Kevin Mackey

Kevin Mackey (August 21, 1946 – November 11, 2025) was an American basketball coach who was the head coach of men's basketball at Cleveland State University. His CSU Vikings upset the Indiana Hoosiers and the Saint Joseph's Hawks to make the Sweet 16 in the 1986 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. He is also known for recruiting future NBA player Manute Bol. In 2024 Mackey was inducted into the American Basketball Hall of Fame.

Early coaching career Mackey was a successful high school coach at the former Don Bosco Technical High School in Boston, winning the 1976 state championship and three consecutive Class A Catholic championships. From 1977 to 1983, he served as an assistant coach at Boston College under Tom Davis and Gary Williams in the early days of the Big East Conference. He was well known as a top recruiter, and was well known for landing inner-city prospects. with its "run n' stun" style. He became a celebrity in Northeast Ohio, with the local press dubbing him "the King of Cleveland."

Earlier in 1985, Mackey invited Manute Bol to Cleveland after seeing him in action with a Sudanese team that was touring the United States. However, Bol did not speak or write English very well at the time. Despite spending months at ELS Language Centers on the Case Western Reserve University campus, Bol was unable to improve his English well enough to enroll at Cleveland State. Five years later, Cleveland State was placed on two years' probation for providing improper financial assistance to Bol and two other African players. They were also banned from Mid-Continent conference play for the duration of the probation.

Even with the probation, Mackey still reckoned as a rising star in the collegiate ranks. Cleveland State knew this, and signed him to a two-year, $300,000 contract in July 1990 (US$ in dollars). However, on July 13—only a few days after he signed his contract—Cleveland police, acting on a tip, pulled him over after he drove left of center.

The Wednesday after his arrest, Mackey held a press conference in which he acknowledged a long-running problem with substance abuse. He also announced that he planned to go into rehab, and his lawyer asked Cleveland State to let him go on a leave of absence so he could complete it. However, Cleveland State refused to do so and fired him, with the school president saying Mackey had effectively "fired himself." Mackey subsequently pleaded no contest and in lieu of prosecution, he was ordered confined to a rehabilitation center for 60 days. Mackey retired at age 74 following the 2020–21 NBA season after working for 18 years as a Pacers scout.

Mackey died on November 11, 2025, at the age of 79.

Head coaching record