 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1951-12-16)December 16, 1951 (age 73) Palos Verdes, California, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Palos Verdes (Palos Verdes, California) |
| College | Vanderbilt (1971–1974) |
| NBA draft | 1974: 2nd round, 20th overall pick |
| Selected by thePortland Trail Blazers | |
| Playing career | 1974–1985 |
| Position | Small forward |
| Number | 32, 5, 20, 22 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1974–1975 | Denver Nuggets |
| 1975–1976 | Virginia Squires |
| 1976 | Kentucky Colonels |
| 1976–1983 | New York / New Jersey Nets |
| 1983–1985 | Granarolo Bologna |
| As coach: | |
| 1983–1985 | Granarolo Bologna (player coach) |
| 1985–1991 | Princeton (assistant) |
| 1991–1993 | Cornell |
| 1993–1999 | Vanderbilt |
| 1999–2001 | Pepperdine |
| 2001–2003 | St. Bonaventure |
| 2003–2004 | New Orleans Hornets (assistant) |
| 2008–2010 | Nashville Broncos / Music City Stars |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As coach:
| |
| Career ABA and NBA statistics | |
| Points | 3,696 (6.2 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,572 (4.3 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,178 (2.0 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Jan van Breda Kolff (born December 16, 1951) is an American former professionalbasketball player andcollege coach. The son of coachButch van Breda Kolff and grandson of Dutch soccer playerJan van Breda Kolff, he played from 1974 to 1976 for theDenver Nuggets,Kentucky Colonels, andVirginia Squires in theAmerican Basketball Association, and theNew York/New Jersey Nets in theNational Basketball Association. From 1970 to 1974 he played forVanderbilt University, and in 1974 he led the Commodores to aSoutheastern Conference championship as SEC Player of the Year.[1]
He also spent two years in Italy, from 1983 to 1985, helping Italian teamVirtus Bologna win a championship.
Van Breda Kolff was a player coach while playing in Italy. Then he became an assistant coach at Princeton in either 1985 or 1987.[2][3]
Van Breda Kolff's tenure at St. Bonaventure ended abruptly in controversy late in the 2002–03 season. St. Bonaventure declaredjunior college transfer Jamil Terrell eligible to play without sitting out a year (as he would have been under NCAA rules if he had earned anassociate degree), even though Terrell had only earned awelding certificate. Athletic directorGothard Lane had told school president Robert Wickenheiser that Terrell was ineligible to play that year. However, Wickenheiser, under prodding from his son Kort, who was also one of Van Breda Kolff's assistants, unilaterally declared Terrell eligible. School officials didn't seek guidance from the NCAA about Terrell's eligibility until the 2002–03 season was nearly over. The Bonnies were forced to forfeit every game in which Terrell played, and were also barred from theAtlantic 10 Conference tournament. In protest, the Bonnies players opted to sit out the last two games.[4][5] Van Breda Kolff denied knowing about the scandal and was cleared of wrongdoing.[6] He would later take on an assistant coach role for theNew Orleans Hornets following the scandal's aftermath.
On April 25, 2007, he was named as one of three finalists to become the new head coach ofUC Riverside's men's basketball program.
Van Breda Kolff was named coach of the Nashville Broncos of theAmerican Basketball Association in 2008. He stayed with the team through its name change to theMusic City Stars but lost his job when the team disbanded in 2010.
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornell Big Red(Ivy League)(1991–1993) | |||||||||
| 1991–92 | Cornell | 7–19 | 5–9 | 5th | |||||
| 1992–93 | Cornell | 16–10 | 9–5 | 3rd | |||||
| Cornell: | 23–29 (.442) | 14–14 (.500) | |||||||
| Vanderbilt Commodores(Southeastern Conference)(1993–1999) | |||||||||
| 1993–94 | Vanderbilt | 20–12 | 9–7 | 3rd | NIT Runner-up | ||||
| 1994–95 | Vanderbilt | 13–15 | 6–10 | 4th | |||||
| 1995–96 | Vanderbilt | 19–12 | 7–9 | 4th | NIT Second Round | ||||
| 1996–97 | Vanderbilt | 18–14 | 9–7 | 4th | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| 1997–98 | Vanderbilt | 20–13 | 7–9 | T–4th | NIT Quarterfinal | ||||
| 1998–99 | Vanderbilt | 14–15 | 5–11 | 5th | |||||
| Vanderbilt: | 104–81 (.562) | 43–53 (.448) | |||||||
| Pepperdine Waves(West Coast Conference)(1999–2001) | |||||||||
| 1999–00 | Pepperdine | 25–9 | 12–2 | 1st | NCAA Division I Second Round | ||||
| 2000–01 | Pepperdine | 22–9 | 12–2 | 2nd | NIT Second Round | ||||
| Pepperdine: | 47–18 (.723) | 24–4 (.857) | |||||||
| St. Bonaventure Bonnies(Atlantic 10 Conference)(2001–2003) | |||||||||
| 2001–02 | St. Bonaventure | 17–13 | 8–8 | 6th | NIT Second Round | ||||
| 2002–03 | St. Bonaventure | 13–14 | 7–9 | 7th | |||||
| St. Bonaventure: | 30–27 (.526) | 15–17 (.469) | |||||||
| Total: | 204–155 (.568) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
Jan van Breda Kolff began his coaching career as a player-coach in Italy's professional league from 1983-85. He was an assistant at Princeton from 1987-91
He did some sports broadcasting after his playing days, then became an assistant to Pete Carril at Princeton from 1985-'91