Wells Takes on New Role

By Mark Baggett

UPIKE Basketball Coach Kelly Wells, who succeeded Robert Staggs as athletic director on July 1, says modestly that his journey to the office is “a little bit of a long story.” But the sustained success of his coaching record at UPIKE and in Kentucky high schools did not come without the challenges to his own health and a detour far away from the Bluegrass state.

As a basketball coach’s son in a basketball state, he grew up as a gym rat. When he graduated from high school, he went first to the University of Tulsa, then transferred to Morehead State University (MSU), where his father, Mickey Wells, was the women’s basketball coach (from 1975-84), was Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year twice, and is now a Morehead Athletic Hall of Fame member.

Wells played three years (1992 to 1994) at MSU, where he scored more than 450 points and was named 1993-94 Academic All-OVC Conference. He earned both a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a Master of Arts in Education degree from MSU.

He moved into coaching as a high school coach and business teacher at Marion County High School and then at Mason County High School. There, he won the Kentucky State Championship in 2003 and was runner-up in 2004, but in between seasons, his life changed.

Even before graduating from MSU, Wells did not play basketball his senior year because of a kidney disease. As a student assistant that year, he hoped to stay well as long as possible, but he became progressively ill as he began coaching at Mason County. He had the first of his two kidney transplants in 2004.

Another life-changing moment followed the runner-up season of 2004. His old coach at Tulsa had moved to Hawaii Pacific University in Honolulu and offered Wells a job. The move seems unusual for someone with deep roots in Kentucky basketball, but Wells accepted the job as assistant men’s basketball coach, assistant director of athletics and men’s basketball coach.

“A number of factors went into the move,” Wells said. “We had just won a championship and then a runnerup season; I had been the Kentucky-Indiana all-star coach; we had graduated two of the better players ever in the program; and I had always wanted to be a college coach. It seemed like a natural progression, even if it was Hawaii.”

Life was good, he says, at Hawaii Pacific University, but new realities brought him back home. “My wife (Shawne) and I liked living there. But Hawaii is just not conducive to running a basketball program like programs in Kentucky. There are financial challenges and a different level of competition. We had just had our first child, and being away from grandparents was torture.”

Moving back to Pikeville was an easy transition. At the time (2006), UPIKE was a small liberal arts college where enrollment was always the key. The basketball program had had success. “But our school had a vision of doing something special, and we’ve accomplished that.”

“I remember coming to my interview and being asked about my expectations,” Wells says. “I told them I wanted to compete at the highest level and win a championship. I’m sure there were some raised eyebrows.”

Now, entering his 13th year at UPIKE, Wells has become the all-time wins leader in men’s basketball at 287-102. He won the NAIA National Championship in 2011, has captured four MSC titles and coached 23 All-Americans.

“We prepared for success, and we’ve achieved it,” he says. “We’ve been a staple every season in the national rankings.”

This season, the Bears are 6-0 and ranked seventh in the country. “We have nine really talented players who returned and two talented new players. The gelling process is going well. I really like our team — it’s a diverse, talented team — and I’m excited to see how things can grow.

Wells see his dual roles of basketball coach and athletic director as a natural progression.

“It’s been an end goal of mine,” he says. “That’s where I felt my career goal would lead, even though I didn’t envision it happening so soon. I enjoy mentoring my players, and now I will be mentoring other coaches. I want to be invested in both jobs. It would actually be more of a life-changing move if I couldn’t do both.”

His plans for the athletic department center on keeping ahead of the changes in intercollegiate athletics. “It’s a critical time, a transitional time on many levels,” he says. “Facilities are an important piece, especially fitting our facilities within the university’s master plan. We have a high level of competitiveness in all 22 sports, and I want to maintain that. Fundraising, recruiting, these are important pieces in getting to that level of competitiveness. Fortunately, we have a great university and great support from university administrators, faculty and students.”