Spurs view new Austin coach Chris Kent as 'our kind of people'

New Austin Spurs coach Chris Kent arrives at work each day grateful to be with one the top franchises in pro sports in the San Antonio Spurs.

"You just see it when you walk in," he said of the atmosphere at the Victory Capital Performance Center, where he assisted Spurs coach Mitch Johnson and his staff throughout training camp and the preseason. 

"I've been here for a couple of months now and everyone's prepared and organized," Kent said. "They handle their business, real mature. Everyone's high character. And it's contagious. You get in an organization like this, with a group of people like this, it's a special thing to be a part of, and I'm very grateful." 

Training camp for the Spurs' G League affiliate started Monday in San Antonio under the direction of the 35-year-old native of Angola, Ind., who Johnson described as "one of our type of people."

"He's got good experience, been in the NBA, been in G League, college, really hard worker," said Johnson, who has fond memories of his time as an Austin Spurs assistant coach from 2016-19.

Kent joined the Spurs as the 12th head coach in Austin's history after spending last season as an assistant and director of player development at Florida State, helping the Seminoles to an 18-15 overall finish and a 10-8 showing in ACC play in Luke Loucks' first season as head coach.

"I always believed he had what it takes to be a head coach," Loucks, 36, said of Kent in a prepared statement last month. "His attention to detail is second to none, and that's one of the many reasons I knew this opportunity would come. Chris brought a clear, organized approach to everything we did last season, and he built systems that helped our players and staff be at their best every day."

Loucks' NBA experience helped prepare Kent for the Austin Spurs job. Before taking over in Tallahassee, Loucks had stints as an assistant with Sacramento, Golden State and Phoenix.

"Coach Loucks is so important to my story," Kent said. "The reason I coach is to help people achieve their dreams and goals the same way people helped me achieve mine, and I would not be in this position without coach Loucks and everything he helped me with last season and obviously throughout this process of getting the job. Even now, I continue to call him and ask him for advice.

"Coach Loucks is the best, man."

Kent, who played college ball at two Indiana universities, NAIA's Huntington and Division III's Trine, also has experience in the G League, most recently spending two seasons from 2023-25 as an assistant coach with Portland's Rip City Remix.

He began his coaching career as an intern with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Indiana's G League affiliate that was rebranded as the Noblesville Boom in 2025, from 2013-15 before joining Florida State as a graduate assistant. He also served as director of player development at South Florida during the 2017-18 season before joining Chicago as an intern in 2018. 

The Bulls promoted Kent to video coordinator in 2019. He spent three seasons in that role before serving as an assistant with the G League's Windy City Bulls during the 2022-23 season. 

"I love the G League and everything that comes along with it," he said. "Your roster changes all the time. Guys are with you and then they're not. It just goes back to pouring into every guy every single day and making sure they're ready for their opportunity when it comes because the rosters are so small and everyone's going to get a chance at some point."

Austin Spurs guard Jon Elmore called Kent, who graduated from Trine with a bachelor's degree in general studies-self designed in 2014 and earned a master's in sports management from Florida State in 2017, a "huge people person."

"That's a dude you sit down with and have a conversation with and you come out feeling better than when you went into it," said Elmore, 30. "He's a dude you can talk to about anything, but he's also a high-level basketball guy who has coached all over in this business, college, pros, a guy you can really relate to on the court, off the court, who knows his stuff. 

"He's somebody you want to rally around. It's genuinely been a fun process getting to know him and learn from him."

The job in Austin opened up when Jacob Chance became head coach of Australia's Melbourne United of the National Basketball League in June after leading the minor league Spurs to a 23-13 record and a second straight playoff berth.

The G League has been a proving ground for several Spurs assistant through the years, including Matt Nielsen and Scott King, both current members of Johnson's staff; and Blake Ahearn, now an assistant with the Bulls.

Milwaukee coach Taylor Jenkins and Atlanta coach Quin Snyder are also former Austin head coaches back in the days when the club was known as the Austin Toros.

And, of course, Johnson has strong ties to the G League.

"The staff (in Austin) is a lot similar to the players (there)," the Spurs coach said. "You get this great opportunity to grow your craft. (In that) league, you're competing, which is a huge part of it, and you're trying to win, which is a huge part of it, but you're also trying to develop and you're trying to grow and evolve. And so there are times where you may be able to be a little bit more cavalier with your decisions or what you try to do because it's not necessarily under the scope of the bottom line of winning and losing as it is in this league, college or some other leagues. 

"And so it's just a really great opportunity for people to grow. Obviously, the players the most, but it's also an opportunity for the staff." 

As for Kent, he's just filled with gratitude to have a foot in the door with the Spurs. Austin starts its season at the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Houston) on Nov. 6. Austin's home opener will be against the Laketown Squadron (New Orleans) at 3 p.m. on Nov. 8 at at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. 

"It's very exciting, but it's like I tell the players: be present," Kent said. " We all have goals and aspirations, whatever they may be, but you focus where you're at and you do a good job where you're at and everything in the future will take care of itself."

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This article originally published at Spurs view new Austin coach Chris Kent as 'our kind of people'.