Kevin Easley took over the reins of the Life University Running Eagles in the summer of 2018 and in his first year at the helm took the Running Eagles to new heights both on and off the court.
In his first season, Easley coached the team to 19 wins and a third-place regular season finish in the always tough Mid-South Conference after being picked sixth in the preseason. The Running Eagles also advanced to the Mid-South Conference tournament championship.
Along the way Evan Milligan earned first team all-conference accolades and was a member of the all-academic team. As a team, the Running Eagles received top 25 national poll votes in three different polls.
Defensively, The Running Eagles were ranked No. 3 nationally in turnover margin and No. 6 in steals, while leading the Mid-South in 3-point percentage defense and steals. The Running Eagles offense was ranked in the top 25 in several categories, ranking No. 11 in free throw percentage and No. 22 in total offense. His team knocked off two top 10 opponents in the same week. For his efforts, Easley was named HoopDirt National NAIA Coach of the Week.
In 2025, Easley led the Running Eagles to an SSAC Championship on the way to a 2025 NAIA Round of 16 berth. The team finished in the Top-25 while ranking Top-15 in multiple offensive categories (FG%, 3PTs made, PPG).
During the season, Chase Harris earned SSAC First Team honors, SSAC Conference Athlete of the Year and SSAC Tournament MVP. On the national stage, Harris earned First Team All-American honors and was a finalist for the NAIA Player of the Year.
In his time leading the Running Eagles, Easley has amassed 117 wins, three-straight 20-win seasons, two national tournament appearances, and 67 total wins over the past three years (2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025).
Off the court ,Easley guided his program to the highest GPA in men’s basketball history.
Easley, 40, is 13 year Division I coaching veteran who has had stops at Tennessee – Chattanooga, UNC Wilmington, UNC Asheville, High Point University, UNC Greensboro and University of Tennessee at Martin.
Prior to being named head coach at Life University, Easley served as the point person for one of the top recruiting classes in UT Chattanooga’s school history, signing two three-star recruits. In his lone season at UTC, the Mocs finished with 19 wins and had two players earn all-conference honors.
Before UT Chattanooga, Easley had a very successful stint as a member of the staff at UNC Wilmington. He recruited two-time first team all-conference selection Chris Flemmings, who started his career as a walk on. Easley also helped UNCW repeat as CAA regular season champions and helped the team earn a trip to the NCAA tournament.
Easley has a strong background in player development and recruiting. He aided in the development of 2007 SoCon Player of the Year Kyle Hines, who was named the 2016 EuroLeague Best Defender and has more EuroLeague Championships than any American. While at UNCG Easley recruited three SoCon all-freshman team members and in his time at UNCA aided in the recruitment of 2014 Big South Freshman of the Year Andrew Rousey, as well as Marquise Weddle who was named Freshman of the year and first team All-OVC while at UT Martin.
In addition to his time roaming the college sidelines, Easley also has experience in the AAU ranks. Easley coached with Team Loaded, where he coached the U16 team to a 40-7 record and No. 10 ranking in Five-Star Basketball’s final poll.
A four-year letter winner at Austin Peay from 1997-2001, Easley was voted the team’s Most Improved Player in 1998-99. Easley also appeared in 21 games in 2000-01 when APSU went 22-10.
A high school star at Peabody High School in Trenton, Easley was a finalist for Tennessee's Class A “Mr. Basketball” in 1996-97 after sparking his team to a 26-1 record in his senior season. He earned his B.S. Degree in Mass Communications from Austin Peay in 2002 and completed his M.S. in Education from UT Martin in 2006.
In 2019 Easley had his No. 24 jersey retired as well as being named to the Gibson County Sports Hall of Fame.
He is married to the former Erin Wren and the couple has three children, Sebastian and Peyton and Mason. Easley is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
