Texas Longhorns Hire New Strength Coach to Sean Miller’s Staff
AUSTIN — Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller is continuing to emphasize continuity as he prepares for his first season on the Forty Acres.
Per reports Monday from Chip Brown of Horns247, Texas is hiring Xavier strength coach Andy Kettler to the staff. He spent the past two years with the Musketeers under Miller’s regime after a previous stop at Louisville and a 10-year stint with West Virginia under former head coach Bob Huggins.
Kettler will be taking the role of Darby Rich, who was the coach of strength/conditioning and Athletic Performance last season under former Texas head coach Rodney Terry.
Along with the hiring of Kettler, Miller has also retained Chris Ogden as Texas’ General Manager along with bringing in Xavier assistant coaches David Miller, Adam Cohen and Ryan Anderson along with Kansas State and former Texas assistant Ulric Maligi and Indiana assistant coach Kenya Hunter.
Miller has previously delivered public praise for Kettler. According to his bio on the Xavier men’s basketball official website, Miller has called Kettler “one of the most talented” S&C coaches in college basketball.
“Andy Kettler is one of the most respected, experienced and talented strength and conditioning coaches in the country,” Miller said. “His track record working alongside Bob Huggins and Chris Mack for 14 years is impressive. Andy’s philosophy on how to make our team stronger and in superior condition aligns with my philosophy. Andy is also a Cincinnati native. Being able to bring him home to Xavier was an important goal we had as we begin building our program.”
The Longhorns dealt with a ton of different injuries over the course of this past season, causing many fans to put blame on the S&C program and head trainer Warren Young. Kettler now has a chance to change that narrative next season.
