After two seasons at Oral Roberts, Kenton Paulino accompanies head coach Paul Mills to Wichita State where he’ll take on the new title of Associate Head Coach.
Mills formally announced the promotion on April 10, 2023, stating:
“KP has done phenomenal work at every stop. He’s experienced and is a sharp tactician, an excellent recruiter and a tremendous teacher. I had the privilege of watching Kenton work up close with players during our time at ORU and saw how he dramatically propelled their development as players and people. I’m confident KP will soon be a head coach because of his diverse skillset as a leader and coach.”
ORU was an offensive dynamo during Paulino’s two seasons as assistant coach (2021-23) while putting together a 49-17 record.
The 2022-23 squad recorded ORU’s first 30-win season at the Division I level (30-5) and earned its highest NCAA tournament seed in nearly four decades (No. 12). The Golden Eagles were undefeated against Summit League foes (21-0), sweeping the conference’s regular season and tournament titles.
Led by Summit League Player of the Year and NABC Third Team All-American Max Abmas (21.9 ppg), ORU finished among the NCAA leaders in scoring (3rd, 83.3 points), three-point field goals (2nd, 10.7) and assist-to-turnover ratio (6th, 1.56). They also boasted the nation’s lowest turnover percentage, per KenPom (13.2%).
Paulino came to the Golden Eagles in June of 2021 after two seasons at UTEP where he helped head coach Rodney Terry turn around a struggling program and reestablish its home court dominance with a 23-6 record at the Haskins Center.
The 2019-20 Miners totaled 17 wins – nine more than the previous year – and more than doubled their Conference USA victory total. It was the program’s first winning season in four years. UTEP went 12-12 during a COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign but jumped another 52 spots in the NCAA NET Rankings.
Paulino also assisted Terry – a former assistant from his playing days at Texas – for five seasons at Fresno State (2012-17). In between, he was part of two winning seasons at Tulsa under another of his former Longhorn mentors, Frank Haith (2017-19).
During Paulino’s five-year run in Fresno State, the Bulldogs made the postseason three times. In 2016 they finished 25-10 and won the Mountain West tournament title to secure an NCAA tournament berth. The 2014 team won 21 games and finished runner-up in the CBI, while the 2017 squad had 20 wins and an NIT invite.
Paulino spent the 2011-12 season with Pat Knight at Lamar where he took part in yet another run to the NCAA tournament. The Cardinals finished 23-12 and won the Southland Conference’s North Division and postseason tournament titles.
Paulino got his coaching start as a special assistant at his alma mater under his former head coach Rick Barnes. Texas advanced to the NCAA tournament in all three of Paulino’s seasons on staff (2008-11) and posted 75 victories. On Jan. 11, 2010, the Longhorn rose to No. 1 in the Associated Press Poll for the first time in program history.
From 2002-06, Paulino was a two-year starter and four-year letter winner for the Longhorns, appearing in 106 games while playing both the point guard and shooting guard positions. He was a member of four NCAA Tournament teams and made trips to the Final Four (2003), Elite Eight (2006) and Sweet 16 (2004). During Paulino’s senior season (2005-06), he helped the Longhorns to a 30-7 record, the Big 12 Conference regular-season title and an Elite Eight appearance. He started all 37 games that year as a team captain and was one of six players nationally named to the Sports Illustrated "All-Glue" team.
After his collegiate career, Paulino played two years of professional basketball, spending a year overseas in Turkey and another as a member of the Austin Toros (2007-08), the NBA G League affiliate of the San Antonio Spurs.
Paulino earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Ethnic Studies from Texas in 2008. The Los Angeles native is married to the former Shelette Williams and the couple has two children, Kiera and Kaleb.
Coaching Resume:
2023-Pr. – Wichita State; Associate Head Coach (Paul Mills)
2021-23 – Oral Roberts; Assistant Coach (Paul Mills)
2019-21 – UTEP; Assistant Coach (Rodney Terry)
2017-19 – Tulsa; Assistant Coach (Frank Haith)
2012-17 – Fresno State; Assistant Coach (Rodney Terry)
2011-12 – Lamar; Assistant Coach (Pat Knight)
2008-11 – Texas; Special Assistant (Rick Barnes)
