Kyle Tolin is in his eighth season at the helm of the UAM men’s basketball team going into the 2021-22 campaign.
Since 2016-17, the Boll Weevils have totaled 93 wins, two trips to the Division II NCAA Tournament, two Great American Conference Championships in 2017 and 2021 and a GAC Championship Tournament title in 2021. It was the first conference tournament championship and the second overall conference championship under Tolin.
With the season shortened due to COVID-19 last year, UAM won 16 games claiming the regular season GAC Eastern Division title. The Weevils were 16-4 and 12-4 in GAC play finishing with the second highest winning percentage in school history. Tolin guided a trio of Weevils to All-GAC honors including Dajuan Jones who landed NABC All-District honors, unanimous All-GAC selection and GAC Tournament MVP. UAM capped the season by defeating Southern Arkansas for the program's first GAC Championship Tournament title and earning the three-seed in the Division II NCAA Tournament. The Weevils finished the year ranked #21 in the NABC Top-25.
In 2019-20, UAM narrowly missed out on their first 20-win campaign since 2016-17 when they won 23 games. It was the second time Tolin led the Weevils to 19 wins in his tenure. UAM earned another GAC Championship Tournament berth, but fell to eventual GAC Champion Henderson State in the first round.
UAM’s 19-win season was highlighted by a seven-game win streak capped by some outstanding guard play from All-GAC honoree, KJ Lesure. Tolin also guided him to a CoSIDA Academic All-American nod on the year and he also coached three players onto the NABC Honors Court including Lesure, Marcus Gilbert and Kwame McBean.
In 2018-19, the Weevils were 16-13 and 12-11 in GAC play. They also made the conference tournament for the third consecutive season. He coached guard KJ Lesure to second-team all-conference honors as well as saw his academic career flourish as he was named a GAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete.
The 2017-18 season proved to be an impressive one as the Weevils finished with a 19-12 overall record and a 12-9 conference record and the team made it to the GAC Conference Championship game. Tolin also coached a trio of All-GAC award winners in Derylton Hill, Cobe Goosby and Karim Mawuenyega.
In a record-breaking 2016-17 season, Tolin and the Weevils finished the year with a 23-7 overall record and a 17-5 mark in GAC games. It was the second most wins in a single-season for the Weevils, the highest winning percentage in school history and the most conference wins for a single season in school history.
Tolin’s Weevils qualified for the NCAA tournament after a runner-up finish at the 2017 GAC Championship Tournament in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. It was the first GAC finals appearance in school history and just the second NCAA tournament appearance since joining Division II in 1995.
Tolin earned GAC Coach of the Year honors in 2017 after directing the best turnaround in school history, going from eight wins in 2015-16 to 23 in 2016-17. He was rewarded for his efforts by UAM Chancellor Dr. Karla Hughes and Athletics Director John Harvey with a multi-year contract inked in June of 2017, just the second deal of its kind in the history of the department.
No stranger to success, Tolin took the reins of the UAM program in 2014 after helping Oklahoma Baptist reach 14 straight NAIA national tournaments during his 10 years as an assistant coach and four years as a student-athlete. The 2010 Bison team won the NAIA national championship, while the 2002 and 2012 teams finished as national runners-up. During that 14-year span, the team’s record in the national tournament was 30-12. The 2010 national championship team finished with an overall record of 34-2.
Also during his coaching career, Tolin helped OBU obtain the highest winning percentage of any four-year university in Oklahoma. The Bison pulled off three straight Sooner Athletic Conference championships from 2010-2012.
Tolin has coached and recruited two NAIA national players of the year, three Sooner Athletic Conference players of the year, six SAC defensive players of the year, one GAC newcomer of the year, 10 All-America honorees, 25 all-conference selections and two academic All-America honorees.
As a student-athlete at Oklahoma Baptist, Tolin scored over 1,000 points during his four-year career and was a two-time All-SAC honorable mention. He played in every game during his career, and in addition to his scoring, averaged 4.3 assists per game overall. He was named OBU’s Senior Male Athlete of the Year in 2004.
Tolin’s father, Doug, was the head coach at Oklahoma Baptist from 2000-15. Doug Tolin, who joined the UAM staff as an assistant coach starting in the 2015-16 season, is a member of the Oklahoma Baptist Athletic Hall of Fame, the East Central Athletic Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Basketball Association Hall of Fame and the Norman High School Hall of Fame with over 700 wins to his credit.
Kyle Tolin graduated from Oklahoma Baptist in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in history education, and later obtained a master’s degree in sports administration from East Central University in 2006. He is married to the former Lisa Hansen. Kyle and Lisa live in Monticello with their two children, Macy (12) and Luke (9).
| 2014-Present |
University of Arkansas - Monticello • Senior Associate Athletic Director / Head Men's Basketball Coach |
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| 2010-2014 |
Oklahoma Baptist University • Associate Head Coach |
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| 2004-2010 |
Oklahoma Baptist University • Assistant Coach |
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