Austin Kidd joined Ed Conroy's staff as Director of Basketball Operations in the summer of 2022.
Kidd, a Kentucky native, is a graduate of the University of Kentucky. He served on Hall-of-Fame Coach John Calipari’s staff as a Graduate Assistant from 2017-19, where 12 former players are currently in the NBA. In his first year the Wildcats won 29 games and the 2018 SEC Championship, while advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16. In 2018-19 UK posted 30 wins and reached the NCAA Elite Eight. He earned his Master’s in Sport Leadership in 2019.
He spent the last three seasons as the Director of Basketball Operations and Video Coordinator at Florida Gulf Coast University. The Eagles posted their first road win against a Power 5 opponent in school history at Miami on Dec. 12, 2020. In 2021-22 they set the third-highest win total in program history with 22 wins and set the school record for most non-conference wins with 10. They earned their first postseason bid in four years competing in The Basketball Classic, advancing all the way to the quarterfinals. Kidd initiated a partnership with Team Impact, an organization matching children facing serious illness with college sports teams.
Kidd began his collegiate basketball career as an assistant coach at Transylvania University (NCAA D-III) in Lexington, KY from 2014 to 2017. Kidd served under Brian Lane, a former NC State assistant under Les Robinson. His final season there produced 17 wins and the Pioneers advancing to the HCAC Semifinals.
Kidd is married to the former Hillary Ison. Outside of basketball he is involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters.
“It’s an exciting time to be a Bulldog! I am grateful for the opportunity to serve Coach Conroy, his staff, and our cadet-athletes. There are few places in the world with as much pride and passion as the Citadel, and Coach Conroy is the epitome of that. I am excited to be a small part of this program as we pursue a championship standard together.” -Austin Kidd
“We are excited to have Austin join our staff from Florida Gulf Coast University, a program with a winning culture and championship expectations. He has a wide array of experience, including the University of Kentucky where he worked with a dozen current NBA players and competed for championships at the highest level. He also has worked with Brian Lane [Transylvania University Head Coach]; a former assistant to Coach Les Robinson at North Carolina State University, who is someone I have a tremendous amount of respect for both as a coach and a person.” – Ed Conroy
Career
2019-2022 • Florida Gulf Coast University • Director of Operations/Video Coordinator
2017-2019 • University of Kentucky • Graduate Assistant
2014-2017 • Transylvania University • Assistant Coach
