Nathan Kennedy enters his first season as the Head Coach of Cameron University Men’s Basketball, bringing 20 years of NCAA Division II experience as both a player and assistant coach.
Throughout his career, Kennedy has built a reputation for rebuilding and elevating Division II programs. Over 15 seasons as an assistant, his teams have qualified for five NCAA regional tournaments and made 13 conference tournament appearances.
Most recently, Kennedy played a key role in revitalizing the Arkansas Tech University program from 2020-25. The 2023–24 season was a standout, as ATU captured both the Great American Conference (GAC) regular season and tournament titles, earning a berth in the NCAA Central Regional. The team faced eventual national champion Minnesota State in the first round. That season, Kennedy helped develop GAC Player of the Year Taelon Peter, who led the conference in scoring. Under his guidance, five Wonder Boys earned All-Conference honors, including Josh Mitchell (Defensive POY) and Cejay Mann (Freshman of the Year, 2021). ATU began the 2024–25 season ranked No. 24 in the NABC Coaches’ Poll.
From 2017 to 2020, Kennedy served as an assistant at Northeastern State University in the MIAA. The Riverhawks were ranked No. 24 nationally in December 2019 and tied for fifth in the conference in 2020. Key players under his guidance included Caleb Smith and Kendrick Thompson (Second Team All-MIAA), and Josh Ihek (All-Defensive Team). Thompson went on to play professionally in multiple countries including Estonia, Georgia, and Greece.
Prior to that, Kennedy spent three seasons at the University of Montevallo (2014–2017), where the Falcons won three consecutive Peach Belt West Division titles and the 2015 PBC Tournament Championship. The 2014–15 squad reached the NCAA Southeast Regional final, led by two-time All-American Troran Brown. Under Kennedy's development, Brown improved significantly, boosting his 3-point percentage from 31% to 40%. Brown and several other Montevallo standouts—including Terrell Lipkins and Javonte Douglas—went on to successful professional careers.
Kennedy also made a strong impact in one season at the University of West Alabama (2013–14), helping the program to its first NCAA South Regional appearance in over 30 years. The Tigers finished second in the Gulf South Conference and upset two NCAA D1 opponents Abilene Christian University and The Citadel in the Battle for Atlantis. Desmond Raymond earned First Team All-GSC honors after increasing his scoring average by 11 points per game under Kennedy’s mentorship.
Earlier in his career, Kennedy held assistant positions at Southwest Baptist University (2012–13) and the University of Charleston (2010–12). At Charleston, the Golden Eagles finished second in the WVIAC and qualified for the NCAA Atlantic Regional. PJ Reyes was named Conference Player of the Year and later played professionally in Spain and Mexico.
As a player, Kennedy competed at West Liberty University under Jim Crutchfield, contributing to a 2006–07 NCAA Tournament berth and the nation’s top scoring offense. He later transferred to Salem University, where he led the team in assists and served as captain.
A native of Hurricane, West Virginia, Kennedy holds a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from Salem University and a Master of Arts in Physical Education from the University of West Alabama. He and his wife Nikki have two daughters, Nova and Nikayla.
