Oregon men’s basketball is losing another familiar face this offseason, and this one has been around long enough to feel woven into the program’s fabric.
Assistant coach Kevin McKenna has decided to retire after 16 seasons with the Ducks, adding another change to a staff that has already seen plenty of movement. Mike Mennenga left for Creighton, Brandon Kuhn was brought in as the new strength and conditioning coach, and the roster has been reshaped by eight incoming transfers replacing eight outgoing transfers.
McKenna spent his most recent years working on player development, and that’s where his impact showed up most clearly. He helped guide Jackson Shelstad, Nate Bittle and Kwame Evans Jr. into All-Big Ten caliber players.
His path to Eugene stretches back decades. McKenna starred at Creighton as a player, then was taken 88th overall in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1981 NBA Draft. He went on to play six seasons in the NBA with eight different teams before moving into coaching.
The Minnesota native also coached alongside Dana Altman at Creighton and later held head coaching jobs at Nebraska-Omaha and Indiana State before joining Oregon in 2010 as an assistant.
McKenna lasted more than a decade in that role, much like Mennenga did as one of Altman’s most trusted aides. During McKenna’s time in Eugene, Oregon reached nine NCAA tournament appearances and made a run to the Final Four in 2016. After 16 years with the Ducks, he’s stepping away.
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