Keenan Gumbs has been hired as the men's basketball strength and conditioning coach at Butler University. He joins head coach Ronald Nored's staff.
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Gumbs arrives in Indianapolis after serving the past two seasons as the strength and conditioning coach for the UAB men's basketball program. The Blazers registered back-to-back 20-win campaigns during his time in Birmingham.
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"Keenan's professional playing experience, combined with his work with several highly successful college basketball programs, gives him a unique perspective that will immediately elevate our team," said Nored. "What really stands out is his energy and depth of knowledge—he brings a passion for development that our student-athletes will feel every day. Keenan is a tremendous addition to our program, and we're ready to get to work."
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UAB posted a two-year record of 44-25 with Gumbs on staff, advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2025 NIT.
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Gumbs was a member of the Kentucky men's basketball staff during the 2023-24 season, serving as the program's assistant strength and conditioning coach. The Wildcats had a record of 23-10 and earned a berth in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
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He had the opportunity to work with and assist in developing NBA lottery picks Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham, national champion and future NBA lottery pick Yaxel Lendeborg, and all-conference players AJ Vasquez and Chance Westry. Â
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Gumbs played four seasons of professional basketball internationally, competing in Hungary (for DEAC in Hungarian A Division), the Czech Republic (for BK Opava of the Czech NBL), Sweden (for KFUM Nassjo of Svenska Baksetligan), and Austria (for the Kapfenberg Bulls of the Austrian Superleague).
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Gumbs played in all 36 games for Liberty University during the 2018-19 season as a graduate student. He averaged 5.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game as Liberty won the ASUN championship and later advanced to the 2019 NCAA Tournament Round of 32. As a senior at Schreiner University, Gumbs was named the 2018 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Player of the Year, averaging 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game. He was also named to the NABC All-America third team and the CoSIDA Academic All-America third team in 2018.
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Gumbs earned his masters degree in exercise science (human performance) from Liberty University in 2019. He is a 2018 graduate of Schreiner University. Gumbs holds a certified strength and conditioning specialist certification from the NSCA.