Kenny Finco starts his sixth season as an assistant men's basketball coach at UW-La Crosse in 2022-23. He starts his fifth year as an assistant in the sports performance center. A native of Hartland, Wisconsin, Finco was a three-year letter at UWL while earning his bachelor's degree in exercise sport science with a fitness emphasis.
Appearing in 73 career games for the Eagles, including 22 starts, Finco averaged 7.9 points and 2.0 rebounds in his senior season in 2016-17 while playing in all 27 games with 19 starts. He scored in double figures in nine games, including a career-high 21 points versus UW-Stout.
He was named to the 2016-17 All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Sportsmanship Team. Finco shot 48.4% (78-of-161) from the field and 89.1% (41-of-46) at the free throw line his senior season. He was a three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll.
He earned one letter in basketball at Wayne State College (Neb.) prior to coming to UWL. Finco played in 23 games, including five starts, for the Wildcats.
UWL went 21-7 overall and 9-5 in the WIAC in 2021-22. The 21 wins tied the single-season school record for victories. UWL made its third appearance in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championships, earning its first victory with a win over Heidelberg University (Ohio) in the first round. The Eagles advanced to the WIAC Tournament semifinals for the fourth straight season in 2021-22. UWL was 19th in the final 2021-22 D3hoops.com Top-25 Poll.
UWL went 8-3 overall and 5-1 in the WIAC West Division in 2020-21, earning the number one seed in the West Division for the WIAC Championship while advancing to the tournament title game for the second time in school history. The Eagles finished 13th in the final 2020-21 D3hoops.com Top-15 Poll, their highest ranking in school history.
The Eagles finished 21-6 overall and 9-5 in the WIAC in 2019-20, placing third in the conference standings. The 21 wins tied the school record set in 1975-76. UWL was ranked 11 times on the 2019-20 D3hoops.com Top-25 Poll, including a season-best 14th. The team received votes on the final 2019-20 D3hoops.com Top-25 Poll. The Eagles advanced to the 2020 WIAC Championships Semifinals, their sixth appearance in the last nine seasons.
The Eagles led the WIAC in steals (7.5 per game), three-point percentage defense (30.6) and turnover margin (+2.4) in 2019-20 while finishing second second in scoring defense (65.1), scoring margin (+9.1), three-point made per game (8.7), field goal percentage defense (41.2) and three-point field goal percentage defense (39.0). UWL tied for second in field goal percentage (46.7) and finished third in scoring offense (74.3).
UWL was 17-10 overall and 10-4 in the WIAC in 2018-19, placing second in the league standings. It was the Eagles' highest finish in the WIAC since capturing the regular-season crown in 2015-16. UWL also hosted a WIAC Tournament Semifinal in 2018-19 for the first time since 2015-16. The 17 victories in 2018-19 were the most since finishing 17-10 in 2013-14.
The Eagles earned an at-large bid to the 2019 NCAA Division III Championship, the team's second appearance (2006, 2019) in school history. UWL was one of 20 teams to earn an at-large bid to the national championships. The team went 4-3 against nationally-ranked opponents in 2018-19, including a 66-61 victory over third-ranked UW-Oshkosh. The win snapped UW-Oshkosh's 21-game winning streak and handed the Titans their first league loss of the season. UWL also secured the second-seed for the WIAC Tournament with the win.
UWL started the 2017-18 season with a record of 8-2, including a 65-63 win over 20th-ranked Saint John's University (Minn.). It was one of four losses by the Johnnies (23-4) in 2017-18, who were ranked seventh on the final regular-season D3hoops.com Top-25 Poll. UWL finished 13-13 overall in Finco's first year as an assistant coach, losing six games by three points or less.
Finco served as the La Crosse (Wis.) Aquinas Junior Varsity Head Baseball Coach from 2015-17 and was the Intern Strength Coach from May-August 2017 for NX Level Sport Performance in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He was also the basketball trainer for Performance Max Basketball Training LLC in Pewaukee, Wisconsin from June-August 2015, leading workouts designed to improve basketball skills for players aged 10-18.
