John Kuester

John Kuester

Kuester coaches the Detroit Pistons in 2009.
Personal information
Born (1955-02-06) February 6, 1955
Richmond, Virginia
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight 180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school Benedictine (Richmond, Virginia)
College North Carolina (1973–1977)
NBA draft 1977 / Round: 3 / Pick: 53rd overall
Selected by the Kansas City Kings
Playing career 1977–1980
Position Point guard
Number 5, 10
Coaching career 1980–present
Career history
As player:
1977–1978 Kansas City Kings
1978–1979 Denver Nuggets
1979–1980 Indiana Pacers
As coach:
1980–1981 Richmond (asst.)
1981–1983 Boston University (asst.)
1983–1985 Boston University
1985–1990 George Washington
1995–1997 Boston Celtics (asst.)
1997–2003 Philadelphia 76ers (asst.)
2003–2004 Detroit Pistons (asst.)
2004–2005 New Jersey Nets (asst.)
2005–2006 Philadelphia 76ers (asst.)
2006–2007 Orlando Magic (asst.)
2007–2009 Cleveland Cavaliers (asst.)
2009–2011 Detroit Pistons
2011–2012 Los Angeles Lakers (asst.)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

John Dewitt Kuester, Jr.[1] (pronounced: /ˈkjuːstər/) (born February 6, 1955) is an American basketball coach and scout.

He played in the NBA from 1977 to 1980 and then coached in the college ranks before moving on to the NBA sidelines as an assistant. Kuester was named head coach of the Detroit Pistons on July 9, 2009. An agreement was made after the Pistons and their first choice, Avery Johnson, broke off contract talks.[2] Kuester coached the Pistons for two seasons.

He was a 6'2" (1.88 m) and 180 lb (82 kg) guard and played collegiately with the University of North Carolina Tar Heels from 1973–77.[3][4]

Playing career

High School

Kuester played four years at Benedictine for legendary coach Warren Rutledge. His senior year the Cadets were 33-1.

College

Kuester played four seasons with the UNC Tar Heels under head coach Dean Smith, for whom he won two ACC championships and helped reach the NCAA Tournament four times, including an appearance in the 1977 NCAA Finals,[4] in which they lost to Marquette 67–59.[5] In both his junior and senior year (1976 and 1977), Kuester was voted UNC's best defensive player. Also in his senior year, as was voted Most Valuable Player of the ACC Tournament and the NCAA East Regionals.[4]

Professional

Kuester was selected with the 9th pick of the third round (53rd overall) in the 1977 NBA draft by the Kansas City Kings. He played 78 games for them in 1977–78, averaging 4.8 points, 1.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.[1] In his second and third (and final) seasons he played with the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers, respectively.

Coaching career

After his playing days, Kuester began a basketball coaching career, volunteering as an assistant at the University of Richmond in 1980 to 1981.[4] From 1981 to 1983 he was an assistant to Rick Pitino at Boston University, before succeeding him in 1983 as the youngest head coach in NCAA Division I.[3][4][6]

From 1985 to 1990 he was the head coach at George Washington University. His 1988–1989 Colonials team compiled a 1-27 record, one of the worst ever in NCAA history.[4]

He continued his career on the sidelines in the NBA, joining the Boston Celtics in 1990 and serving as an assistant from 1995 to 1997,[4] and from 1997 to 2003 an assistant for the Philadelphia 76ers under head coach Larry Brown. In 2003–04, Kuester followed Brown to the Detroit Pistons where he also served as an assistant. In 2004–05 Kuester was an assistant with the New Jersey Nets,[3] and returned to the 76ers once more in 2005–06. In July 2006, Kuester was named as an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic.[7]

In August 2007, Kuester was named to Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown's staff, replacing the departing Kenny Natt.[8]

In July 2009, Kuester was hired as head coach of the Detroit Pistons, replacing Michael Curry.[9]

On June 5, 2011, Kuester was fired from his position as head coach of the Detroit Pistons.[10]

On June 29, 2011, Kuester was hired as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers under new head coach Mike Brown. Since his days in Cleveland, this marked the second time Kuester has worked as an assistant coach under Brown.

On September 7, 2012, Kuester was named an advance scout for the Lakers.[11]

Family

Kuester and wife, Tricia, have a son, John III, and a daughter, Katelyn.[4] Katelyn ("Katie") played basketball at St. Joseph's University.[12][13]

Coaching record

College
School Season Record
Overall Conference
Boston University 1983–84 16-13 0-0
Boston University 1984–85 15-15 0-0
George Washington 1985–86 12-16 7-11
George Washington 1986–87 10-19 6-12
George Washington 1987–88 10-17 0-0
George Washington 1988–89 1-27 1-17
George Washington 1989–90 14-17 10-6
NBA
Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win-loss %
Post season PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win-loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
Detroit 2009–10 822755.3295th in Central———— Missed Playoffs
Detroit 2010–11 823052.3664th in Central———— Missed Playoffs
Career 16457107.348 ————

Notes

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