Jamilyn Kinney // Bruin Alumni ’22

Prior to graduating from Belmont University in May 2022, women’s basketball’s Jamilyn Kinney has been selected to lead The New School’s girl’s basketball program in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Returning to her home state, Kinney was named head coach at Northwest Arkansas’ premier independent day school Monday afternoon.

A native of Van Buren, Arkansas, which is about 52 miles south/southwest of Fayetteville, Kinney has been one of the Bruins’ mainstays in the backcourt the last four years. The 2020 All-Ohio Valley Conference Second Team guard was a preseason All-OVC pick heading into her junior campaign before earning OVC All-Tournament Team honors at the 2021 OVC Tournament. Aiding Belmont in six combined conference championships, including three regular season and three tournament titles, Kinney played an integral role in the Bruins’ NCAA Tournament victories the past two seasons.

Starting in each of Belmont’s last 81 games, Kinney helped lead the Bruins to back-to-back historic wins on a national scale at the NCAA Tournament. With Kinney’s gritty, defensive play and savvy offensive prowess, Belmont knocked off fifth-seeded and 14th-ranked Gonzaga in the 2021 NCAA Tournament First Round for the program’s first NCAA Tournament victory before the Bruins took down fifth-seeded Oregon in this year’s opening round. After becoming only the second team in Division I women’s basketball history to win NCAA Tournament games in consecutive seasons as a No. 12 seed or lower, Belmont came within one ball bounce of the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance.

Reaching double figures 21 times throughout her Bruin career, Kinney finished with 667 points, 311 assists and 258 rebounds. In her senior season, Kinney ranked among national leaders with a 2.57 assist/turnover ratio and was third among OVC active career assist leaders.

A regular on the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Kinney will graduate Saturday with a bachelor’s degree in sport administration and a minor in strength and conditioning.