9/28/2016 1:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Riverside—UC Riverside Head Men's Basketball Coach Dennis Cutts announced today that the team recently rounded out its coaching staff for the 2016-17 season with the addition of Will Kimble as an assistant coach, and NIco Romero '16, who is being promoted to director of basketball operations.
"We are very excited about the addition of Will and Nico to our staff," said Cutts. "They are a great fit for our program as we look to continue to grow our footprint in the Inland Empire.
"Will starred at Pacific High School in San Bernardino and played collegiately at Pepperdine and UTEP. He will work closely with our post players and oversee academics, and as a recruiter, he will certainly strengthen our California relationships.
"Nico is a former player at Patriot High School in Riverside, and a recent graduate of UC Riverside. As a member of the program the last two years as a student, he brings great continuity to the position.
"Both bring a great work ethic that fits with our culture and ultimately they will be great mentors to our student-athletes.
Will Kimble
Kimble began his collegiate playing career at Pepperdine where he helped the Waves to an NIT berth as a freshman and an NCAA Tournament apparance as a sophomore. He graduated in 2004 with a degree in advertising and was awarded the inaugural Will Kimble Award, which is given to the student-athlete that best represents the values of the university.
Kimble then finished his eligibility with two years of playing at University of Texas at El Paso while receiving his master's degree in education.
His coaching career began as the head varsity coach at Bethel Temple High School in El Paso, Texas, where he led the team to the Texas Christian Athletic League Finals during his only season with the school.
The following year, Kimble became the assistant coach at Citrus Community College, and helped lead the team to a 35-1 record and their first-ever junior college state championship.
After his stint with the Owls, Kimble returned to Pepperdine to become the men's basketball assistant coach for two seasons before being named the associate head coach at Cathedral High School in Los Angeles. During his five years with the Phantoms, he helped build the program into a top-20 team, and also served as the ninth-grade psychology and computer applications teacher during the 2015-16 school year.
While at CHS, Kimble concurrently worked as the associate head coach at the Middlebrooks Academy post-graduate program from its inception in 2012 through the spring of 2016. He also played a number of years for Coach Keith Howard and the Inland Empire Basketball Program (IEBP) AAU Team.
Nico Romero
Romero as a student manager, video coordinator and assistant DOBO. He originally joined the Highlanders staff in April 2014.
He is responsible for all day-to-day operations of the program, which includes serving as a liaison to the athletic administration and other university officials, coordinating team travel, assisting in monitoring academics, assisting in budget oversight, on-campus recruiting, film breakdown, and organizing the Dennis Cutts Youth Basketball Camp.
Romero recently graduated from UC Riverside with a bachelor's degree in business economics.
A native of Riverside, he was Varsity Captain (2008-10) and Head Freshman Coach (2012-2013) at Patriot High School. He has worked numerous summer camps including: UCONN, UCLA, St. Mary's College, and UC Riverside.
"We are very excited about the addition of Will and Nico to our staff," said Cutts. "They are a great fit for our program as we look to continue to grow our footprint in the Inland Empire.
"Will starred at Pacific High School in San Bernardino and played collegiately at Pepperdine and UTEP. He will work closely with our post players and oversee academics, and as a recruiter, he will certainly strengthen our California relationships.
"Nico is a former player at Patriot High School in Riverside, and a recent graduate of UC Riverside. As a member of the program the last two years as a student, he brings great continuity to the position.
"Both bring a great work ethic that fits with our culture and ultimately they will be great mentors to our student-athletes.
Will Kimble
Kimble began his collegiate playing career at Pepperdine where he helped the Waves to an NIT berth as a freshman and an NCAA Tournament apparance as a sophomore. He graduated in 2004 with a degree in advertising and was awarded the inaugural Will Kimble Award, which is given to the student-athlete that best represents the values of the university.
Kimble then finished his eligibility with two years of playing at University of Texas at El Paso while receiving his master's degree in education.
His coaching career began as the head varsity coach at Bethel Temple High School in El Paso, Texas, where he led the team to the Texas Christian Athletic League Finals during his only season with the school.
The following year, Kimble became the assistant coach at Citrus Community College, and helped lead the team to a 35-1 record and their first-ever junior college state championship.
After his stint with the Owls, Kimble returned to Pepperdine to become the men's basketball assistant coach for two seasons before being named the associate head coach at Cathedral High School in Los Angeles. During his five years with the Phantoms, he helped build the program into a top-20 team, and also served as the ninth-grade psychology and computer applications teacher during the 2015-16 school year.
While at CHS, Kimble concurrently worked as the associate head coach at the Middlebrooks Academy post-graduate program from its inception in 2012 through the spring of 2016. He also played a number of years for Coach Keith Howard and the Inland Empire Basketball Program (IEBP) AAU Team.
Nico Romero
Romero as a student manager, video coordinator and assistant DOBO. He originally joined the Highlanders staff in April 2014.
He is responsible for all day-to-day operations of the program, which includes serving as a liaison to the athletic administration and other university officials, coordinating team travel, assisting in monitoring academics, assisting in budget oversight, on-campus recruiting, film breakdown, and organizing the Dennis Cutts Youth Basketball Camp.
Romero recently graduated from UC Riverside with a bachelor's degree in business economics.
A native of Riverside, he was Varsity Captain (2008-10) and Head Freshman Coach (2012-2013) at Patriot High School. He has worked numerous summer camps including: UCONN, UCLA, St. Mary's College, and UC Riverside.
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