UTRGV taps Chambers as new head coach
EDINBURG — The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley has a new men’s basketball coach at the helm. On Friday, the university announced Brandon Chambers to the head basketball position.
The spot for the job was vacant as previous coach, Kahil Fennell, accepted a head coaching position over at Western Michigan University a couple of weeks ago.
Chambers, who spent last season as an assistant coach for North Carolina State, has about 17 years of experience in college basketball.
In those years of coaching, Chambers served as an assistant coach at institutions, such as Texas Southern University, Louisiana State University (LSU), and even, McNeese State (who is part of the Southland Conference). One may remember the name “Mc-Neese” because they were the squad that won the SLC tournament this year.
“I want to personally welcome Coach Chambers ... to the UTRGV family. This is an exciting time for UTRGV, and the success of our men’s basketball program the past two seasons helped us draw tremendous interest as we searched for a new leader,” Chasse Conque, senior vice president and Director of Athletics, said.
He is not a stranger to winning as last year at NC State, the team did end a season with 20 wins and they made the first round of the “Big Dance” before being eliminated by the Texas Longhorns. Prior to that, he served as a student manager for the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams back in 2009 through 2011.
Why’s that a big deal you may ask?
Well, VCU was led by then head coach Shaka Smart, who in the 2010-2011 season led the mid-major team to the Final Four. In that run, VCU played some of the “big boy” teams, such as Georgetown and Kansas.
“Brandon Chambers brings to UTRGV an impressive record of achievement, a deep commitment to student-athlete success, and a clear vision for where he wants to take our program,” UTRGV President Guy Bailey said. “That matters because success is built not only on talent, but on purpose, preparation, and culture.
Although he’s served as a student manager, the director of basketball operations at the University of Nevada, and an assistant coach — Chambers has never held a head coaching position.
This would be his first chance to lead at the helm.
“I am incredibly honored and grateful to be named head men’s basketball coach at UTRGV,” Chambers said.
Chambers does have some decent-sized shoes to fill as he takes over a program that was led by the late Lew Hill and of course, Fennell.
Fennell went 35-29 in his two seasons as the head coach. It’s important to note that he was there when UTRGV transitions from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) to the Southland Conference (SLC).
““I would like to thank President Guy Bailey and Senior Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque for entrusting me to lead this program into a new era. It was evident from the beginning of this process that there were total alignment and a shared vision within the university and administration to continue the momentum built from last season into a championship program for many years to come,” Chambers said.