Marshall head women’s basketball coach Tony Kemper announced that Director of Basketball Operations Rudy Evans has been elevated to Assistant Coach.
Evans handled the program’s operations during the 2021-22 season.
He came to Huntington from Notre Dame College, where he joined the men’s basketball staff in the summer of 2020 as an Assistant Coach/Director of Player Development.
“I’m just so thankful for Coach Kemper and the rest of the staff,” said Evans. “They believed in me, first as the DBO and now as an assistant coach, where I can progress and continue to grow in this business. I’m ready to hit the court! Go Herd!”
Prior to his time at Notre Dame, Evans worked for Division II Urbana University, where he was the Head Assistant Coach for the 2019-20 season. That year, Evans helped the Blue Knights enjoy their most successful season over the previous four years. He also spent the previous three seasons as an assistant coach under Josh Gibson at NAIA Lourdes University located in Sylvania, Ohio. At Lourdes, he served as recruiting coordinator and helped manage all areas of the day-to-day operations for the men’s basketball program.
In 2018-19, Evans played a key role in helping Lourdes to an 18-13 overall mark – the second-highest win total in school history – after going 7-22 just two years prior. Three players earned all-conference recognition as the Gray Wolves appeared in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Quarterfinals.
Prior to Lourdes, Evans served three years as an assistant coach at his alma mater Berea College (NAIA) in Berea, Kentucky. He was part of a program that went 53-30 in three seasons with back-to-back USCAA National Tournament berths. In 2014-15, Berea spent four weeks ranked No. 2 while leading the nation in scoring, assists, three-point field goals and three-point field goal percentage. The Mountaineers finished that season 20-6 with a trip to the USCAA Final Four. Evans also helped recruit five All-Americans and a conference Newcomer of the Year.
Evans also gained coaching experience through AAU teams and helping with the women’s program at Berea. He was head coach of the Kentucky Premier Women’s AAU team in 2015-16, helping two student-athletes earn NCAA Division I scholarships. Evans has also participated in camps hosted by the University of Kentucky, Indiana University, Vanderbilt University, University of Dayton, University of Memphis and Eastern Kentucky University.
“Rudy made a positive impact on our program the moment he arrived,” said Kemper. “His tireless work ethic, combined with his energetic personality, make him effective in all phases of collegiate coaching.
“He will thrive in this new role for our student athletes and future recruits.”
Before entering the coaching profession, Evans produced a stellar playing career at Cuyahoga Community College and Berea College. The Cleveland, Ohio native scored over 1,000 points at Cuyahoga while earning NJCAA All-America Honorable Mention. He moved on to score the most points in a two-year span at Berea, where he was named All-Conference in 2010 and 2011.
Photo Courtesy Marshall Athletics
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