Chris Kent Was 'In the Trenches.' Now, He's the Newest Coach of the Austin Spurs

CEDAR PARK, Texas — As far as personalities go, Chris Kent fit the bill. Ask Mitch Johnson.

"(We) felt like he was one of our type of people," the San Antonio Spurs' coach said of Kent prior to his squad's "home" game against the Houston Rockets at Moody Center in October.

Kent wasn't hired fraternity-style, with a secret handshake shared by Johnson and Austin Spurs general manager Josh Larson during his interviews. Instead, his personality spoke volumes to the organization, which named him its 12th head coach in early September.

Make no mistake, familiarity with a few faces helped, too. Kent spent the 2022-23 season with the G League's Windy City Bulls under Billy Donovan Sr. — the Spurs' current lead assistant — and next to Billy Donovan III, Donovan's oldest son, in the video room.

"I've been around Coach Donovan for years," Kent said. "He's a mentor of mine ... it's good to see him around when we're in San Antonio. BD3 and I were in the trenches together."

Dec 5, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Then-Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan watches the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

After his lone season in Chicago, Kent spent two years as an assistant for the Rip City Remix in Portland before returning to Florida State, his alma mater, last year as an assistant coach and director of player development. Under Luke Loucks, another alum now entering his second season at the helm in Tallahassee, Fla., Kent helped the Seminoles to an 18-15 record.

"Coach Loucks is so important to my story," Kent said. "The reason I coach is to help people achieve their dreams and goals the same way that people help me achieve mine."

Though he'd never been a head coach prior to Austin's season opener against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on Friday, Kent adapted well. His Spurs earned a 120-116 victory, thanks, in large part, to veteran shooting guard Ochai Agbaji's 29 points in his Austin debut.

Kent says the 26-year-old Agbaji is among several players who help establish a culture of learning from the top down — Jon Elmore, Terry Taylor, R.J. Davis and Agbaji, to name a few. Experience, both in the NBA and the G League, is the thing they can bond over.

"It's like in college, when you have seniors compared to freshmen," Kent said. "When things get tight and adversity hits, they're coming together because they've been through it."

Kent doesn't like to use the word "easier" when describing the benefit his veterans — and his team — can bring him as a first-time head coach. But he settled for one similar: "better."

"It's a lot better doing this when you have a group of people that enjoy being around each other," Kent said, speaking on the human aspect of coaching he likes to focus on.

That philosophy exists in just about everything Kent brings to Austin. When training camp opened, the coach acknowledged the need to work on offensive and defensive schemes. At the same time, what he's asking from his team on a nightly basis can't be taught.

"We want to hang our hats on being the hardest playing team," Kent said. "The most connected team. If we do that every night, we should be in a pretty good spot every game."

Austin Spurs coach Chris Kent, photographed ahead of the 2026-27 G League season. | Photo courtesy of the Austin Spurs.

Before Austin's season began, Kent spent time around the Spurs' NBA roster in San Antonio alongside players such as Elmore, Davis, Taelon Peter, Malik Williams, Ja'Kobi Gillespie and Maliq Brown, all of whom signed training camp or two-way contracts with the team.

The experience allowed Kent to consult with the likes of Donovan, Johnson and assistant coach Scott King, who led the Austin Spurs two years ago. It also helped him build rapport with the players he'll be coaching in the G League and those staying in San Antonio.

"I'm happy for him," said Devin Vassell, also a Florida State basketball alum. "Excited for him. I've got my young boys down there. Hopefully they do some good stuff for him."

Vassell, asked if Austin was in good hands with a former Seminole: "Yeah, you know that."

Perhaps the strangest part of living in the G League is the desire to leave. Players who perform well become prime candidates for call ups, both from their affiliate NBA team and elsewhere. Coaches with potential use the league as a stepping stone for better opportunities.

In that sense, Kent admits there's a sense of pride in being the third coach to lead Austin in as many years. But he's committed to being where his feet are, like he tells his players.

"It just goes back to pouring into every guy every single day," Kent said. "Making sure they're ready for their opportunity ... we all have goals and aspirations, but you focus where you're at and you do a good job where you're at. Everything in the future will take care of itself."

Johnson, who won a championship with the Austin Spurs — where he began his coaching career — during the 2017-18 season under then-coach Blake Ahearn, echoed Kent.

"We're trying to grow staff members just like players," Johnson said. "You wish you could keep all your players and staff for 15-year contracts, but typically when people leave, when they get plucked (or) when they get identified for other jobs, that's usually a compliment."

From the minute he arrived in Austin, Kent felt the familial aspect of the Spurs' organization. He's had lunch with every head coach he could get time with. He hopped on a phone call to introduce himself to Elmore and begin instilling the values he wanted his team to run on.

"He's a huge people person," Elmore said. "He's a dude you can talk to about anything."

Kent's philosophy became even easier to buy into after Austin earned its first win. But with a season ahead of him, he's focused on the opportunity in front of him, grateful for the people who helped prepare him for it. If nothing else, that's what "the trenches" taught him.

"I don't want to say I was ready for it," Kent said, "but you're always kind of prepared because this has been a goal of mine. I just leaned on the people that have done it before, (who) helped me get to this point ... an organization like this, it's a special thing to be part of."

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