North Central College Men's Basketball

Vince Kmiec '14/M '17 joined the North Central College coaching staff prior to the 2015-2016 season as a graduate assistant coach for the Cardinals' men's basketball program. He was promoted to the position of the program's top assistant coach prior to the 2018-2019 campaign, and on May 8, 2023, Kmiec assumed duties as the 20th head coach in the program's history.  In his two seasons at the helm, Kmiec holds a 25-29 record and led the Cardinals to College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) tournament appearances in each of those seasons. Additionally, he has coached two All-CCIW selections. Kmiec was a four-year letter winner and three-year starter for North Central from 2010-2014, finishing his career as the program's all-time leader in steals (173) and free-throw percentage (.830) while ranking third in three-pointers made (167). As a junior, he set a North Central single-season record with 67 steals and earned Third Team All-CCIW honors as part of a team which reached the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship. As a senior, he received Second Team All-CCIW accolades as he averaged 15.0 points per game and led the conference in steals (55), three-pointers made (56) and minutes played (35.7 per game). A native of Palos Park, Illinois, Kmiec graduated from North Central in winter 2014 with a bachelor's degree in sociology. He graduated in spring 2017 with a master of leadership studies degree, with an emphasis in sports leadership.

Alex Washington joined the North Central College men's basketball team in June 2023 as the Cardinals' top assistant coach. Washington came to North Central from Augustana College, where he was involved in all facets of Augustana's program as an assistant coach including rules compliance, community engagement, opponent scouting and academic and career development support for student-athletes. He recruited multiple CCIW All-Conference, NABC, and D3Hoops.com All-American award recipients. The Vikings enjoyed incredible success 4 CCIW Championships, NCAA Tournament Games, and 2 NCAA National Championship Games with Washington on the coaching staff. Washington also coached with the Vikings from 2013-2016, which followed a stint at NCAA Division II Wayne State College (Nebraska) from 2010-2013. Washington helped guide a complete rebuild of the mens basketball program.  In 2012-13, the Wildcats finished with a 17-12, the first winning season since 2007-08. Washington specialized in recruiting, in-home and campus visits, defensive strategy, and academic oversight.  From 2016-2018, Washington was the Basketball Program Director for the Cognita Pacific and Stamford American International School in Singapore. Washington coached school teams and created Stamford's first competitive basketball program in Singapore. He led partnerships with  the Singapore National Team, the Ministry of Education and local teams. Washington is also the Director of Recruiting Education for CP3 Rising Stars Camps and has worked with USA Basketball Gold Camps and Jordan Brand for the past several years.

Aaron Tiknis rejoined the North Central College men's basketball coaching staff in August of 2023 as the graduate assistant coach. He previously served as an assistant coach from 2014 to 2018. Tiknis played three seasons in a Cardinals uniform after transferring in from NCAA DII Wheeling Jesuit University (W.Va.). He won College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Titles in each of his three seasons while making back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in his final two seasons. The Cardinals won the CCIW Regular Season and Tournament Titles in the same season for the first time in program history in 2011–12. That season saw him become the only North Central player to rank in the school's single-season top 10 in assists, blocked shots, and three-point percentage. Tiknis was named team captain his senior year when the Cardinals went to the 2013 NCAA Division III Final Four. He has made his mark in the career record books by ranking fifth in career blocks (73) and eighth in assists per game (3.0). He has coached collegiately at both North Central and Adrian College (Michigan). While at Adrian, he helped coach the Bulldogs to their first-ever conference championship in the school's 150-year history. Tiknis has also worked as a camp director in the Chicagoland area for Bulls/Sox Academy Summer Camps, Mercury Elite AAU, and Titans Summer Camps, among others.

Conrad Etchi joined the North Central College men's basketball staff in fall 2024 as a graduate assistant coach. Etchi is also the program director for Swarm Basketball, a youth club organization, in Chicago. Etchi was the head eighth-grade boys' coach at Francis Xavier Warde School in Chicago for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons, earning Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) Co-District Coach of the Year honors in 2024. He played college basketball at Salem University (W.V.)  where he was the team’s third-leading scorer and ranked top five in the conference in steals. Following his four seasons with the Tigers, Etchi played professional basketball in Australia, Mexico, and Dallas during a 4-year career. During his time in Australia, Etchi won the Australia Waratah League Scoring Title by averaging 25 ppg and was named the team MVP. Etchi graduated from Salem in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in business administration and management, and is pursuing a master's degree in organizational leadership at North Central.