Ken Spencer begins his fourth season as the Associate Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Shaw University after a three year stint as the Head Coach at Fayetteville State University. He led the Broncos to the 2017 CIAA Tournament championship game and a runner-up finish and his 2019 squad had FSU’s first victory in school history over a Division I opponent, defeating UNC-Asheville.
Before taking over at FSU, Spencer completed a four-year stint at South Carolina State University (SCSU) serving as associate head coach to current head coach, Murray Garvin. He was responsible for academics, recruiting, scouting, scheduling, guard development and on-the-floor coaching with the Bulldogs' program. In 2016, he helped SCSU to one of their most successful seasons in recent history, which included a MEAC tournament runner-up finish and a post-season berth in the CIT.
Prior to joining the coaching staff at SCSU, Spencer was the head men's basketball coach at CIAA Southern Divisional institution, Saint Augustine's University (2010-12).
Spencer assumed the leadership role over the Saint Augustine's program in September of 2010 and inherited a team that lost all five starters and seven seniors. His only recruit, Joel Kindred, earned CIAA Rookie of the Year honors. The team also finished the season with a team GPA of 2.84, second among CIAA schools.
At the completion of the 2011-12 season, Spencer led the Falcons to a winning home record, which included a victory over eventual CIAA champion Winston-Salem State. The team finished that season 14-14 overall and 8-8 in the CIAA with 12 new players on the roster. The team GPA improved to 2.95 and won the 2012 CIAA Sportsmanship Award.
Prior to taking over the program at Saint Augustine's, Spencer spent four seasons at Winston-Salem State University as the associate head coach and was in charge of all aspects of the program, especially recruiting and player development during WSSU's time in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and transition to NCAA Division I.
Before his stint at WSSU, Spencer built a powerhouse as the head boys' basketball coach at Marlboro County High School in Bennettsville, S.C. In eight seasons, Marlboro County High was 173-51 overall, appeared in three state title games and won the state championship in 2001.
Spencer has the most coaching wins in the history of Marlboro County High for boys' basketball and was named South Carolina coach of the year by the National Federation of High Schools in 2001. He was the South Carolina AAAA coach of the year in 2000 and 2005, the South Carolina statewide coach of the year in 2001, and a six-time winner of the Region V AAAA Coach of the Year award after leading MCHS to six consecutive regional crowns.
Before arriving at Marlboro County High, Spencer coached two years at Scotland County High School in Laurinburg, NC. Spencer's teams in both Scotland County and Marlboro County qualified for the state tournament each year. He coached more than 20 high school players who earned college scholarships.
Prior to becoming a high school coach, Spencer served as a student assistant coach at Pembroke State (1992-93) under Dan Kenney and John Haskins and as a graduate assistant coach at Fayetteville State (1991-92) under Jeff Capel, Sr., who was an assistant coach with the NBA's Charlotte Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers.
Spencer was a standout basketball player at UNC Pembroke, finishing his career as the school's all-time three-point field goal leader. A four-year letterman, Spencer was captain on the UNCP team that won the Carolinas Conference championship during his senior season. He earned his bachelor's degree in business management from UNC Pembroke in 1991 and returned to UNCP to obtain a physical education degree with teacher certification in 1992-1993. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army after college and served in the Reserves for 10 years. Spencer completed his Master's in Sports Management from Southern New Hampshire University.
The son of Levon and Josephine Spencer of Eagle Springs, N.C., Spencer is the youngest of seven children. He graduated from Pinecrest High School in Southern Pines, N.C., where he was a teammate of Shaw University Head Men's Basketball coach Bobby Collins. A two-time all-conference selection, Spencer was an honorable mention all-state pick as a senior in 1986 after leading the team to the state 4-A semifinals. The head coach of that team was Jeff Capel, Sr.
Spencer and his wife Ellen have two adult children, K.J. and Karmen.
