Bio

Red River Athletic Conference Regular Season Championships - 2014, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024*, 2026

Red River Athletic Conference East Division Championships - 2022

Red River Athletic Conference Tournament Championships - 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024*, 2026

NAIA Tournament Appearances - 2013-2026

NAIA Fab Four Appearances - 2013, 2018

NAIA Opening Round Championships - 2022, 2023, 2024, 2026

Red River Athletic Conference Coach of the Year - 2013, 2014, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2026

LABC Small College Coach of the Year - 2013, 2020, 2021, 2023

All-State Sugar Bowl Jimmy Collins Award - 2024

Louisiana Sports Writers Association Coach of the Year (All Levels) - 2024

Shreveport/Bossier Journal Sportsperson of the Year - 2024

NABC Guardians of the Game Award (Leadership) - 2025

Kyle Blankenship has served as the head coach of the LSU Shreveport men’s basketball program since June 29, 2012, becoming just the second coach to lead the team since its reinstatement in 2003. Over more than a decade at the helm, Blankenship has transformed LSUS into one of the premier programs in the NAIA, guiding the Pilots to multiple championships, deep postseason runs, and a long list of both individual and team accolades.  He is the winningest coach in the history of the program and has the most wins recorded at a College or University in the State of Louisiana for all active coaches.  In addition to his on court success, Blankenship has garnered several national awards for his leadership and character which include being named the 2025 NABC Guardians of the Game Leadership award recipient, the 2024 All-State Sugar Bowl Jimmy Collins Award winner, and the only two-time NAIA Kriegel Award winner for character and sportsmanship in 2013 and 2023.

Blankenship is highly regarded as one of the elite recruiters and player development coaches in the country.  During his fourteen seasons as the head coach at LSUS, he has coached 24 NAIA All-Americans, 52 All-Conference Players, 9 RRAC Newcomers of the Year, 7 RRAC Players of the Year, 4 RRAC Defensive Players of the Year, the 2013 Sporting News NAIA National Player of the Year, the 2019 NABC/NAIA National Player of the Year and the 2020 Basketball Times National Player of the Year.  More than twenty former players have gone on to play professional basketball both domestically and abroad under his leadership, while Jeff Garrett (2019), Jalen Brooks (2023), Josh LeBlanc (2024) and Taj Anderson (2025) are currently playing internationally.

Most recently, Blankenship guided the Pilots to their 22nd consecutive appearance in the NAIA National Tournament.  The Pilots finished the season with a 28-6 overall record, highlighted by hosting and winning the first two Men's Basketball National Tournament games ever played on the LSUS Campus which resulted in their fourth trip to the Sweet 16 in the last five seasons. His 2025-26 squad won both the RRAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships.  Blankenship was named the RRAC Coach of the Year for the sixth time, while Hayden Brittingham brought home both RRAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors. Khi Wallace was named the RRAC Newcomer of the Year.  The Pilots ranked in the top ten nationally for PPG (4th - 90.8 PPG), FG% (4th), 3FG% (4th), FGM/G (2nd), RPG (5th) and BPG (4th).  LSUS finished the 2025-26 season ranked No. 12 in the NAIA Coaches' Poll. 

The 2023–24 season was one of the most memorable in school history. While leading the men’s team to a 24-9 record and a Sweet 16 appearance for the third consecutive year, Blankenship also took on the interim head coaching role for the women’s program shortly before their season began. The Lady Pilots finished 30-3 overall, went a perfect 22-0 in RRAC play, capturing both the RRAC Regular Season and Conference Tournament titles.  On March 15, 2024, Blankenship became the first coach in college basketball history to win a NAIA National Tournament game with two different teams on the same day.  This historical accomplishment also marked the first time that the LSUS Women’s program had ever won a National Tournament game in their 21-year existence. For his efforts, Blankenship was named the Shreveport-Bossier Journal’s 2024 Sportsperson of the Year and awarded with the prestigious Guardians of the Game Award for Leadership by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.  He also was the recipient of the All-State Sugar Bowl Jimmy Collins Award, while being named the 2024 Louisiana Sports Writers Association Coach of the Year.

Success was just as evident in 2022–23, when the Pilots opened the season ranked No. 12 nationally and went on to post a 26-8 record with a 16-4 conference mark. That team claimed the RRAC regular-season championship and advanced to the NAIA Round of 16. Jalen Brooks swept conference honors as Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year, while Blankenship himself was named Coach of the Year by both the RRAC and the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.

The program had already reached impressive heights in 2021–22, when LSUS finished 25-8 while capturing both the RRAC regular-season and tournament titles. That group advanced to the NAIA Sweet 16 and produced five all-conference selections. Jeff Boyd was recognized as the league’s Defensive Player of the Year before earning NAIA Third Team All-America honors, while Leondre Washington picked up NAIA Second Team honors. Blankenship was again recognized as the RRAC Coach of the Year.

Even the shortened COVID-19 season of 2020–21 carried remarkable accomplishments. The Pilots finished 16-2 overall and 6-1 in league play, closing the year ranked No. 2 in the NAIA while winning both the RRAC regular-season and tournament championships. Kadavion Evans and Leondre Washington both earned All-American recognition, and Blankenship was named Small College Coach of the Year by the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches (LABC).

The 2019–20 campaign had set the stage for that success, as LSUS posted a 29-3 record, claimed the RRAC Tournament title, and earned a No. 1 seed in the national tournament before the season was cut short due to the pandemic. That squad finished the year on a 14-game winning streak and set a program record with 25 consecutive home victories. Traquan Knight was named RRAC Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year while also earning All-American honors alongside Gilbert Thomas and Kadavion Evans. Blankenship collected another LABC Small College Coach of the Year award.

Earlier years produced similar highlights. The 2018–19 season featured a Sweet 16 run behind Jeff Garrett, who became the first National Player of the Year in program history. The 2017–18 squad matched the program’s best win total at 30-5, captured the RRAC regular-season title, and advanced to the Fab Four for just the second time in school history. LSUS swept the RRAC postseason awards, with Stevie Clark, Jamal Ray, and Benjamin Batts all earning All-America honors as Blankenship was tabbed Coach of the Year.

Blankenship’s first major breakthrough came in 2013–14, when the Pilots won their first RRAC regular-season title and he earned his first conference Coach of the Year award. Brandon Davis was recognized as RRAC Player of the Year and went on to earn NAIA First Team All-America honors.

His debut campaign in 2012–13 immediately set the tone for the program’s trajectory. LSUS made its first-ever Fab Four appearance, knocking off three top-10 seeds on the way to a No. 4 national ranking. The Pilots were honored with the NAIA Dr. James Naismith-Emil S. Liston Sportsmanship Award, and Blankenship received the Charles A. Krigel Award. He was also named Louisiana Small College Coach of the Year and a finalist for the Don Meyer National Coach of the Year Award.

Blankenship’s impact extends beyond the sidelines. He currently serves as the President of the NABC-NAIA Executive Committee, and plays a key role in shaping the national landscape as a member of the NAIA National Tournament Selection Committee, the NAIA All-America Selection Committee, and as the ARC Chair for the Southwest ARC. From 2019 to 2022, he also served as President of the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches, further solidifying his influence on the sport at both the state and national levels.

Before returning to Shreveport, Blankenship gained valuable experience as an assistant coach at Rogers State University, where the Hillcats advanced to back-to-back Elite Eight appearances in the NAIA Tournament. He also spent a season at Lamar State College–Port Arthur, helping the Seahawks set a school record with 20 wins.

A Shreveport native, Blankenship began his playing career at the University of Tulsa, where he was a three-year letter winner, team captain, and member of two NCAA Tournament teams. He closed his career at LSUS in 2006, setting single-season and single-game assists records while leading the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio. Blankenship’s 2005-06 team was the first in school history to be ranked No. 1 in the nation, and they were inducted into the LSUS Hall of Fame in 2023.

Blankenship graduated from Tulsa in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, while completing his Master’s of Educational Leadership at LSUS in 2022.  He and his wife, Alexis, reside in Shreveport with their three children—daughters Landry and Sloane, and son Gentry.

HEAD COACHING RECORD
Year School Overall/RRAC Record

2012-13 LSUS 27-7 18-4

2013-14 LSUS 21-9 16-2

2014-15 LSUS 21-11 12-8

2015-16 LSUS 18-14 10-8

2016-17 LSUS 20-10 12-6

2017-18 LSUS 30-5 15-3

2018-19 LSUS 23-11 14-4

2019-20 LSUS 29-3 16-2

2021-21 LSUS 16-2 6-1

2021-22 LSUS 25-8 13-2

2022-23 LSUS 26-8 16-4

2023-24 LSUS 30-3  22-0*

2023-24 LSUS 24-9 16-6

2024-25 LSUS 18-12 15-9

2025-26 LSUS 28-6  20-2

TOTAL 356-118 220-61

 *Denotes Women's Record