Miami interim head coach Bill Courtney will not be present for Saturday’s game against Louisville, as announced on the Hurricanes’ official basketball X account. In his absence, assistant coach Kotie Kimble will step in as the acting head coach.
Kimble has been part of Miami’s coaching staff since April 2022. His coaching journey began as a student assistant at Coastal Carolina in 2007. He later worked as an assistant at North Carolina-Asheville before spending five seasons at William & Mary. Now, he takes on a bigger role for the Hurricanes.
Before joining Miami, Kimble spent four seasons on the staff at Charlotte, where he established himself as an elite recruiter. He played a key role in landing Jahmir Young, a two-time First-Team All-Conference USA selection and the 2020 Freshman of the Year, who later transferred to Maryland.
At Miami, Kimble has continued to make an impact on the recruiting trail. He was the primary recruiter for freshman guard Austin Swartz, a Concord, North Carolina native, who is averaging 5.6 points per game this season. Swartz, along with Jahil Bethea and Divine Ugochukwu, helped form Miami’s 2024 recruiting class, which ranked seventh nationally.
In addition to Swartz, Miami’s roster also includes forward Brandon Johnson from Raleigh, further highlighting Kimble’s recruiting ties to North Carolina. Before joining Jim Larrañaga’s staff, Kimble spent his entire coaching career in the Carolinas. Since Larrañaga’s retirement in December, Kimble has also been a regular presence on WQAM’s postgame shows.
Previously, interim head coach Bill Courtney handled postgame interviews with Miami play-by-play announcer Joe Zagacki on the Hurricanes radio network. Now, Kimble, a promising young coach with the potential to land a head coaching job in the future, steps into the spotlight. However, his debut as acting head coach comes with a tough challenge—Miami faces a strong Louisville team that is 17-6 overall and 10-2 in ACC play.
