Sport(s) | Basketball |
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Biographical details | |
Born |
Brooklyn, New York |
April 17, 1943
Playing career | |
1962–1964 | St. John's |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1965–1970 | St. John's (asst.) |
1970–1973 | New York Nets (asst.) |
1973–1979 | St. John's (asst.) |
1979–2002 | College of Charleston |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 560–143 (.797) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
NAIA District 6 Champions (1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989) NAIA National Champions (1983) TAAC Tournament Championship (1997, 1998) TAAC Regular Season Championship (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998) TAAC Division Championship (1997, 1998) SoCon Tournament Championship (1999) SoCon Regular Season Championship (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002) SoCon Division Championship (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002) |
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Awards | |
TAAC Coach of the Year (1994, 1997, 1998) SoCon Coach of the Year (1999) NAIA District 6 Coach of the Year (1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1989) NAIA Area 7 Coach of the Year (1982) South Carolina State Coach of the Year (1983, 1987, 1988, 1994, 1996, 1999) Order of the Palmetto Award (1983) South Carolina State Athletics hall of Fame Member Inducted (2001) N.Y. City Basketball Hall of Fame Member Inducted (2009) |
John Kresse is a basketball coach and writer.
He is former head coach of the College of Charleston Cougars and assistant coach with the New York Nets and St. John's University. Kresse has the 5th highest winning percentage (.797) of any Division 1 NCAA college basketball coach with 560 wins and 143 losses during his 23 years as head coach of the College of Charleston. Kresse retired from coaching duties in 2002. In 2005, Kresse was inducted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame. The John Kresse Arena is named after him. Prior to the 2008–2009 basketball season, the College of Charleston moved to the Carolina First Arena where the playing surface is named John Kresse Court in honor of the legendary coach. In 2009, Kresse was inducted into the New York City basketball Hall of Fame.
Kresse coached the College of Charleston to the 1983 NAIA basketball title. One of the teams the Cougars defeated in the 1983 NAIA tournament was Chaminade, which had earlier in the season defeated a great Virginia team led by Ralph Sampson. In 1990, the College of Charleston moved from NAIA to NCAA Division I, and soon became known as a giant killer. Over the next few years, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Stanford, and other big time programs would fall to the well coached Cougars.
National champion Postseason invitational champion
Conference regular season champion Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
Division regular season champion Division regular season and conference tournament champion
Conference tournament champion