Education
M.O.L. St. Ambrose University
B.A. Knox College

Contact Information
Phone:  828-771-3738
E-mail:  kwalden@warren-wilson.edu

Kevin Walden enters his fourth season as the head men's basketball coach at Warren Wilson College.  He also serves as the assistant athletic director for external operations and sports information director.

In his first season as head coach, Walden had a very successful opening year.  The 2008-09 Fighting Owls claimed their best record (10-15) in 16 years, more wins than the previous three years combined and Aleks Spasovski and Jermon Marsh were both named USCAA honorable mention All-Americans.  For his efforts, Walden was named 2008-09 Warren Wilson College Coach of the Year.

In his second season, the Owls duplicated their win total from the 2008-09 season finishing 10-13 on the year.  Warren Wilson continued to see improvement throughout the year and won five straight games to end their 2009-10 campaign.

Last season, the Owls had their highest roster size (14) during Walden's tenure  doubling in numbers from the 2007-08 season.  The 2010-11 Owls also finished 7-17 despite playing against a highly competitive schedule.  Warren Wilson played against every level of competitive basketball (NCAA Division I, II, III and NAIA Division I and II) and showed much improvement throughout the year.

Before Warren Wilson, Walden was the Associate Head Coach at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, IA.   He was in charge of the junior varsity program, recruiting, and the Ray Shovlain Fighting Bees basketball camp as well as serving as the lead assistant on the varsity.

He helped the Bees to a 33-30 record in his two years there, including a second-place finish in the Midwest Collegiate Conference in 2006-07. He recruited 40 players to St. Ambrose and coached two 1,000-point scorers.

Before joining the St. Ambrose staff, Walden was an assistant men's basketball coach and sports information director at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., his alma mater. Walden served as the head junior varsity coach and recruiting coordinator at Knox College producing three 1,000 point scorers.  Walden also earned a varsity head coaching victory during his last season at Knox.  Filling in for head coach Tim Heimann, Walden led the Prairie Fire to a 91-79 victory over Ripon College.  The win marked the first victory for a Knox team at Ripon in thirty years.

As a player, Walden competed in every varsity game during his four years and his senior year was voted team captain, most valuable player, most valuable senior, most valuable offensive player and was the recipient of the Harley Knosher Award.

A native of Peoria, Ill., Walden holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Knox and a master's degree in organizational leadership from St. Ambrose. He is a 1997 graduate of Peoria Notre Dame High School.

Education
B.A. Warren Wilson College
B.A. Western Kentucky University

Contact Information
Phone:  828-771-3738
E-mail:   jaylivelybasketball@hotmail.com

Former Warren Wilson guard Jay Lively enters his 10th year involved in the Fighting Owls men's basketball program having previously been a player (4 years), assistant coach ( 5 years), and head coach (1 year).  He serves as a special assistant to head coach Kevin Walden and recruiter.

During his four-year playing career, Jay was a four-year varsity player and recipient of the Coaches Award during his senior year.   He has been instrumental in the development of the Owls men's basketball program over the last 12 years. 

"Jay has done an outstanding job as a coach and spokesperson for Warren Wilson basketball," stated Walden.  "He is a proud Warren Wilson alum and no one knows the school better than him.  Jay has an excellent rapport with our players and is a key part of our program."