Kent State of Mind: Laing Kennedy - The Best Coach
2/27/2025 9:58:00 AM | Men's Basketball
If you were to ask me what my proudest moment was during my time as Athletic Director at Kent State, I’d tell you there are far too many to mention.
But if you were to ask me what one of my most important moments was, I’d tell you it was the day I hired Coach Gary Waters to lead the men’s basketball program.
When I hired Coach Waters, I wasn’t just hiring a coach who’d have an incredible run during his tenure at Kent State, including the program’s first ever NCAA Tournament win.
I was hiring an individual who’d go on to change the culture of the university, the athletic department, and the entire community.
Learning to swim
Before Kent State, I served as Cornell’s Athletic Director for 12 years.
When I was offered the AD role at Cornell, my first question was, “Why me?”
I had no athletic administration experience.
I played hockey at Cornell, but that was my only real connection to the athletic department.
I was working in public affairs when they offered me the job.
I think they thought, “Here’s a guy who does a pretty good job for Cornell, raising money, working with alumni, et cetera, and he’s a former athlete.”
To be honest, it was like diving into the deep end of the pool and learning how to swim.
But the learning curve was worth it.
No one has ever enjoyed being an Athletic Director more than me.
Making a change
Shortly after I joined Kent State, I decided we needed to make a change in the men’s basketball program.
The team wasn’t winning, and the culture wasn’t where it needed to be either.
Honestly, it was a tumultuous time.
I developed a great friendship with a gentleman by the name of Jack Crews, who was a former football player from Kent State.
We went to the MAC Championship one year and watched the game together.
We sat at the very top of the arena, and I turned to him and said, “We’re pretty far away from anything like this.”
Our team was nearly the perfect definition of mediocre.
I contacted the head coach at Eastern Michigan, Ben Braun, and told him I wanted to improve our team but wasn’t sure how to do it.
He told me about Gary Waters.
So I reached out to Gary, and we met in the middle of a blizzard.
I knew I’d meet him if it meant walking all the way to Detroit.
We spoke for hours and hours at the old Detroit airport.
I was incredibly impressed with his plans for the program.
He told me, “This is how we’re going to do this,” and I knew he was the right man for the job.
He was the type of person who could change the culture of the team, and I was ready to hire him right then and there.
I want to be clear, while his legacy is often linked to being the first Black coach in our program history, I hired Gary because he was the best coach.
Period.
I wanted to set a precedent that our program hires the best coaches, many of whom are Black.
I was grateful to have the support of Kent State’s president, Carol Cartwright and the campus NAACP partners throughout the entire process.
I still treasure those relationships today.
A culture change
When Coach Waters joined Kent State, he built a culture I never want us to lose.
He wove the team and the Kent State community together.
A perfect example of this was when he took his entire team to a Thanksgiving banquet hosted by the Rotary Club.
He had the players auction off items to raise money for different causes.
They were such great auctioneers, it became a yearly tradition.
He did all of that, and he created a foundation for our men’s basketball program — and our entire athletic department — that really moved it forward.
And as a testament to him, he did it all in his own way.
He didn’t try to change everything overnight.
In fact, his first season with us wasn’t anything to write home about.
We finished the season 8-18, and faced criticism the entire way.
I remember watching one of the games when one of the campus leaders approached me and asked why I fired the old coach.
“He was such a wonderful guy.”
He was, but I wanted to take our program to the next level.
The gentleman turned to me and said, “When you get home tonight, look in the mirror.”
Why would I do that?
“Because that’s who you should fire.”
Later, I told Gary what happened and how that wouldn’t be the last time we’d be back to back against the critics.
“I’m used to that,” Gary replied. “I can handle that.”
A legacy that will last
I’ll never forget that first NCAA Tournament win against Indiana in 2001.
We had lost to Pittsburgh in the tournament the year prior, but the foundation was there.
I remember walking into the media area once I realized we would win.
I was overwhelmed with pride for Gary and his team.
Our plan worked.
When he eventually left to go to Rutgers, I told him I was disappointed.
I was going to miss him.
But I also understood that he had to take advantage of the opportunity.
And that’s the business.
I know that.
But I will forever be grateful to him for what he did for Kent State basketball and the legacy he left on the program.
He’ll always be remembered for his contributions to Kent State, and I’m honored to have had the opportunity to work alongside him.
It’s a job I’ll always cherish, and a man I’ll always respect.
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