Kevin O'Connor was named the new head men's basketball coach at Georgia Southwestern on March 31, 2025. O'Connor comes to GSW after serving as head men's basketball coach at NCAA Division II Cameron University in Lawton, Okla., for the past three seasons.
The 2023-24 season saw the men's basketball program at Cameron make a huge jump, from a 4-24 record the previous year, to a record of 18-12. Improving dramatically from the 2022-23 season, Cameron earned a bid to the 2024 Lone Star Conference Tournament, where they advanced to the semifinal round. Cameron won 14 Lone Star Conference games in the 2023-24 season, which is the most in school history.
Cameron ended West Texas A&M University's streak of six consecutive Lone Star Conference Tournament championships when they upset the Buffaloes in the quarterfinals in 2024.
O'Connor was named the Cameron men's basketball program's 32nd head coach in March of 2022 after a successful stint as the head coach at Murray State College. Murray State went from 10 wins during O'Connor's first year to 25 wins during his third and 21 in 2021-22; both 20-plus win years he was named NJCAA Region II Coach of the Year. In 2019-20, the MSC Aggies finished second in NJCAA Region II play and won the NJCAA region II Tournament Championship for the first time since 1969.
Prior to MSC, O'Connor was at Arizona Western College from 2015-17 where he was in charge of recruiting, defensive schemes and adjustments, scouting, and player development as the assistant coach and assistant athletic director. The Matadors achieved a lot of success during O'Connor's time there including winning the Region 1 Championship and going to the NJCAA National Tournament in the 2016-2017 season. O'Connor recruited and developed multiple student athletes that are currently enjoying success at the NCAA Division 1 level and also the NCAA Division 2 level.
Before going to AWC, O'Connor spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Kansas State University for Coach Bruce Weber. He helped with film duties, team/individual camps, workout planning among many other duties assigned to him by the coaching staff. While there the Wildcats made the NCAA Tournament and O'Connor also helped develop and mentor multiple student athletes that are playing in the NBA or overseas. He graduated with a Master of Science Degree in Academic Advising in May of 2015.
Prior to K-State, O'Connor was a student manager for the University of Illinois Men's Basketball program led by Coach Weber. He helped the program to a lot of success and saw a lot of his peers move on to the NBA or overseas. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology in May of 2012.Â
A native from Hadley, Mass., O'Connor and his wife Jessica have two sons, Casey and Riley.
