Road to Duke
Kenneth L. Blakeney was born November 29, 1971, in Washington, D.C. He grew up in the DMV — the District, Maryland, Virginia corridor that has produced more elite basketball talent per square mile than almost anywhere in America. The culture was everywhere: rec centers, Catholic league gyms, summer leagues through Potomac heat.
He attended DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland — one of the most storied programs in the country. Head coach Morgan Wootten, a Naismith Hall of Famer, coached for 46 years and won over 1,200 games. Under Wootten, Blakeney became a three-year varsity letterman and one of the elite guards in the Washington area. Senior year: 18 PPG, 7 RPG, 4 APG. First Team All-Metro (Washington Post). 1990 Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year. McDonald’s All-American. Converse All-American. Capital Classic and Great Western Shootout.
Two Hall of Fame coaches shaped him: Wootten taught sacrifice, discipline, and how to be a program player. Then Coach K recruited him to Duke. Blakeney committed knowing his role might not be immediate, knowing the program demanded everything. He arrived in Durham as one of the most decorated recruits in DMV history.
At Duke
Kenny Blakeney spent five years at Duke, 1990–95 — a redshirt year plus four playing seasons. His career spanned the greatest sustained run in program history.
As a redshirting freshman in 1990–91, he was on Duke’s first national championship team — Hurley, Laettner, Grant Hill, Thomas Hill. He practiced against champions every day but didn’t play in games. He absorbed the standard.
In 1991–92, his first active season, Duke won its second consecutive title — beating Michigan’s Fab Five 71–51. Blakeney appeared in 30 games. Not a starter, not the headline, but part of a 34–2 team, one of the most dominant seasons in college basketball history. Two titles in two years, and he was there for both.
Sophomore and junior years saw Duke transition from the championship era into the post-Laettner, post-Hurley years. The program still won — 99 victories in Blakeney’s four active seasons — but the dynasty was evolving. Senior year, 1994–95: team co-captain, 5.4 PPG in 17.9 minutes, his most significant playing time. A difficult season by Duke standards. But Blakeney had earned a captaincy, a degree in history, and the trust of Coach K.
The biggest takeaway from Duke, he said: understanding how hard you can work. How do you eliminate mistakes? Your daily preparation. Coach K’s ability to communicate, to read and motivate players. That education — absorbed over five years, from redshirt freshman watching champions to senior captain leading a rebuild — was the foundation for everything.
After Duke
Blakeney was not drafted. His coaching career began immediately and would span three decades. First stop: assistant under Lefty Driesell at James Madison. Then La Salle, where he helped recruit Rasual Butler, a future NBA pick. Then Delaware under Mike Brey, another Duke Brotherhood connection — two conference championships, two NCAA Tournament appearances.
In Dallas, he and Duke teammate Thomas Hill co-founded the World One Sports Academy, a nonprofit focused on youth basketball development. One of their early protégés: Chris Bosh, the fourth overall pick in the 2003 draft, two-time NBA champion with the Heat. The Brotherhood’s reach was extending beyond college coaching.
Blakeney spent four years at Harvard (2008–12), helping the Crimson win their first Ivy League title. Then Columbia. But the most transformative chapter had nothing to do with coaching: he co-founded Sportin’ Styles, a sports accessories company that collaborated with the NBA, NHL, MLS, NASCAR, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the Dave Matthews Band. From 2015 to 2018, he worked in global marketing for Under Armour Basketball. He was building a life far bigger than the basketball court.
Where Is He Now
In May 2019, Kenny Blakeney was named head coach at Howard University. He was coming home — back to D.C., back to the DMV where he grew up. Howard is one of the most prestigious HBCUs in the country. Blakeney arrived with a vision beyond wins and losses.
He built the program with Duke Brotherhood DNA. First major hire: Tyler Thornton, a former Duke player. In 2025, he added Nate James, a leader of Duke’s 2001 championship team. Three Duke-trained coaches on the same HBCU bench.
In 2022–23: MEAC regular-season and tournament championships, Howard’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in over thirty years. In 2023–24: back-to-back MEAC tournament titles and back-to-back NCAA bids — a first in Howard history. MEAC Coach of the Year. HBCU National Coach of the Year. Over three seasons, Howard became the winningest D-I program in the DMV.
Off the court: worked with Michelle Obama and Chris Paul on When We All Vote. Received the ALL IN Democracy Challenge’s Collegiate Athletic Coach Award. His team received the Trailblazer Award for advocacy in Black women’s maternal health. "Developing the next generation of Black leaders in this country, trained to make an impact beyond Georgia Avenue — that is the essence of why I wanted to be the coach at Howard."
Kenny Blakeney was born in D.C. and raised in the DMV’s basketball culture. He played under Morgan Wootten at DeMatha and was named Maryland’s best player. He went to Duke and won two national championships. He was a redshirt on the first title team and a captain on the team that began rebuilding. He coached under Lefty Driesell and Mike Brey. He co-founded a nonprofit with Thomas Hill that helped develop Chris Bosh. He built a sports company that worked with the NBA and the Macy’s Parade. He worked at Under Armour. Then he came home to Howard and built the most successful era in the program’s history, hiring Duke men to help. He has taken the Brotherhood’s values and planted them at an HBCU in his hometown. He is fifty-three years old. He is still coaching. He is still building. And the next generation of leaders on Georgia Avenue is learning what Coach K taught a kid from DeMatha thirty-five years ago: how hard can you work.