Austin Newton enters his fifth season as Head Men's Basketball Coach at Berea College.
Named head coach in September 2022, Newton was the Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) Coach of the Year in his first season as a college head coach after leading the Mountaineers to 15 wins, their highest total since 2016–17, and a tie for second place in the conference. That season, Berea hosted its first-ever postseason game since joining NCAA Division III and produced two All-Conference First Team selections, Isaac Caudill and Trey Minter.
Since joining the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) in Newton's third season, the Mountaineers have qualified for the postseason tournament in each of their first two seasons in the highly competitive league. The program has also earned the Berea College Athletics "Community Service Award" in each of the past four seasons, while maintaining a Team GPA of 3.0+
Prior to Berea, Newton spent four seasons as the Head Boys' Basketball Coach at Madison Southern High School in Berea. He led the Eagles to only the third district championship in school history with a victory over rival Madison Central, followed by the program's first-ever win in the 11th Region Tournament. His team's work with the Madison County Special Olympics earned a feature on ESPN's SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt.
Newton spent a decade at Eastern Kentucky University as an assistant basketball coach and athletics administrator. He served as Director of Basketball Operations from 2008 to 2010 before becoming a full-time Assistant Coach from 2010 to 2015. During his coaching tenure, EKU won the 2013–14 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament to face Kansas. Newton had the scouting report for the Kansas matchup and served as the lead recruiter for Nick Mayo, who went on to become EKU's all-time leading scorer.Â
Toward the end of his time at EKU, Newton transitioned into athletics administration as Director of the Colonel Club and Assistant Athletic Director of Development, focusing on major gifts and fundraising to support EKU Athletics.
A native of Campbellsville, Kentucky, Newton played basketball at Eastern Kentucky University from 2001 to 2005. As a senior captain, he helped lead the Colonels to the 2005 NCAA Tournament, where they faced the University of Kentucky. Newton is a member of the Campbellsville High School Athletics Hall of Fame for his career as an Eagle in basketball, baseball, and golf.
Newton and his wife, Amy, reside in Berea with their two children, Halle and Hagan.
