By
University
of Cincinnati
www.ucbearcats.com
August 27th,
2005
Cincinnati Names Interim Head Coach
CINCINNATI, OH - Andy
Kennedy, a member of the University of Cincinnati coaching staff for the
past four years, has been named interim head basketball coach at UC.
Kennedy succeeds Bob
Huggins, who is stepping down as UC’s head coach
after reaching a settlement with the university on the remaining term of his
contract.
“We have great confidence
in Andy and that he will manage and run the program at a high level during
this interim period,” stated UC Director of Athletics Bob Goin in making the
appointment. “Andy has a good feel for our program and our student-athletes
and he will be given the same authority that a head coach would have in this
situation.”
“The decision for me to
step aside, effective January 1, will permit the university to identify and
select the next Director of Athletics, and then let that person evaluate the
program during the season before conducting a national search. I would
assume Andy will get serious consideration during that process,” Goin said.
Kennedy joined the UC
staff in 2001 as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. He was
elevated to associate head coach last season.
On the court, Kennedy
worked with the Bearcat big men for the first three seasons before turning
his attention to the guards last year.
He has attracted attention
for his efforts in recruiting. During Kennedy’s first three seasons as
UC’s recruiting coordinator, Cincinnati
attracted three consecutive consensus Top 10 recruiting classes. The class
of 2002 was rated as high as fifth in the nation by Bob Gibbons of
All-Star Sports. The 2003 class
was ranked seventh by both
PrepStars and
FutureStars,
and the 2004 class was ranked No. 10 by
All-Star Sports.
Kennedy has compiled a
decade of experience as a college assistant. He previously served as
assistant coach at his alma mater, UAB, for five seasons, helping the
Blazers compile a 90-66 record and make three postseason tournament
appearances. He began his coaching career as an assistant at South Alabama
in 1994.
A 1986
Parade high school All-American,
Kennedy started his college playing career at North Carolina State where he
was a member of Jim Valvano’s 1987 Atlantic
Coast Conference championship team. He then transferred to UAB where over
the next three seasons he became the school’s No. 2 all-time leading scorer
with 1,787 points, an 18.9-point career average. The two-time
all-conference performer still holds or shares 20 Blazer records.
Kennedy, who completed his
bachelor’s in history at UAB in 1991, played professionally for four
seasons, starting with the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets. He played abroad for
three seasons in Greece, Holland, Spain and Puerto Rico.
