Kevin Stallings - Men's Basketball Coach

Kevin Stallings

Title:
Head Coach
Alma Mater:
Purdue, '82
Email:
kstallings@athletics.pitt.edu
Season at Pitt:
Second
Phone:
412-648-8350

Kevin Stallings enters his second season at the helm of the Pitt men’s basketball team after being announced as the 15th head coach in program history March 28, 2016. Stallings enters his 25th season as a head coach, including a 17-season stint at Vanderbilt, with an impressive 471-300 (.611) record overall.

Stallings’ success comes as no surprise to players and coaches alike as his competitiveness, passion, intensity, work ethic, preparation and personality are driving forces behind his career.

In fact, success has followed Stallings throughout his career as a player at Purdue, an assistant at Purdue and Kansas and at previous head coaching positions at Illinois State and Vanderbilt. During his 38 years in college basketball, Stallings has been a part of 25 seasons with 20-or-more victories and a basketball season that concluded during postseason play 30 times.

As a head coach, Stallings has quietly put together an impressive resume that includes:

• 471 wins with 12 seasons of 20 or more wins

• 16 postseason appearances, including nine NCAA Tournament bids

• 10 NBA Draft picks, including two first round selections in the 2012 and 2016 drafts

• Five All-America selections

• Five Academic All-America award winners

• 46 all-conference selections, including 37 All-SEC honorees

• 64 Academic all-conference performers

• Four conference Player of the Year selections

• Three conference Coach of the Year honors

• Three conference tournament championships, including the 2012 SEC Championship

• Winningest coach in Vanderbilt history with 332 wins

New Beginnings at Pitt

Stallings entered his first season at Pitt with a top-heavy roster featuring four seniors along with a group of unproven underclassman. The end result was an uneven season that ended in the second round of the ACC Tournament. The Panthers finished the year 16-17 overall and 4-14 in conference play, but the season was not without plenty of highlights. Senior Michael Young became the first Panther to lead the league in scoring since Clyde Vaughan in 1982-83 en route to third team All-ACC and NABC All-District 2 honors, while senior Jamel Artis grabbed honorable mention All-ACC recognition after finishing among the ACC leaders in scoring as well. Pitt set a new school record with 263 three-point field goals in 2016-17, while posting home wins over No. 11 Virginia, No. 17 Florida State and Syracuse. The Panthers also scored a big road win over Maryland in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge and added neutral site victories over NCAA Tournament-qualifier Marquette and intra-state foe Penn State.

Building a Program at Vanderbilt

Stallings, a two-time SEC Coach of the Year, took the Commodore basketball program to unparalleled heights in his 17 years at the helm, with success coming on the floor and in the classroom during his tenure. His teams advanced to seven NCAA Tournaments - including five in the last nine years and three consecutive tournaments (2010, 2011, 2012) for the first time in program history. He became the first coach to take two Vanderbilt teams (2004, 2007) to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament since the format expanded to 64 teams.

He coached three SEC Players of the Year, 37 All-SEC performers, seven NBA Draft picks and 53 SEC Academic Honor Roll members while leading Vanderbilt to 332 wins. Stallings also led Vanderbilt to the 2012 SEC Tournament Championship, the first time a Commodore team has won the tournament in 60 years. He coached eight 20-win campaigns with the Commodores, the most in school history, and is the school’s all-time victories leader.

Stallings guided the Commodores to postseason play in nine out of his last 12 seasons and in 12 out of his 17 years at Vanderbilt. Included in those appearances were two Sweet Sixteen berths and back-to-back NCAA appearances in 2007 and 2008 and three consecutive berths from 2010-2012, a program first.

In his final season with Vanderbilt in 2015-16, Stallings led the Commodores to their 14th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the seventh appearance in his 17-year tenure. The team featured first-team All-SEC member Damian Jones, second-team member Wade Baldwin IV, and an All-SEC Defensive Team member in Luke Kornet, who also finished the campaign as the school’s all-time single-season leader in blocks per game.

In 2014-15, Stallings guided the fifth-youngest team in the nation to 21 victories and a NIT Quarterfinals appearance - all from freshmen and sophomores, who comprised seven of the eight players in Vanderbilt’s primary rotation. The team won 10 of their final 14 games and had three players honored by the SEC - first team selection Damian Jones and all-freshmen honorees Wade Baldwin IV and Riley LaChance.

In 2011-12, his Commodore team won 25 games for the second time in his tenure while also tying a program-best for wins. The team also captured the SEC Tournament Championship for the first time in 60 years, knocking off eventual national champion Kentucky in the finals. Vanderbilt advanced to its third consecutive NCAA Tournament, and in June, had three players in the first 31 picks of the NBA Draft (John Jenkins, 23rd, Hawks; Festus Ezeli, 30th, Golden State; Jeffery Taylor, 31st, Charlotte), another program first.

The 2010-11 team knocked off five teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament, including Kentucky, who eventually advanced to the Final Four. John Jenkins emerged as one of the nation’s top shooters and led the SEC in scoring and three-pointers made. Under Stallings’ tutelage, Festus Ezeli blossomed into an all-SEC center, and Jeffery Taylor continued to be one of the premiere perimeter players in the nation.

The 2009-10 Commodores finished the season with a 24-9 record, and a 12-4 mark in SEC play, Vanderbilt’s best finish in league competition since 1993. The Commodores also were a handful on the road, winning six league games and sporting a 7-3 mark in true road contests. Vanderbilt swept Tennessee and Florida for the first time since 1966, and had four players named to an All-SEC postseason team. Stallings was named SEC Coach of the Year, becoming just the third Vanderbilt coach to receive the honor twice.

The 2007-08 edition of the Commodores was one of the most successful teams of the Stallings era. Vanderbilt reeled off 16 consecutive wins to start the season, tied for the most wins in regular season history (25), advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year, the first time since 1988-89 that has occurred, won 10 games in the SEC for the second consecutive season, and saw one of his four-year seniors, Shan Foster, capture SEC Player of the Year honors, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, and become the school’s all-time leading scorer. The Commodores tallied 25 regular season wins that year, which tied the 1992-93 team for the most in school history, and knocked off the No. 1 team in the nation for the second consecutive season.

Following NIT appearances the previous two seasons, Stallings received SEC Coach of the Year accolades in 2007 after guiding Vanderbilt to a 22-11 record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen. The Commodores knocked off George Washington and Washington State before dropping a 66-65 decision to Georgetown in the East Regional Semifinals. Vanderbilt had the SEC Player of the Year in Derrick Byars and knocked off seven ranked opponents during the year.

The 2003-04 campaign saw the Commodores advance to their first NCAA Tournament since 1993, reaching the Phoenix Regional Semifinals before bowing out to Connecticut, the eventual national champion. Vanderbilt set a then-school record with a 12-0 start, knocked off five nationally ranked opponents and advanced to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament. The Commodores concluding the season with a 23-10 overall mark, Stallings’ first 20+ win season in Nashville.

Stallings coached in 12 postseason tournaments during his time at Vanderbilt, seven NCAA Tournaments and five NIT’s. The Commodores reached the NIT in 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, and 2015. In all, he has led his teams to 16 postseason tournaments, including nine NCAA Tournament appearances.

Success in the Valley

Prior to his time at Vanderbilt, Stallings coached six seasons at Illinois State (1994-99) in his first head coaching opportunity. Following the most successful coach in school history, Stallings raised the program to higher standards taking four teams to postseason tournaments, including two trips to the NCAA Tournament. He became the first men’s basketball coach in the history of the Missouri Valley Conference to win back-to-back regular season and conference tournament titles in 1997 and 1998.

As the Redbirds head coach, Stallings compiled a 123-63 record, including a 75-33 mark in conference play, while leading the program to two NCAA Tournament and two NIT appearances.

In his first season as a head coach, Stallings led Illinois State to a 16-11 record, including a 12-6 mark in conference play as Mike Vandegarde garnered second team All-MVC and Academic All-America honors.

The Redbirds posted a 20-13 mark in 1995 and reached the second round of the NIT.

Stallings guided his group to the quarterfinals of the NIT in his third season wrapping the year with a 22-12 mark overall. Maurice Trotter garnered first team all-conference honors, while Dan Muller was named MVC Defensive Player of the Year.

In 1997, Illinois State went 24-6 overall and 14-4 in the MVC while reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 1989-90 season. The Redbirds, led by all-conference performers Rico Hill (first team) and Jamar Smiley (second team), won both the conference regular season and tournament titles along the way. Hill was named most outstanding player of the MVC Tournament, while Muller was again named conference defensive player of the year. Muller also collected second team Academic All-America accolades, while Skipp Schaefbauer was a third team selection.

Stallings guided the program to another outstanding season in 1998, finishing 25-6 overall and 16-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Redbirds claimed regular season and conference tournament titles for the second consecutive season before reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament with an 82-81 win over Tennessee. Stallings was named MVC Coach of the Year and Hill collected conference player of the year honors. Mueller capped off his career claiming second team All-MVC, MVC Tournament MOP and second team Academic All-America accolades.

Illinois State went 16-15 in Stallings’ final season with the program. Tarise Bryson was named MVC Newcomer of the Year, while Sean Riley was a third team Academic All-America selection. Bryson went on to finish his career with 1,736 points and was a honorable mention All-America pick and MVC Player of the Year as a junior. Hill, who missed his senior season in 1999, was selected with the 31st pick in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers.

In six seasons at Illinois State, Stallings mentored five Academic All-America selections, nine MVC Scholar-Athlete team members and 18 all-conference performers.

Qualities of a Caring Coach

Throughout his coaching tenure, Stallings has proved himself as a coach whose intensity from the bench and drive to compete matches his reputation as a talented tactician and his genuine concern for players. Stallings has been surrounded by rich basketball traditions while building programs based on quality players and dedicated students.

He molded Commodore players into some of the finest in the SEC. Former Commodores Dan Langhi and Matt Freije blossomed under the direction of Stallings. Langhi earned the 2000 SEC Player of the Year award, while Freije became Vanderbilt’s then-all-time leading scorer. Derrick Byars became Stallings’ second player of the year in 2007, and wing Shan Foster became his third in 2008 and the program’s first player to the 2,000-point barrier. Both Byars and Foster were second-round selections in the 2007 and 2008 NBA Draft, respectively. He and his staff also developed John Jenkins and Festus Ezeli into first-round draft picks in the 2012 NBA Draft, and Jeffery Taylor into the first pick of the second round of the same draft. In 2015, Ezeli won a world championship with the Golden State Warriors and played significant minutes for Golden State in their win over Cleveland in the NBA Finals.

Along with inspiring success on the court, Stallings makes sure his players perform in the classroom. At Vanderbilt, all 45 of his seniors either have earned or are currently working toward their college degree. While at Illinois State, five Redbirds achieved Academic All-America status; and all but two seniors earned their degree.

Coaching Tree

As Stallings’ career at Vanderbilt blossomed, so has his coaching tree. In the last five years alone, two of his assistants have been elevated to head coaches, and since the 1999-2000 season, four of his assistant coaches have been head coaches or are currently at the helm of their own program. In 2012, longtime assistant Dan Muller assumed the reigns of his alma mater, Illinois State, and in 2011, King Rice was named the head coach at Monmouth. Other former assistants that have moved on include Tim Jankovich, who was named head coach at SMU in 2016. Additionally, Tom Richardson succeeded Stallings at Illinois State before rejoining his staff prior to the 2003-04 season.

Coming Up the Ranks

As an assistant coach, Stallings worked with two of the nation’s most well-known and respected mentors - Gene Keady, his college coach at Purdue, and Roy Williams at Kansas. After helping lead the Boilermakers as a player (1980-82) to three postseason tournament appearances, including an NCAA Final Four appearance in 1980, Stallings served as an assistant coach under Keady from 1983-88. On Keady’s staff, Stallings helped direct Purdue to six NCAA Tournament appearances and three Big Ten championships while tallying a 140-44 overall record.

“More than anything, I think what Gene Keady taught me was that good teams have good players and great teams have great teammates,” Stallings said. “I think his greatest strength was his ability to get a team to achieve as close to its potential as possible on a very consistent basis. That’s because of his ability to motivate people to be a willing part of what he called `being a company man.’ I believe in that and I believe in him. It’s obvious that he was brilliant in that way.”

Stallings left Purdue to join Williams’ coaching staff at Kansas in 1989. Over the next five seasons, the Jayhawks made four NCAA Tournament appearances, enjoyed two trips to the Final Four, finished as the 1991 national runner-up and accumulated a 132-38 mark during Stallings’ stay.

“The thorough nature in which Roy Williams approaches his job was the biggest aspect I took from my time at Kansas. Roy is very detailed, very organized and very meticulous. Not only is he a great coach and great recruiter, but he runs his program with precision and with great organization.”

As a Player

A 1978 graduate of Collinsville High School outside of St. Louis, Stallings played under the legendary Vergil Fletcher, who was inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame during the summer of 2004. Stallings led Collinsville to three conference championship in his career and a 58-4 record over his final two seasons. He was a three-time all-state selection and was named to several high school All-America teams after averaging 26 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists per game as a senior. Stallings still holds Collinsville records for career assists (665), season assists (284) and season steals (146)

Stallings was selected to play for the U.S. team in the 1978 Dapper Dan Roundball Classic in Pittsburgh. He scored eight points in the contest as the U.S. team posted a 105-100 win over Pennsylvania.

Stallings went on to play one season at Belleville Junior College, helping the team to a 28-9 record and a trip to the NJCAA Tournament before matriculating to Purdue. In his first season in West Lafayette, the Boilermakers finished with a 27-8 record and reached the NCAA Final Four. As a junior and senior, Stallings helped guide Gene Keady’s group to a pair of NIT Final Four appearances. Stallings started 17 games his senior season and averaged 4.3 points and 2.6 assists per game.

Stallings earned his undergraduate degree in business management and marketing at Purdue in 1982 before receiving a Master’s degree in counseling from Purdue in 1985.

In the Community

Stallings has also been active in the community throughout his career with steady involvement with the Coaching for Literacy program and the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

The mission of Coaching for Literacy is to increase awareness about the number of people in America who are functionally or totally illiterate and the social problems associated with illiteracy. By leveraging the unique power of collegiate and professional sports, Coaching for Literacy raises money to support effective local literacy programs and schools focused on educating elementary and middle school students.

Stallings and his teams frequently visited patients at the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital while also inviting families to spend time in and around the Commodore program. Without much fan fare and self promotion, Stallings and his teams quietly helped make dreams and wishes come true for numerous people with life threatening illnesses in and around Nashville.

In addition, Stallings has been an advocate for various national campaigns including Coaches vs. Cancer and Autism Speaks. In 2017, Stallings will host a “Shoot Down Cancer” event following an exhibition contest to help raise funding in the American Cancer Society’s fight against cancer.

The Stallings Family

Stallings and his wife Lisa have three children: Jacob, Alexa and Jordyn. Jacob was a four-year letterwinner in baseball at North Carolina and is currently a catcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise, splitting time in each of the past two seasons between Triple-A affiliate Indianapolis and the Pirates. Alexa graduated from the University of North Carolina in 2017, while Jordyn is a junior.