweet 16.
He earned a solid reputation as a recruiter early in his career while an assistant at Cal, where three of his classes were considered among the best in the nation. Kennedy recruited Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Tony Gonzalez to the Cal program.
Kennedy’s basketball philosophy starts with a rock-solid foundation of tough, in-your-face defense.
The 2015-16 Aggies led the SEC and ranked 47th nationally in scoring defense, yielding only 66.4 points per contest. The 2013-14 Texas A&M squad, meanwhile, led the SEC in field goal percentage defense (.400) while ranking third in the league with a 62.8 opponent scoring average.
Meanwhile, his 2009-10 Murray State team dominated the court on defense and were part of a group of only eight teams that led their conference in overall field-goal percentage (.499) and field-goal percentage defense (.387). The Racers led the OVC in scoring defense, field goal percentage defense, three-point percentage defense, blocked shots and steals, while holding the opponent’s leading scorer under his average in 31 of 36 games.
Under Kennedy’s watch, the Racers led the league in defending the three-point shot in the four of his five seasons and scoring defense in each of the last three seasons. His team ranked in the top four in field-goal percentage defense every year, leading the league three times.
Kennedy received his Bachelor of Arts degree in social studies education from Southeastern Louisiana University in 1986. He was a star basketball player at Holy Cross High School in New Orleans before attending Delgado Community College, where he earned an associate of arts degree in general studies in 1984.
A class act off the court as well, Kennedy was presented with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes 2011 John Lotz “Barnabas” Award at the Final Four in Houston. The award is presented by the FCA to a basketball coach who best exhibits a commitment to Christ, integrity, encouragement to others and lives a balanced life.
Kennedy is married to the former Mary Ethredge, and he has four children, Will, Lexie, Brooks and Anna Cate.
Since taking the reins of the program, Kennedy has guided Texas A&M to an SEC title and three trips to the postseason, highlighted by a pair of Sweet 16 run in 2016 and 2018, which match the school’s deepest run in the NCAA Tournament. Under his watch, Aggies have captured 11 all-league honors, most recently in 2018 by Tyler Davis, TJ Starks and two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year Robert Williams.
Kennedy and his coaching staff have also enjoyed tremendous success in drawing top talent to Texas A&M, signing 10 ESPN Top 100 players since 2013, including four highly-regarded players in the 2015 class, which stood out as a consensus top-10 class and ranked as high as sixth nationally by ESPN.
Success on the court, however, is just one measure of A&M’s achievements under Kennedy, who places student-athlete development and academic success among the pillars of the program. In the classroom, Texas A&M has made tremendous strides and was spotlighted during the summer of 2017 when the team was presented an Academic Excellence Award from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
After guiding the Aggies to a banner season in 2015-16, Kennedy garnered SEC Coach of the Year honors from his peers as well as District 21 Coach of the Year from the NABC. The campaign saw Texas A&M capture national attention by setting a school record with 28 victories, earn a share of the Southeastern Conference Championship for the program’s first regular season league since 1986 and advance to the Sweet 16 for just the fourth time.
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Additionally, the 2015-16 campaign saw another milestone as the Aggies climbed to No. 5 in both the Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today/Coaches Poll to mark the school’s highest-ever national ranking. The Aggies’ run in the NCAA Tournament began as a No. 3 seed, matching the highest seed during the Big Dance in program history, and featured a historic comeback to reach the Sweet 16. Falling behind by 12 with 44 seconds to play, the Aggies closed regulation of their second-round match up against UNI on a 14-2 run before defeating the Panthers in double overtime to complete the biggest comeback in NCAA basketball history by a team trailing in the final minute of a game.
Kennedy also captured his 300th career coaching victory during the Aggies’ win over No. 14 Iowa State on Jan. 30, 2016. The win stood out as one of four A&M wins over ranked foes during the campaign.
Following the season, Texas A&M’s Alex Caruso, Danuel House and Jalen Jones each garnered All-SEC honors. Jones became A&M’s third first-team All-SEC honoree while House was bestowed honorable mention All-America honors to become the first Aggie All-American since Acie Law IV in 2007.
Kennedy’s tenure in Aggieland has included a unique time of transition that saw A&M play its final season in the Big 12 Conference before moving into the Southeastern Conference during the 2012-13 season.
The 2014-15 campaign saw the Aggies win 21 games as well as capture 11 wins in SEC play to finish in a tie for third in the final league standings. The season culminated in the school’s seventh showing in the National Invitational Tournament where they advanced to the event’s second round.
House was honored as first-team All-SEC after thriving during his first season in Aggieland, finishing fourth among all league players with a 16.2 point-per-game scoring average during conference play.
During the Aggies’ initial campaign in the SEC in 2012-13, Texas A&M made a statement on the national stage as Kennedy led the Aggies to an upset win over defending national champion Kentucky at Rupp Arena, handing the Wildcats their first home SEC loss of head coach John Calipari’s tenure in Lexington. Additionally, A&M claimed another marquee victory in early February when the Aggies downed No. 20 Missouri at Reed Arena.
Kennedy oversaw the development of senior Elston Turner into one of the nation’s most explosive offensive forces as he garnered multiple national player of the week honors after becoming just the third visiting player all-time to score 40 or more points against Kentucky at Rupp Arena before setting the Reed Arena scoring record not once, but twice later in the year. Turner went on to receive first-team All-SEC and USBWA All-District accolades.
A two-time Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year, Kennedy came to Aggieland after five seasons at the helm at Murray State University in Kentucky. There, he guided the Racers to a winning record in each year of his tenure. In his last two seasons at Murray State, his team posted a combined 54-14 record, back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference championships and consecutive trips to the postseason.
“I couldn’t wait to get back to Aggieland,” Kennedy said. “Even though I was there for only a short time, I could tell Aggieland is a special place. Aggies have great pride and passion for their school and their athletic programs.”
Over his last 13 years as a head coach, Kennedy’s teams have averaged over 20 wins per season, earned five conference titles and made five trips to postseason tournaments--three to the NCAA Tournament, one to the NIT and one to the CBI.
Kennedy’s final season at MSU in 2010-11 concluded with a 23-9 campaign, one which saw the Racers capture the OVC regular-season title for the second straight year and earn a spot in the National Invitation Tournament. Kennedy won his second straight OVC Coach of the Year honor for his efforts.
In an outstanding 2009-10 season, Kennedy guided Murray State to a 31-5 mark, the OVC regular-season and tournament titles and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. There, his Racers upset Vanderbilt in the first round--the program’s first tourney win since 1988--before falling in the final seconds of the second round to eventual national runner-up Butler. It was the best season in the program’s 85-year history.
Kennedy was named NABC District-19 Coach of the Year following the 2009-10 season and was also a finalist for the Skip Prosser Award and Hugh Durham Award. The Racers were also honored with the OVC Men’s Basketball Sportsmanship Award in voting by the league’s head coaches.
In Kennedy’s five seasons at MSU, the Racers went 70-24 in OVC play en route to two league championships and three runner-up finishes.
Kennedy came to Murray State after serving the 2005-06 season as an assistant to current Missouri coach Frank Haith at the University of Miami. During that stint, Kennedy helped lead the Hurricanes to the quarterfinals of the NIT with an 18-16 record and wins that year over North Carolina, Maryland, Wake Forest and Oklahoma State.
Before Miami, Kennedy was the head coach for six seasons at his alma mater, Southeastern Louisiana. In his final two seasons at SLU, Kennedy guided the Lions to a 44-18 record, two Southland Conference regular-season titles and the school’s first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.
He was named Coach of the Year by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (District 8) in back-to-back years, and was named SLC Coach of the Year in 2004.
His 2004-05 squad posted a 24-9 record, the best in school history, won its second consecutive Southland Conference title with a 13-3 league mark, claimed the school’s first conference tournament championship and advanced to face Oklahoma State in the NCAA Tournament.
Prior to taking over at SLU, Kennedy spent two seasons (1997-99) as head coach at Centenary College where he was able to turn the program around in just two seasons. Centenary went from only six wins in 1997-98 to a 14-14 mark in his final season.
Before his first head coaching job at Centenary, the Metairie, La., native spent 11 seasons as an assistant coach at seven Division I schools, including Texas A&M for the 1990-91 season. Kennedy’s other stops included New Orleans, Wyoming, Northwestern State, Tulane, Creighton and California.
He helped lead New Orleans to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 1987. That year, UNO was a 13-seed when they upset 2-seed BYU before falling to Alabama. Kennedy also assisted Wyoming’s run to the NCAA Tournament in 1988. During his four seasons at California, the Golden Bears had two 20-win seasons and made three appearances in the NCAA Tournament--with one trip to the Sweet 16.
He earned a solid reputation as a recruiter early in his career while an assistant at Cal, where three of his classes were considered among the best in the nation. Kennedy recruited Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Tony Gonzalez to the Cal program.
Kennedy’s basketball philosophy starts with a rock-solid foundation of tough, in-your-face defense.
The 2015-16 Aggies led the SEC and ranked 47th nationally in scoring defense, yielding only 66.4 points per contest. The 2013-14 Texas A&M squad, meanwhile, led the SEC in field goal percentage defense (.400) while ranking third in the league with a 62.8 opponent scoring average.
Meanwhile, his 2009-10 Murray State team dominated the court on defense and were part of a group of only eight teams that led their conference in overall field-goal percentage (.499) and field-goal percentage defense (.387). The Racers led the OVC in scoring defense, field goal percentage defense, three-point percentage defense, blocked shots and steals, while holding the opponent’s leading scorer under his average in 31 of 36 games.
Under Kennedy’s watch, the Racers led the league in defending the three-point shot in the four of his five seasons and scoring defense in each of the last three seasons. His team ranked in the top four in field-goal percentage defense every year, leading the league three times.
Kennedy received his Bachelor of Arts degree in social studies education from Southeastern Louisiana University in 1986. He was a star basketball player at Holy Cross High School in New Orleans before attending Delgado Community College, where he earned an associate of arts degree in general studies in 1984.
A class act off the court as well, Kennedy was presented with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes 2011 John Lotz “Barnabas” Award at the Final Four in Houston. The award is presented by the FCA to a basketball coach who best exhibits a commitment to Christ, integrity, encouragement to others and lives a balanced life.
Kennedy is married to the former Mary Ethredge, and he has four children, Will, Lexie, Brooks and Anna Cate.
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