University of Tennessee Athletics
#VFL Whitted Named NBA D-League Head Coach
October 08, 2014 | Men's Basketball
The Westchester Knicks, the official NBA Development League affiliate of the New York Knickerbockers, have named former Vol Kevin Whitted (1992-95) as the team's first head coach in franchise history.
The Westchester Knicks tip off their inaugural season in November and play all home games at the historic Westchester County Center in White Plains, N.Y.
"Kevin has a proven track record of developing players and is committed to the processes and development of this team," said Tennessee's all-time leading scorer and Westchester Knicks general manager Allan Houston. "Our relationship goes back to when we both attended the University of Tennessee. I'm confident in his ability to lead and provide an environment for players to grow on and off the court. This is an exciting time for this organization and community."
Whitted and Houston carry the torch for what has been a longstanding history between the New York Knicks and the Tennessee basketball program. Other former Vols who have ties to the historic franchise include Ernie Grunfeld (player, 1982-86), Bernard King (player, 1982-87) and Tony White (player, 1987-88).
"This is an incredible opportunity, and I am very excited to be in Westchester," Whitted said. "I look forward to working closely with Allan and the entire Knicks organization in building a development system that is both fruitful and competitive."
Whitted brings eight years of professional basketball coaching experience to Westchester, three of which were spent in the D-League. Beginning his coaching career in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and Professional Basketball League (PBL), Whitted won his first two division championships as head coach. After two seasons as the President of Basketball Operations for the Wilmington Sea Dawgs (PBL), he became an assistant coach first for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, followed by the Springfield Armor, who at the time were affiliated with the Knicks. Following a stint in the NBA Summer League as an Assistant Coach with the Memphis Grizzlies, Whitted most recently served as the interim head men's basketball coach at Southwest Tennessee Community College.
Before enjoying a seven-year professional basketball career in the United States and Europe, Whitted accumulated 972 points as a three-year starter for Tennessee. A four-year letterman at Laney High School in Wilmington, N.C., Whitted became the school's all-time leading scorer in 1990 with 1,554 points, surpassing the record previously held by Michael Jordan.
Whitted has also been nationally recognized as a basketball skills developer, training and developing elite level players at Nike Skills Academies.
