Steve Kinder (born ) is a former head basketball coach of the California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt (HSU) Lumberjacks. As of 2026–27 he is he an assistant coach for Hawaii–Hilo Vulcans men's basketball program.
During his prep school days, Kinder attended Escondido High School in Escondido, California. As a collegiate student-athlete, Kinder won a Pacific Coast Athletic Conference basketball championship at MiraCosta College and reached the California State Final Four championship game. Kinder was named "Athlete of the Year" at MCC, 1983. Kinder then earned a B.S. in physical education from HSU in 1985 when he also played for the basketball team that won the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) that year. He received an M.A. from Humboldt in 1988. Kinder also competed in track and field at HSU. He qualified for the NCAA Track and Field Championships with a throw of 223'10" that was a record second-best in school history. He was the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference javelin champion and finished third at the CCAA track and field championships.
He was an assistant basketball coach at Oceanside High School from 1988 to 1990. He returned to Humboldt where he served as an assistant to basketball coach Tom Wood from 1990 to 2010.
In his first year as head coach in the 2010–11 season the Lumberjacks went 26–4, won the CCAA regular season title and appeared in the NCAA playoffs. That year he received the first-ever Clarence Gaines Award, given to the nation's best NCAA Division II head basketball coach.
In the 2011–12 season the team was 22–8, won the CCAA tournament and lost in the first round of the NCAA playoffs. The Lumberjacks also won the CCAA tournament again in 2016.
In 2020, after compiling an overall record of 161–128 at Humboldt State, Kinder went to the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo to become an assistant coach for their men's basketball program.
Head coaching record
References
External links Hawaii–Hilo Vulcans coach bio