BEAUMONT, Texas – Tyler Kelly will join the Lamar University coaching staff announced Cardinals' head coach Jordan Fee Friday morning. The announcement comes just 24 hours after name Aaron Smith to the staff.
 
"We are thrilled to welcome Tyler Kelly to Lamar University," said Fee. "A former Division II national champion as a player, Tyler understands what it takes to win and has continued to grow through multiple stops at the Division I level. He has quickly earned a tremendous amount of respect within the coaching profession, a testament to his work ethic, basketball mind, and character. Tyler's passion for the game and his ability to connect with people make him a tremendous addition to our program. Please join me in welcoming Coach Kelly, his wife Gianna, and their son Luca to Beaumont."
 
Kelly brings more than 10 years of coaching experience with him to Beaumont from various levels of the sport and comes to Beaumont from Kalamazoo, Mich., where he spent the previous season as an assistant with the Western Michigan Broncos. Working directly with the WMU's defensive schemes Kelly joined the Broncos' staff after spending three seasons at Niagara.
 
During his time in Lewiston, N.Y., he was a member of a coaching staff that helped lead the Purple Eagles to its first winning season since 2017-18 and advanced to the MAAC tournament semifinals. The Purple Eagles posted the league's third-best field goal percentage that season and led the conference in terms of fewest turnovers committed per game. His final season with Niagara, they led the league in field goal percentage and were second in three-point field goal percentage.
 
Kelly also helped build one of the deepest teams in the country while at NU. The Purple Eagles boasted the MAAC's best reserve unit – which ranked 23^rd nationally – averaging nearly 30 points per game.
 
Before making the jump to Niagara, Kelly spent the 2021-22 season as an assistant at Lincoln Memorial. His lone season at LMU proved to be one of the best in program history as the Railsplitters posted a 26-5 (.839) overall record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional. He also helped produce four all-conference players during his time.
 
Kelly has also made coaching stops at Le Moyne, Wisconsin-Green Bay as well his alma mater, Florida Southern.