MANHATTAN, Kan. – First-year Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang added another member to his coaching staff on Thursday (April 28) with former Western Kentucky standout Anthony Winchester being named Director of Video Operations.
Winchester, who spent eight years playing professionally in both Spain and Puerto Rico after a Hall of Fame career at Western Kentucky (2002-06), arrives at K-State after the spending the 2021-22 season as assistant coach at Southern Miss for third-year head coach Jay Ladner.
“Anthony is another outstanding addition to our staff,” said Tang. “He has great experience, having just finished his first season as an assistant coach at Southern Miss, while working with some great coaches. Anthony is one of the best players in Western Kentucky history and was recently inducted into the Western Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame. After a successful college career, he spent eight years playing professionally overseas. Just like (Director of Player Development) Austin (Carpenter), he will play a significant role in the operation of our entire program. He is another guy the K-State Community will really enjoy getting to know.”
Winchester is the sixth announced member of Tang’s inaugural coaching staff at K-State, joining associate head coach Ulric Maligi, assistant coach Jareem Dowling, Chief of Staff Marco Borne, Director of Player Development Austin Carpenter and strength coach Phil Baier.
The 2021-22 season was Winchester’s first as an assistant coach, as he made a second stint at Southern Miss after serving as the video coordinator for one season in 2019-20. A pair of Golden Eagles earned Conference USA honors this past season, including honorable mention accolades for Tyler Stevenson and all-freshman recognition for Rashad Bolton. Stevenson ranked in the top 15 in points, rebounds and blocks in C-USA.
“I am extremely humbled and excited for the opportunity to join Coach Tang’s staff at K-State,” said Winchester. “I could not be more appreciative that the next step in my development as a coach is to learn and grow under him and the staff, he is putting together at K-State. This is a historic program with a passionate fan base, and I can’t wait to hit the ground running building relationships on campus and in the Manhattan community!”
In between his two stints at Southern Miss, Winchester served as the Director of Basketball Operations at Pacific for longtime NBA player Damon Stoudamire in 2020-21. During the COVID-abbreviated season, the Tigers posted a 9-9 record, including wins over West Coast Conference rivals San Diego and Loyola Marymount.
After a stint playing professionally in Spain and Puerto Rico, Winchester returned to the bench as a graduate assistant at Loyola Marymount for head coach Mike Dunlap in 2018-19. The Lions won the Jamaica Classic Championship, including a memorable 65-52 win over Georgetown, and advanced to the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) Final Four en route to posting the third-most wins (22) in school history.
Winchester got his start in coaching at his alma mater Western Kentucky, first as a graduate intern in 2008-09 followed by a stint as Director of Operations in 2009-10 working for head coach Ken McDonald. The Hilltoppers combined for 46 wins those two seasons, including a 25-win season in 2008-09 which was highlighted by a Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship and trip to the NCAA Tournament. In the tournament, the team upset fifth-seeded Illinois, 76-72, in the first round before losing to fourth-seed Gonzaga, 83-81, in the second round.
Winchester played professionally for eight years for clubs in both Spain and Puerto Rico between 2006-08 and 2010-16. He twice was named Rookie of the Month while playing for Caja Rural Melilla in Spain’s 2nd Division in 2006-07, while he was selected to the LEB Gold First Team in 2012 and LEB Gold Player of the Year in 2013 while playing for Leche Rio Breogan Lugo in Spain’s 2nd Division. He also spent time playing in Puerto Rico, twice earning Player of the Week honors in 2014. He concluded his playing career in 2016 after playing in Spain’s 1st Division, ACB, which is known as the second-best professional league in the world behind the NBA.
Winchester enjoyed a memorable career at Western Kentucky playing for head coaches Dennis Felton and Darrin Horn from 2002-06, cumulating with his recognition to the school’s 15-member Centennial Team in 2006 and the WKU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019. He helped WKU to 84 wins, three postseason appearances (1 NCAA Tournament, 2 NITs), one Sun Belt Tournament Championship (2003) and two SBC Division titles (2003, 2006).
Winchester scored 1,732 points in his four-year career (2002-06) for the Hilltoppers, which ranks 10th on the school’s all-time list, while leading the team in scoring as a junior (18.2 ppg.) in 2004-05 and senior (18.6 ppg.) in 2005-06. He also finished his career ranking second in 3-point field goals made (247) and fourth in 3-point field goal percentage (41.6). As a senior, he was selected as an AP honorable mention All-American, a Mid-Major All-American by CollegeInsider.com and FOXSports.com and the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year after finishing second in the league in scoring (18.6 ppg.). He was twice named First Team All-Sun Belt (2005, 2006), while he was the league’s Freshman of the Year in 2002-03.
Winchester was also a standout player at Austin High School in Austin, Indiana, where he scored 2,256 career points to rank 21st all-time in Indiana prep history. He finished as the runner-up to Indiana Mr. Basketball after averaging 34.7 points and 13.5 rebounds per game as a senior in 2001-02.
Winchester earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology/criminology from Western Kentucky in 2006.
Professional/Coaching Experience
Graduate Intern, Western Kentucky, 2008-09
Director of Basketball Operations, Western Kentucky, 2009-10
Graduate Assistant, Loyola Marymount, 2018-19
Video Coordinator, Southern Miss, 2019-20
Director of Basketball Operations, Pacific, 2020-21
Assistant Coach, Southern Miss, 2021-22
Director of Video Services, Kansas State, 2022-present
Playing Experience
Western Kentucky, 2002-06
Caja Rural Melilla [Spain], 2006-07
Melilla Baloncesto [Spain], 2007-08
CB Bregoan Lugo [Spain] 2012-13
Lagun Aro Gipuzkoa [Spain], 2013-14
San German Atlético [Puerto Rico], 2014
Gipuzkoa Basket [Spain], 2014-15
Playing Honors
Western Kentucky All-Centennial Team (1906-2006)
Western Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame (2019)
2003 Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year
2006 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year
2006 AP Honorable Mention All-American
2006 Mid-Major All-American by CollegeInsider.com and FOXSports.com
2005, 2006 First Team All-Sun Belt Conference
Education
Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology/Criminology, Western Kentucky University, 2006
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