Kyle Macy joins Transylvania as assistant basketball coach

Kentucky basketball legend Kyle Macy has joined the Transylvania University men’s basketball staff as an assistant coach, Pioneers head coach Brian Lane announced Monday.

Macy joins Lane’s four-man coaching staff as the Pioneers prepare for the 2016-17 season.

“I am thrilled that Kyle is joining my staff,” Lane in a news release. “His level of basketball expertise, especially in the areas of player development and scouting will certainly help our guys continue to get better every day. This position will work perfectly with Kyle’s broadcasting schedule which he will be able to continue.”

“I have been a longtime fan of Transylvania basketball,” Macy said in the Transy news release. “I am ecstatic that Coach Lane is allowing me the opportunity to join the program and coach the game I love, while also giving me the freedom to continue my broadcasting career.”

Macy was a standout guard for the University of Kentucky basketball team from 1977 through 1980. As the starting point guard, Macy won a national championship with the Joe B. Hall-coached team in 1978.

Macy completed a decorated college career by winning the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year award in 1980 and was named a consensus first-team All-American. Macy was a three-time All-American and three-time All-SEC guard as a Wildcat.

Macy was drafted by the NBA’s Phoenix Suns with the 22nd overall pick in 1979, and went on to play five years with Phoenix. After a one-year stop with the Chicago Bulls where he teamed up in the starting backcourt with Michael Jordan, Macy played with the Indiana Pacers before completing a professional career overseas in Italy’s Serie A League.

After his storied playing career, Macy served as head coach of the Morehead State University men’s basketball team from 1997 through 2006. Macy’s best season with the Eagles was a first-place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference in the 2002-2003 season.

Macy’s hire by Transylvania also marks a reunion between he and Lane; Transy’s Brian Lane was Macy’s assistant at Morehead State prior to being named head coach at his alma mater in 2001.

Following his nine-year tenure with Morehead State, Macy relocated with his family back to Lexington and began a broadcasting career as a color analyst for ESPN, the SEC Network and Westwood One.

A former Indiana high school tennis state champion, Macy also serves as the head coach of the Lexington Christian Academy tennis program.

“When I was growing up, my father coached small college basketball,” Macy said. “Between that experience and my close-up view of Transylvania through the years, I feel as though I have a great understanding and appreciation of big-time small college basketball.”

“Our team has made it a goal to not only win the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference again but to win a NCAA Championship in the coming years,” added Lane. “Having a former NBA great sharing his knowledge on a daily basis is certainly another big step in that direction. I have a tremendous staff and I am sure the players will really respond as our expectations for our program continue to rise.”

The Pioneers open the season Nov. 16 when they host Thomas More at the Beck Center.

This story was originally published October 24, 2016 at 12:40 PM with the headline "Kyle Macy joins Transylvania as assistant basketball coach."