Tim Kempton Sets the Bar High

Tim Kempton has made quite a name for himself at Lehigh. Now, heading into his final season, he’d like to leave a lasting legacy.

“How do we want to be remembered?” the 6-foot-10 Kempton asks. “Just as having had an okay career, where we never won championships? Personally it would be nice to repeat as player of the year, but at the end of the day, it’s about winning, so I would take a championship over player of the year any day of the week.”

Should it come down to such a choice—which it likely won’t; if Lehigh wins the conference title, it certainly will need another banner season from its star—Kempton will be able to rest easy: his basketball résumé already sparkles with plenty of personal accolades.

The name on top of that CV might catch the eye of astute basketball fans who remember Kempton’s father, also named Tim, from his playing days. A Notre Dame alum who had a 14-year career with nine NBA franchises and several teams in Europe, the elder Kempton served as his son’s unofficial coach and trainer.

Based on the younger Kempton’s first three seasons at Lehigh, his father did a stellar job.

“Tim’s been a really productive player for us ever since he put on a uniform,” says Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. “It’s not every day that you come across a guy who’s won rookie of the year and consecutive player of the year awards. It puts him in very elite company. That means people around our league respect him and his performance at such a high level. I think Tim is really hungry to get the ultimate recognition, and that’s of a champion.”

That Kempton even set foot in Bethlehem is unlikely. He’d heard precious little about the school when it began to recruit him. As a young boy he lived in Spain while his father played professionally there. When the family moved to Florida, Shaquille O’Neal lived next door.

“I used to hang out with his daughters a lot,” Kempton says. “They had an arcade room, and we would spend hours and hours in there. They had it rigged so you wouldn’t have to use quarters.”

It wasn’t until his high school years in Arizona, where his father still works as the Phoenix Suns’ radio color commentator, that Kempton started seriously concentrating on his game. Even so, he was lightly recruited when Lehigh jumped in late.

“I actually looked up the school right before my official visit,” he says. “I got there and just fell in love with the place instantly. The campus, the way the culture was around the program, the coaches.”

His comfort level was evident during his freshman season, in which he led the team in rebounding and was its second-leading scorer. His sophomore season saw no slump. He led the team in scoring (15.3 points per game) and rebounding (8.7 per game), and was named the conference’s player of the year. Last season he became just the third player in league history to be named player of the year twice before his senior season (the other two—Adonal Foyle of Colgate and C.J. McCollum of Lehigh—both went on to the NBA).

But 2016 will always be somewhat bittersweet for Kempton. The Mountain Hawks fell three points shy of their major goal, losing to Holy Cross in the Patriot League Tournament. (Kempton scored 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting.)

“That was one of the toughest moments of my career by far,” he says. “It’s still hard to put into words, to be that far along in the process and to end up one shot short. At the end of the day all you can do is move on. I watched them cut down the nets and promised I wouldn’t let that happen again.”

As he prepared for his final season, the number three was seared in Kempton’s mind. In the weight room, during conditioning drills, firing up shot after shot at a lonely hoop, memories of the loss never were far from the surface.

Kempton is perhaps more focused on his game now than he’s ever been. His college career has flown by, and with just a few months left before he hopes a pro career begins, he’s vowed to elevate his game to a new level.

No one doubts he can.

“Anyone who’s watched him can see the improvement,” Reed says. “From his freshman year to his sophomore year, improving his body and his explosiveness. From his sophomore year to his junior year, increasing his range and improving his skill. Now, it’s really where we hope that he will take the reins of this program and help lead our team to a championship.”

If he does, no Lehigh basketball fan will ever forget the name Tim Kempton.

Story by Mike Unger
Photos by Christa Neu