Episode 8 with Ben Kay: Mentoring, Relationships, Culture

Biography from gobroncs.com:

Ben Kay joined the Rider Men's Basketball coaching staff as Director of Player Development in July 2018. He was promoted to Director of Basketball Operations for the 2019-20 season.

Kay spent 2017-18 as Head Coach at Penn State Brandywine, leading the Lions to one of the top seasons in program history. During the 2017-18 campaign, Kay led Brandywine to its first-ever conference championship after reaching the title game for the first time since 1991, as well as an appearance at the USCAA Tournament. Kay was named Sam Cozen Small College Coach of the Year after leading the Lions to more than 20 games for the first time in 12 years. The Lions became the first men's team from Brandywine to win a national tournament game when they knocked off NHTI, reaching the national semifinals. Brandywine led the conference in points scored (86) and turnovers forced (23).

Under Kay's tutelage, three players garnered USCAA All-American awards. Kay's first season began with a regular-season game at the Palestra against Penn, Brandywine's first-ever against an NCAA Division I opponent. Overall, the Lions posted a 21-8 record, finishing second in the PSUAC during the regular season before ousting Penn State Wilkes Barre in the conference championship game.

Kay joined the Brandywine athletic staff after two successful seasons as an assistant men’s basketball coach and recruiting coordinator at West Chester University. During his first season at West Chester, Kay helped guide the Golden Rams to a top-25 ranking and the best record in program history as West Chester reached the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament championship and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament.

Included among his duties at West Chester was scouting opponents, game planning both offensive and defensive strategies, running team and individual film sessions as well as fundraising. Kay was also the lead recruiter for the team, scouting high school and AAU games and working with coaches to recruit some of the most talented student-athletes in the mid-Atlantic region.

While at West Chester, Kay began a mentoring program for the men’s basketball team, matching student-athletes with basketball alumni and business professionals. The goal of the mentoring program was to build relationships, while also teaching student-athletes professional skills and lessons necessary for a successful career outside of basketball following graduation.

Kay also co-directed West Chester’s summer day camps and skills camps, which were some of the largest of their kind on the east coast, while also co-directing a team camp and high school league during the summer, annually featuring 30 teams from the Greater Philadelphia the area.

In 2012, Kay co-founded the Treasure Beach Jamaican Youth Basketball Camp and still serves as the camp director, currently. At the camp, which serves underprivileged youth in Jamaica, teaching basketball skills and teamwork, Kay oversees 25 counselors and over 400 campers annually during the week-long event. He also manages the finances for the camp, which has fundraised $50,000.

Prior to his time at West Chester, Kay served as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator for the Immaculata University men’s basketball team. At Immaculata, he led recruiting in the tri-state area, while also aiding in all aspects of player development, game day preparation and opponent scouting.

Kay began his coaching career as an undergraduate student at Drexel University where he was a practice player and student assistant coach for the Dragons’ women’s basketball team for four seasons.

A 2012 graduate of Drexel, Kay earned his bachelor’s degree in business and marketing. He’s also earned his master’s degree in public administration and sports management at West Chester University.