Idaho State men’s basketball head coach Ryan Looney announced two coaching changes to round out his coaching staff for the upcoming 2024-25 season.
After one season as an assistant coach with the Bengals, Cam Clark departed for an assistant coaching position at Houston Christian University and graduate assistant Tim Nolan will leave the program after working tirelessly for two seasons in his GA role. graduating with his master’s degree. in Athletic Administration.
The Bengals will add Devin Kastrup and Akil Reese as assistant coaches for the 2024-25 season.
Devin Kastrup joins ISU after serving as head coach at Cloud County Community College, in Concordia, Kansas, for the past three seasons (2021-24). Kastrup’s presence at CCCC was felt immediately as he turned his record from 7-16 to 14-17 the following season and finished his senior year 21-11.
“I am excited for the opportunity to come work in beautiful Pocatello for Coach Looney and Idaho State,” Kastrup tells us. “The coach is one of the smartest minds in college basketball and I jumped at the opportunity to join him to continue elevating Bengali basketball.”
Prior to Cloud County CC, Coach Kastrup took over Southwestern CC in Creston, Iowa, which would finish with just three wins in 2018-19 and would more than triple the wins for the Spartans in 2019-20, finishing with 10. Two Players from the 2019-20 team would be named All-Region XI selections, as Kastrup would later lead the Spartans to 13 wins in the 2020-21 season, which included five top-20 wins. Kastrup would lead the Spartans to finish 11th nationally in scoring defense, 20th nationally in defensive field goal percentage, 3rd nationally in three-point field goals made and 24th nationally in free throw percentage . Three players from the 2020-21 team would be recognized on the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) all-region teams for SWCC.
Before taking the helm of Southwestern’s men’s basketball team, Kastrup was an assistant men’s basketball coach at his alma mater, Western Colorado University. During his first year as coach at WCU, 2017-18, he helped guide the program to more than double the wins from the previous year and more wins during a single season than the team had since 2012, when the Mountaineers reached the Rocky Mountains. Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) playoffs for the first time in five seasons. The next two years, Kastrup would coach four all-conference selections, including a first-team selection.
Kastrup played professionally for three seasons in Spain and China. During Kastrup’s first season abroad, he was named Rookie of the Year. Kastrup’s second season was cut short due to injury. At that time, spring 2017, he returned to the United States and joined the coaching staff at the University of Maine at Presque Isle for the second half of their season. He was the associate head coach of The Force Basketball, in Colorado Springs, CO, during the summers of 2015-2017.
Originally from Colorado Springs, CO, Kastrup played collegiately at Southwestern Iowa Community College from 2011 to 2013, where he earned his associate of arts degree. Kastrup would later transfer to Western Colorado University, where he finished his collegiate playing career while earning a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and sports science with an emphasis in sport and fitness management. As a team captain for both the Spartans and the Mountaineers, Kastrup would earn all-conference accolades while playing for the Spartans and led the Mountaineers in rebounding, blocked shots, and three-point field goal percentage.
“Coach Kastrup is a great addition to our coaching staff,” says head coach Ryan Looney. “He is a fantastic young coach and already has very good experience. “His connections in recruiting will allow us to expand our reach…we are improved with the addition of Devin Kastrup.”
Akil Reese comes to Idaho State after one year as an assistant coach at Clovis North High School in Fresno, CA, where Reese helped guide the Broncos to a 28-7 overall record and 9-1 in conference play, en route to win the Division 1. CIF Central Section Championship. At CNHS, Reese was responsible for film analysis, scouting and any other daily tasks, while also assuming leadership as a player development coach.
“I am delighted to join the coaching staff at Idaho State University. “It feels like the culmination of my passion and efforts as a basketball coach,” Reese explains. “My journey as a basketball coach began at Westchester High School and spanned through various roles, including working with the New Orleans Pelicans during the NBA Summer League. These experiences have not only improved my skills in player development, but have also deepened my commitment to developing winning habits both on and off the court.
I look forward to applying everything I have learned through my experiences, both triumphs and trials, to guide our players and help them be the best version of themselves possible. I hope to bring my experiences and enthusiasm to contribute significantly to the team.
“I am grateful for the opportunity Coach Looney has given me to be a part of Bengals basketball and look forward to working with the rest of the coaching staff to take the program to new heights.”
Prior to Clovis North, Reese served as JV Head Coach and Varsity Head Assistant Coach for Westchester High School in Los Angeles, CA, from 2020 to 2023. Taking over after being named Interim Varsity Head Coach towards the end of the 2023-24 season.
In the summer of 2022, Reese worked as an assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans NBA Summer League team. During his time with the Pelicans, Reese worked with the staff on game days to ensure efficiency and consistency, assisted coaches with individual workouts with players such as José Alvarado, Herb Jones and Trey Murphy, participated in practices and drills, and He also had some managerial tasks. Duties during team practices and games.
Additionally, during the summer of 2022, Coach Reese served as a Player Development Coach at RIZE Management. During his time at RIZE, Reese provided pre-Draft skills and training for the upcoming 2022 NBA draft class.
Head Coach Ryan Looney shares his thoughts on the addition of Coach Reese: “We are fortunate to have Coach Reese on our staff. Akil has extensive experience developing players during the NBA Summer League, which can greatly help our program. He also has an extremely high level of character and is well-liked in the basketball community in the state of California.”
Idaho State is set to begin summer training and workouts in the coming weeks as they begin their quest for the 2024-25 season championship. The Bengals look to build their team chemistry and cohesion after welcoming ten new players and two new coaches to the team.
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