MADISON, SD (dsuathletics.com) – Dakota State University is proud to welcome Kevin Williamson as the new men’s basketball head coach. He comes from Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) for one season where he guided his team to the NAIA National Tournament last spring for the first time since 2020.
“Coach Williamson comes to DSU highly recommended, with a reputation as a proven winner,” said DSU Athletics Director Bud Postma. “Over the past six seasons as a head coach, he has guided three of his teams to the NAIA National Tournament and four overall tournament qualifications, a testament to his ability to build competitive, resilient programs.”
“I’m very, very excited about the growth of Dakota State,” said Williamson. “I’m very excited about the trajectory of the university on all levels, athletically, academically, with academic programs, student success, and student population growth.”
He completed the 2024-25 season at Dakota Wesleyan with an overall record of 20-10 and 13-7 record in the Great Plains Athletic Conference prior to coming to DSU.
Williamson has more than 15 years as a collegiate coach, including five seasons as the head coach at the University of Saint Katherine (Calif.) men’s basketball. He took his squads to the NAIA Men’s Basketball National Tournament twice in the 2023-24 and 2021-22 seasons.
Williamson finished with an 83-42 record as the head coach at Saint Katherine, which included a conference regular season title and a conference tournament title.
He had coached numerous All-Conference selections, Players-of-the-Year winners, and academic conference and national awards recipients. His squads consistently held a team grade point average of 3.0 or higher each year in all his six seasons as a head coach.
Williamson has amassed a career four-year collegiate coaching record of 103-52 (.664 winning percentage).
“As we continue to develop our men’s basketball program, our goal is to become a consistent presence on the national stage,” said Postma. “We believe Coach Williamson has the vision, experience, and leadership to take us there.”
Prior to Saint Katherine, Williamson had experience as an assistant coach and recruiting in the Midwest region as well as formerly Dixie State (currently known as NCAA Division I Utah Tech) and Cal State San Marcos. He also spent five years in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference’s (NSIC) institutions at Bemidji State (Minn.) from 2010-12 and at Minnesota Duluth from 2012-15.
Before Bemidji State, Williamson had three prior stops at Glendale (Ariz.) Community College as an assistant coach in 2010-11. He also was the head varsity coach from 2008-09 at Cathedral Catholic High School and Kofa High Scholl in Yuma, Ariz.
Williamson played collegiate basketball and golf at the NAIA’s University of Great Falls (Mont.), now known as the University of Providence of the Frontier Conference. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at Providence in secondary education, health and physical education. Williamson continued his collegiate education with his Master of Science degree in sports studies (with an emphasis in administration and kinesiology) from Bemidji State in 2013.
“I am extremely excited for this next chapter in DSU men’s basketball,” added Postma. “Kevin brings the drive, passion, and love of the game that are essential for us to grow into a true national championship contender.”
“I’m excited to be here at Dakota State,” said Williamson. “I can’t wait to get ingrained in the community and get out and meet all the alumni. I really do want to get engaged with our alumni and get them back in. I’m looking forward to this opportunity at Dakota State.”
| Williamson’s Head Coaching Year-by-Year | ||||
| Year | School | Overall Record | Conference Record | Postseason |
| 2019-20 | Saint Katherine (Calif.) | 15-10 | 7-0 | NCCAA West Region NCCAA D1 National Tournament Qualifier |
| 2020-21 | Saint Katherine (Calif.) | 6-6 | —- | COVID-19 season |
| 2021-22 | Saint Katherine (Calif.) | 19-9 | 13-1 | Cal Pac Tournament Champions NAIA National Tournament Qualifier |
| 2022-23 | Saint Katherine (Calif.) | 20-8 | 16-5 | Cal Pac Tournament Semifinalist |
| 2023-24 | Saint Katherine (Calif.) | 23-9 | 16-7 | Cal Pac Runner-up NAIA National Tournament Qualifier |
| 2024-25 | Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) | 20-10 | 13-7 | GPAC Tournament Quarterfinalist NAIA National Tournament Qualifier |
| 2025-26 | Dakota State (S.D.) | — | — | |
| Total: | 103-52 | 65-20 | ||
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