Kevin Norris joined the Villanova coaching staff in May 2025 after spending the 2024-25 season as part of a Maryland staff that guided the Terrapins to 27 wins and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. Prior to that Norris spent the previous eight years as an assistant under Johnny Dawkins at UCF.
While at UCF, Norris helped the Knights to a 148-103 overall record and was a key figure in the program achieving its first-ever at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament in 2019.
Norris is a former BIG EAST All-Rookie Team selection as a guard at the University of Miami, where he played for coach Leonard Hamilton. He led the Hurricanes in assists during each of his four seasons in Coral Gables, Fla. (1995-98). During his senior season in 1998, he helped lead the Hurricanes to their first NCAA Tournament berth since 1960.
In addition to his time on the UCF staff, Norris also coached at USC (2013-16), FGCU (2011-13), UNC Wilmington (2010-11), and Texas A&M Corpus Christi (2008-10). He began his coaching career in 2007-08 at Tallahassee Community College. Along with Dawkins, Norris has served under Andy Enfield (USC/FGCU) and Buzz Peterson (UNC Wilmington).
Along with the NCAA Tournament berth, Norris also helped UCF reach the NIT three times (2016-17, semifinalists; 2022-23; 2023-24). Both the 2016-17 and 2018-19, saw UCF post 24 wins which totaled the fourth most in program history. This past season, UCF’s first in the Big 12, the Knights picked up ranked wins over No. 3 Kansas, No. 23 Oklahoma, and No. 23 Texas Tech.
During his time in Los Angeles with Enfield, Norris helped USC reach the NCAA Tournament in 2015-16 with the program’s first 20-win season since 2009.
Norris was also with Enfield for perhaps one of the most famous NCAA March Madness moments when FGCU burst onto the scene as “Dunk City” during the 2013 NCAA Tournament. The 15th-seeded Eagles, making their first tournament appearance in program history, shocked No. 2 seed Georgetown and then defeated No. 7 seed San Diego State to become the first-ever 15 seed to reach the Sweet Sixteen.
Norris began his coaching career at Tallahassee Community College in 2007-08, then spent two seasons (2008-10) as an assistant coach at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. He then assisted Peterson at UNC Wilmington during the 2010-11 season.
Following his collegiate career, Norris played professionally in Italy, France and the Czech Republic, as well as in the American Basketball Association (ABA) with the Calgary Drillers.
