Kevin Devitt is in his second season as associate head coach at UIC, joining the staff in April 2024. He is responsible for developing the Flames' defensive strategies and leading the program's scouting assignments, in addition to collaborating on recruiting, player development, name, image & likeness (NIL) and UIC's Team and Elite Camps.
During his first season at UIC (2024-25), the Flames finished with a 17-14 record and tied for fifth place in the Missouri Valley Conference. UIC also registered its best regular-season winning percentage (.567) since 2004 and picked up four Quad 1 & 2 wins (second-best in the Valley). What's more, the Flames posted five wins over teams that competed in the postseason, including victories over Drake, Yale, Bradley and Illinois State, and produced the program's second-highest scoring offense (76.0 ppg. – fourth in MVC) in the past 30 years. On the defensive side, UIC ranked in the top five in the MVC in virtually every category, including field-goal percentage defense (.446), three-point defense (.336), blocked shots (3.13 bpg.), rebounding margin (+2.45), defensive rebounding (25.52 drpg.) and steals (6.77 spg.).
Devitt came to Chicago's College Team following four seasons as assistant and associate head coach at Niagara University, where he coordinated the Purple Eagles’ efforts in recruiting, player development, scouting and advising. He twice participated in the Top Connect symposium presented by Teamworks and INFLCR that identifies the nation’s top assistant coaches, and he was named to the 2022 Silver Waves Media Most Impactful Mid-Major Assistant Coaches list.
“Kevin is one of the true rising stars in the coaching profession and is coming off a terrific run as the associate head coach at Niagara,” UIC head coach Rob Ehsan said. “He has a wide range of experience and success in recruiting, player development and game strategy, all skills I was able to see first-hand on our staff at UAB. Kevin also has deep ties to Chicago at the high school, AAU and college levels, all of which will be incredibly valuable as we build a championship program here at UIC."
During his four-year tenure at Niagara, Devitt helped the Purple Eagles finish in the top half of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) each season - the program's first back-to-back .500 or better seasons in conference play in more than 10 years, along with a pair of trips to the MAAC Tournament semifinals. While there, Devitt was instrumental in crafting Niagara's defensive strategies, helping the 2021-22 Purple Eagles to their best Kenpom efficiency rating in more than a decade.
He also played an integral part in the recruitment and development of several of Niagara’s recent All-MAAC selections, including three-time all-conference honoree Marcus Hammond and 2023 unanimous first-team All-MAAC choice (and the MAAC's leading scorer), Noah Thomasson, as well as MAAC All-Freshman Team selection Ahmad Henderson II.
Devitt also spent a combined seven seasons (2012-15; 2016-20) on the staff at UAB, culminating with a successful four-year run on Ehsan’s staff with the Blazers as they won 76 games, posted a pair of 20-win campaigns (with a third stopped only the COVID-19 pandemic) and advanced to the 2019 College Basketball Invitational (CBI). While in Birmingham, Devitt was instrumental in UAB attracting two nationally-recognized mid-major recruiting classes and helped tutor numerous all-conference selections, including William Lee, Chris Cokley and Jalen Benjamin.
During the 2015-16 season, Devitt was an assistant coach at Wright State, where he helped the Raiders win 22 games and advance to the Horizon League Tournament championship game.
Prior to his first stint at UAB, Devitt served three seasons as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator at Roosevelt University in Chicago, helping revive a program that had been dormant for two decades and leading the Lakers to a 13-game win total improvement during his time.
Before Roosevelt, Devitt spent three years in the Illinois high school ranks, coaching two seasons at Richards High School in Oak Lawn and one season at Lindblom Math and Science Academy in the Chicago Public League.
Devitt aided Chicagoland players in promoting their skills to prospective colleges, organizing and maintaining the South Suburban Fall Showcase League from 2008-10. He also founded the Chicago High School Classic, a high school all-star game that recognized the top 30 graduating seniors in the state of Illinois. Devitt’s Chicago High School Classic featured future NBA players Robert Covington and Brandon Paul.
A native of Barrington, Illinois, and a graduate of Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, Illinois, Devitt earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from DePaul University in 2010. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Alex, and two children - son, Macintyre and daughter, Daphne.
