ATLANTA – On Thursday, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced the winners of the 2026 WBCA Assistant Coaches of the Year awards presented by Aflac, and Vanderbilt women’s basketball assistant coach Kevin DeMille was selected as the NCAA Division I Assistant Coach of the Year.
DeMille, who is in his fifth season at Vanderbilt, is the first Commodore women’s basketball assistant coach to be named NCAA Division I Assistant Coach of the Year by the WBCA.
This season, DeMille has played a vital role in one of Vanderbilt’s most successful seasons to date. The Commodores are 29-4 overall and are set to play in their first Sweet 16 contest at the NCAA Tournament since the 2008-09 campaign this Friday. The Dores set the school record for most regular-season wins, while Vandy’s 13 victories in SEC play this season also established a new program best for most conference wins in a season.
The New Jersey native has played a key role in player development, on and off the court, during his time in the Music City. DeMille has spent countless hours improving the program inside and out. He has aided in the recruitment and development of several student-athletes who have come to Vanderbilt. His tireless efforts on the recruiting trail have helped Vanderbilt sign four McDonald’s All-Americans in Justine Pissott, Mikayla Blakes, Aalyah Del Rosario, and Olivia Jones. His relationship with student-athletes has helped make Vanderbilt an easy environment for growth and development.
DeMille is in his ninth overall season as an assistant coach at the NCAA Division I level. Prior to his time in Nashville, he spent five seasons at George Washington, where he spent four seasons as an assistant coach and one season as assistant director of basketball operations.
Prior to arriving at GW, DeMille spent seven years working with the University of Connecticut, where current Vanderbilt head coach Shea Ralph was an assistant coach. During his tenure with the Huskies, Ralph and DeMille teamed up to play key roles behind the scenes on five national championship teams, including seven Final Four squads.
No. 6/6-ranked Vanderbilt takes on No. 22/25 Notre Dame in the Sweet 16 on Friday in Fort Worth, Texas. Tipoff from Dickies Arena is set for 1:30 p.m. CT and airs live on ESPN.
The Anchored for Her Campaign
Vanderbilt launched the Anchored for Her campaign to honor its pioneering female student-athletes and cement the university’s place as the premier destination for women’s sports ahead of next year’s 50th anniversary of its varsity women’s teams. Bolstered by lead gifts from Vanderbilt Board of Trust members Nina Kohler and Kathleen Justice-Moore, JD’91, Anchored for Her’s initial $50 million goal will fuel investment in sustainable success for a new era of collegiate athletics through facility enhancements, endowed scholarships, coaching and staff positions, capital support and naming opportunities, team-specific Excellence Funds, the Women’s Athletics General Fund and the Competitive Excellence Fund.
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