Head Coach
Kyle Blankenship
Kyle Blankenship was named the second Head Coach on June 29, 2012, to lead the men's basketball program since its reinstatement in 2003. He comes to LSUS after coaching the past two seasons at Rogers State University, where he helped lead the Hillcats to back-to-back appearances in the Elite Eight of the NAIA National Tournament. Rogers State reached the 20-win plateau both years, while finishing each season ranked in the Top 25.
Prior to Rogers State, Blankenship coached one season at Lamar State College - Port Arthur. In his lone year as an assistant, he helped guide the Seahawks to a record-breaking season, including a school-record 20 wins and a second place finish in the South Division of the Texas Eastern Conference (Region XIV).
The Shreveport native is no stranger to LSU Shreveport basketball. He began his coaching career at LSUS, while also playing one season as he finished his playing career in 2006 for the Pilots. As a player and coach Blankenship helped the Pilots to a 106-27 overall record, two regular season Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) titles, four consecutive GCAC Tournament championships (2006-2009) and four straight NAIA National Tournament appearances (2006-2009).
Blankenship guided the Pilots offense to a record-breaking season and a No. 1 national ranking in his final season as a player in 2005-06. He finished his career at LSUS as the school's single-season assists leader (199) and single-game assists record holder (14), while leading the nation in assists-to-turnover ratio.
He began his playing career at The University of Tulsa in 2001 where he was a team captain, three-year letter winner and a member of two Western Athletic Conference championship teams that made two consecutive appearances in the second round of the NCAA Tournament (2002 and 2003).
The Shreveport native was a standout high school player at C.E. Byrd High School from 1997-2001, playing all four seasons for former LSUS Head Coach Chad McDowell. Blankenship was a two-time All-City selection as a junior and a senior, while earning All-State honors as a senior.
Blankenship earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from The University of Tulsa in 2006.
