Trevecca men's basketball hires Lipscomb assistant Kevin Carroll as new coach
Kevin Carroll, who spent the last four seasons on the Lipscomb men's basketball staff, is Trevecca's new coach.
Carroll replaced Omar Mance, who resigned in January after the Trojans started the 2022-23 season with a 1-18 record. Mance, a former Vanderbilt assistant, had been the coach since the 2018-19 season.
Carroll arrived at Lipscomb with head coach Lennie Acuff in 2019. The Wildwood, Georgia, native had spent the previous two seasons as an assistant at Virginia Military Institute.
Carroll will be formerly introduced at a press conference on Trevecca's campus following this weekend's NCAA Final Four in Houston.
"I am honored and excited to be given the responsibility of ushering in a new era of Trevecca Nazarene University men’s basketball," Carroll said in an interview with the school. "Having both played and coached against Trevecca over the years, I am fully aware of the tradition and opportunities that lie at Trojan Fieldhouse. I am committed to working tirelessly to restore a sense of purple pride while contributing to the fabric of The Hill and its Christian scholar athlete culture. I couldn’t be more excited to be a Trojan.”
Before VMI, Carroll spent seven seasons as the coach at Maryville University, a Division II program in St. Louis. He guided that team in its transition from Division III. He improved the team's win total from 7 to 13 to 23 in his first three seasons.
MANCE RESIGNS: After 1-18 start, Trevecca basketball coach Omar Mance resigns
BOOKER TAKES OVER TREVECCA WOMEN: Former Vanderbilt basketball star Karen Booker is Trevecca's new women's coach
Maryville, which plays in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, played Trevecca four times during Carroll's tenure with each team winning twice.
Trevecca athletic director Mark Elliott said he received a large number of applicants for the position.
"It’s not shocking there is great interest locally, regionally and nationally in our men’s basketball coaching position," Elliott said. "But we prioritize much more than just a good X’s and O’s coach. Kevin Carroll fits our Christian scholar athlete mission with his well-defined program philosophy of 'Live Your Legacy.' His spiritual leadership, broad coaching experiences, high level organizational skills, coach-player relationship focus, local recruiting ties, and strong family values make him a great fit for Trevecca."
From 2007-10 Carroll was an assistant at the Air Force Academy. Before that he began his association with Acuff as an assistant at Alabama-Huntsville (2006-07). Carroll began his career as a high school coach at three different schools in Georgia from 2000-06.
Trevecca, which finished the 2022-23 season under assistant coach Alex Huisman, posted a 2-24 record. The Trojans' last winning season came in 2015-16 when they went 16-15 under Sam Harris.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Trevecca basketball: Lipscomb assistant Kevin Carroll is new head coach
