Kenny Blakeney enters his third season as an assistant coach with the Harvard basketball program and brings a wealth of experience and coaching success to the Crimson.

Blakeney, a 1995 Duke University graduate with a degree in history, comes to Harvard after spending one season at Marshall University. With the Thundering Herd, Blakeney was responsible for recruiting, player development, practice planning and game coaching in addition to several off-court initiatives such as housing and social development. Under Blakeney, the Herd registered a big upset victory with a 59?58 decision against Virginia Tech, which advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship.

Prior to his one season at Marshall, Blakeney served as an assistant with the University of Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens for four seasons - an appointment that would be his second stop at the Newark, Del., school. After being appointed to head assistant status in 2005, Blakeney became responsible for all travel and game scheduling. He was the program's recruiting coordinator and routinely produced the top classes in the Colonial Athletic Association. His 2003-04 class included Harding Nana who was a two-time first team all-conference performer.

Blakeney conducted coaching clinics and lectured in Senegal and Turkey as part of an educational sports exchange program created by the U.S. State Department and the University of Delaware, in conjunction with the NBA and the Sengalese and Turkish basketball federations.

Blakeney made a brief stop at Saint Bonaventure University in 2001-02, helping the Bonnies to an NIT appearance. Prior to that, Blakeney spent one year in private industry, founding World One Sports Academy in Dallas, Texas, with former Duke teammate Thomas Hill. A four-year participant in the program was Chris Bosh, the fourth-overall selection in the 2003 NBA draft (Toronto Raptors) and current all-star and Olympic Team gold medalist.

His first stint as an assistant at Delaware, under current Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey, saw the Blue Hens capture two America East championships, a pair of NCAA tournaments and the school's first NIT bid. While there, he was responsible for recruiting such players as Ndongo Ndiaye, who set the single-season school record for blocked shots, all-conference player Billy Wells and former McDonald's All-America selection Ajmal Basit.

Blakeney's coaching career began in 1995-96 as an assistant to Lefty Driesell at James Madison. After one season, he moved on to La Salle. Assisting with all aspects of recruiting, Blakeney helped sign 1,700-point scorer Victor Thomas and Rasual Butler, who eventually became the Explorer's fourth all-time scorer as well as a 2002 NBA draft pick of the Miami Heat. Butler is currently in his fourth season with the New Orleans Hornets.

Blakeney was a five-year member of the Duke basketball team. He was a redshirt member of Duke's 1990-91 national championship team and was a key player on Duke's 1991-92 NCAA title team that went 34-2. As a sophomore, Blakeney appeared in 30 games in 1992-93 and helped the team reach the second round of the NCAA tournament. In 1993-94, he played in 27 games en route to an NCAA finals appearance. He was a team captain in 1994-95 and averaged 5.4 points per game. During his four playing seasons, Duke was a combined 99-34, including three 20?win seasons.

While at Duke, Blakeney was also active in numerous community and campus programs. He worked for five years with the Children's Miracle Network, the Duke mentor program, while also performing service at Martha's Kitchen for the Homeless.

A Washington, D.C., native, Blakeney played high school basketball at famed DeMatha Catholic under legendary coach Morgan Wootten. At DeMatha, Blakeney was selected as the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia in 1989?90. He was selected to the Capital Classic and Great Western Shootout All-Star Games and was a member of the Converse All?American Team. He averaged 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists per game as a senior. A three-year varsity member, Blakeney was a first team Prince George's Journal All-County selection and a first team Washington Post All?Metro pick.

His connections with the Washington, D.C., area promises to bolster what has been a hotbed of talent for Harvard with former and current names such as James Brown, Bob Ferry, Pat Smith, Tim Hill, Kenyon Churchwell, Max Kenyi and Christian Webster.