Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

June 21, 2023 - North Central College head men's basketball coach Vince Kmiec '14/M '17 has announced the hiring of Alex Washington as the Cardinals' top assistant coach. Washington comes to North Central from Augustana College, where he was a three-time College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) champion as a student-athlete and served as an assistant coach on two occasions.

"I am ecstatic to welcome Alex Washington and his family to North Central College and the Cardinal basketball program," said Kmiec, who is entering his first season as head coach after serving as the team's top assistant since the 2018-2019 campaign. "His background as a championship player and coach will serve us well here, and I look forward to learning from him just like our players will."

Washington was involved in all facets of Augustana's program as an assistant coach the past four seasons, including rules compliance, community engagement, opponent scouting and academic and career development support for student-athletes. Washington also coached with the Vikings from 2013-2016, which followed a stint at NCAA Division II Wayne State College (Nebraska) from 2010-2013.

From 2016-2018, Washington was the Basketball Program Director for the Cognita Pacific Competitive Basketball Program in Singapore. Washington led a series of strategic initiatives to increase enrollment and created partnerships with the Singapore National Team, the Ministry of Education and local teams.

"Our family was already moving to the Naperville area, so finding a coaching job wasn't really on the radar," Washington said. "Being familiar with the league, the team and Vince, and starting to dive in and learn about the program got me excited about this opportunity.

"One thing that is really exciting is North Central's location, which is ideal for recruiting. It's going to be a matter of getting familiar with the team Vince is looking to build, and then bringing in student-athletes who fit that."

Washington was a three-year letter winner and two-year starter as a student-athlete at Augustana, scoring 641 points and helping lead the Vikings' 2008 team to a CCIW Tournament championship and a second-round appearance in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship.

North Central won CCIW Tournament championships in 2017 and 2019 and the 2020 CCIW regular-season title with Kmiec on the coaching staff, advancing to the round of 16 in the Division III Championship in 2020 before the cancellation of the tournament due to COVID-19. The Cardinals are coming off a 14-12 season in 2022-2023 and have won 138 of 204 games with Kmiec on the bench since 2015.

"I come from a championship program, and that is what North Central is," Washington said. "I'm looking to help mentor and shape student-athletes while bringing my experience from the outside to support Vince and help him build on the high standard that already exists here."
 
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