Kotie Kimble joined the William & Mary staff in August of 2011 and enters his seventh season as an assistant coach for the Green and Gold. After helping UNC Asheville to a Big South Championship in 2011, Kimble has helped the Tribe to three-straight 20-win seasons and a CAA regular season championship in 2015. During his six seasons, W&M has averaged 16 wins per year.
Kimble’s responsibilities with the Tribe include overseeing the team’s academics, recruiting, guard development and scouting. Over the last five years while serving as the program’s academic coordinator, the Tribe placed 16 players named to the CAA All-Academic Team. In both 2013 and 2014, the Tribe led the CAA in all-academic team selections and saw three of its five starters named to the team. Over his six seasons, the Tribe has produced four Dean Ehlers Leadership Award winners, which is given to the student-athlete who “embodies the highest standards of leadership, integrity and sportsmanship in conjunction with his academic athletic achievement.”
Over the last four seasons, W&M has rewritten the school’s record book, including bettering the season scoring record. In 2016-17, the Tribe averaged a school-record 81.7 points per game, which is one of only two 80-point seasons in the CAA over the last 12 years. The Tribe has developed a reputation for its offensive prowess. Over the last five years, W&M is one of only two schools (along with Gonzaga) to ranked among the top 30 nationally in field goal percentage. According to the advanced statistical website, KenPom.com, the Tribe ranked among the top 25 nationally in effective field goal percentage and in the top 30 in two-point field goal percentage each of the last five years.
During both the 2014 and 2015 seasons, Kimble helped the program to the CAA Championship game. In fact, the Tribe has advanced to the CAA title game in four of the last nine seasons. In 2015, W&M earned the top seed in the CAA Tournament for the first time in school history. In both 2013 and 2014, Kimble was named one of the top assistants in the CAA by NextUpRecruits.com.
During his time with the Green and Gold, he has also helped in the development of guard Brandon Britt, Marcus Thornton and Daneil Dixon. Britt scored more than 1,200 points in his college career and was named to the CAA All-Tournament team in 2014. He played professionally in Columbia for a year, before returning to graduate school at W&M. Thornton graduated from the College as its most decorated player. He broke the school’s scoring record with 2,178 points and capped his career being named the program’s first CAA Player of the Year. He was an Associated Press All-American and was selected in the second round of the NBA Draft (45th overall) by the Boston Celtics. Dixon was a First-Team All-CAA selection after averaging 19.2 points per game in 2017 and scored 1,355 points over his Tribe career.
Prior to his arrival in Williamsburg, Kimble spent three seasons as an assistant coach at UNC Asheville, helping the Bulldogs to the Big South Championship and a spot in the NCAA Tournament during the 2011 campaign. Under the direction of UNC Asheville head coach Eddie Biedenbach, Kimble helped guide the Bulldog program to 50 victories over the last three seasons, including a 20-win campaign. Over his three years at Asheville, the Bulldogs produced four All-Big South honorees. UNC Asheville finished in the top four in the Big South standings each of his three seasons and advanced to at least the Big South semifinals all three years. In 2011, Asheville won its opening round NCAA Tournament game against Arkansas Little Rock, 81-77, before falling to top-seeded Pittsburgh in the second round.
Kimble was a key part of the Bulldog coaching staff in 2011, working primarily with All-Big South guards Matt Dickey and J.P. Primm. Dickey was a first-team all-conference selection, while Primm earned second team honors. Both were on the Big South All-Tournament team with Dickey being named event’s MVP. The pair ranked among the top seven in the Big South in scoring with Dickey hitting for 15.7 points per game and Primm adding 14.6. Both players ranked among the league leaders in steals per game, while Primm was second in the Big South in assists per game (4.5). As a team, the Bulldogs led the Big South with 9.1 steals per game.
Kimble graduated from Coastal Carolina where he worked as a student assistant under Pete Strickland and Buzz Peterson. During his time in Conway, the Chanticleers amassed 59 victories, including a 20-win season and an appearance in the Big South Championship Game under the direction of Peterson in 2006. Kimble earned his degree in history from Coastal in 2007.
