Tim Taylor, the new head coach of the Navy Women’s Basketball program, has begun announcing his coaching staff for the upcoming 2020-21 season. The next member who will be working with Taylor and the Midshipmen as an assistant coach is Kevin Leatherwood. A six-year veteran of collegiate coaching, Leatherwood most recently served on staff at Georgia State University as the Director of Basketball Operations.
“I have known Kevin for many years as I watched him play in high school as well as work our camps at UVA,” remarked Taylor. “He comes from a basketball family as his father, Kenny Leatherwood, was a legendary coach at Charlottesville High School. I was always impressed with the energy and passion Kevin had for the game when he played. I have watched that translate into his ability to relate to players and families during the recruiting process. His positive energy and love for teaching the game is infectious and will help our program and players grow immensely on and off the court. I am so excited to have Kevin here at Navy as his skill development ability will be a tremendous addition to our staff.”
“I want to thank Coach Taylor for this opportunity to work at The United States Naval Academy,” said Leatherwood. “The Naval Academy is one of the most prestigious schools in the country and it is an honor to be a part of it. Coach Taylor is well respected in the coaching ranks and I’m very excited for the opportunity to learn as much as I can from him. I am excited to work with the team and staff to help cultivate a championship culture.”
Leatherwood joined the coaching ranks at Hampden-Sydney College prior to the 2014-15 season as an assistant coach for the Tigers. During his four years in Farmville, Virginia, Leatherwood held numerous roles on staff both in-game and off the court. In-game, he was leaned on as the defensive coordinator for Hampden-Sydney, while off the court he was deeply involved in skill development, practice planning and recruiting. Additionally, he managed the Tigers’ travel accommodations, apparel budgeting and summer camps, and assisted with scheduling and the team’s social media accounts. Tiger players earned four Old Dominion Athletic Conference playing honors with Leatherwood’s guidance: Mike Murray (2015 and 2016, ODAC Second Team), Jake Duncan (2017 ODAC Third Team) and Malik Crute (2018 ODAC Third Team).
He moved onto the ranks of the Sun Belt Conference and Georgia State University in June of 2018 as the Panthers’ Director of Basketball Operations. While not directly involved with in-game coaching, Leatherwood immediately helped the Panthers in his first season as the team reached the postseason with a spot in the 2019 Women’s Basketball Invitational. During that 2018-19 season, Georgia State won 17 games, the most for a women’s basketball team since 2003-04. Behind the scenes, Leatherwood was entrusted with managing the Panthers’ travel, long-range budgeting, breaking down game film and directing the program’s summer camp. He also assisted the GSU staff with coordinating on-campus recruiting visits and directing the team’s social media.
As an intercollegiate student-athlete, Leatherwood was a four-year letterwinner at Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, Tennessee. An athletic guard and tenacious defender, Leatherwood ended his career with the Eagles having won 65 games between 2010-11 and 2013-14. As a senior, the Eagles reached the 2014 NCAA Division II Tournament for the program’s first tournament appearance since 2001-02.
Leatherwood is a native of Charlottesville, Virginia and graduated from Carson-Newman University with a degree in business administration with an emphasis on marketing in 2014. Leatherwood and his wife Artiea are the proud parents of Amiyah, who was born in February of 2020.
https://navysports.com/news/2020/6/17/kevin-leatherwood-named-to-womens-basketball-staff.aspx
