 Kuester coaching theDetroit Pistons in 2009 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1955-02-06)February 6, 1955 (age 71) Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| 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: 3rd round, 53rd overall pick |
| Drafted by | Kansas City Kings |
| Playing career | 1977–1980 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 5, 10 |
| Coaching career | 1980–2012 |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1977–1978 | Kansas City Kings |
| 1978–1979 | Denver Nuggets |
| 1979–1980 | Indiana Pacers |
Coaching | |
| 1980–1981 | Richmond (assistant) |
| 1981–1983 | Boston University (assistant) |
| 1983–1985 | Boston University |
| 1985–1990 | George Washington |
| 1995–1997 | Boston Celtics (assistant) |
| 1997–2003 | Philadelphia 76ers (assistant) |
| 2003–2004 | Detroit Pistons (assistant) |
| 2004–2005 | New Jersey Nets (assistant) |
| 2005–2006 | Philadelphia 76ers (assistant) |
| 2006–2007 | Orlando Magic (assistant) |
| 2007–2009 | Cleveland Cavaliers (assistant) |
| 2009–2011 | Detroit Pistons |
| 2011–2012 | Los Angeles Lakers (assistant) |
| Career highlights | |
As player:
As assistant coach: | |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
John Dewitt Kuester Jr.[1] (/ˈkjuːstər/; born February 6, 1955) is an Americanbasketball coach and scout. As a player he spent three seasons in theNational Basketball Association (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 theDetroit Pistons in July 2009 and coached the team for two seasons.
A 6-foot-2-inch (1.88 m) and 180 pounds (82 kg)guard, Kuester played collegiately with theUniversity of North CarolinaTar Heels from 1973 to 1977.[2][3]
Kuester played four years at Benedictine for legendary coach Warren Rutledge. Leading his team to three consecutive state Catholic League titles, the Cadets were 31–3 his senior year.
Kuester played four seasons with theUNC Tar Heels under head coachDean Smith, for whom he won twoACC championships and helped reach theNCAA tournament four times, including an appearance in the1977 NCAA Finals,[3] in which they lost toMarquette 67–59.[4] In both his junior and senior year (1976 and 1977), Kuester was voted UNC's best defensive player. Also in his senior year, he was votedMost Valuable Player of the ACC Tournament and the NCAA East Regionals.[3]
Kuester was selected with the 9th pick of the third round (53rd overall) in the1977 NBA draft by theKansas City Kings. He played 78 games for them in1977–78, 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 theDenver Nuggets andIndiana Pacers, respectively.
After his playing days, Kuester began a basketball coaching career, volunteering as an assistant at theUniversity of Richmond from 1980 to 1981.[3] From 1981 to 1983, he was an assistant toRick Pitino atBoston University before succeeding him in 1983 as the youngest head coach inNCAA Division I.[2][3][5]
From 1985 to 1990, Kuester was the head coach atGeorge Washington University. His 1988–1989Colonials team compiled a 1–27 record, one of the worst ever in NCAA history.[3]
He continued his career on the sidelines in the NBA, joining theBoston Celtics in 1990 and serving as an assistant from 1995 to 1997,[3] and from 1997 to 2003 as an assistant for thePhiladelphia 76ers under head coachLarry Brown. In2003–04, Kuester followed Brown to theDetroit Pistons where he also served as an assistant. In2004–05, Kuester was an assistant with theNew Jersey Nets,[2] and returned to the 76ers once more in2005–06. In July 2006, he was named as an assistant coach for theOrlando Magic.[6] In August 2007, Kuester was named toCleveland Cavaliers head coachMike Brown's staff, replacing the departingKenny Natt.[7]
In July 2009, Kuester was hired as head coach of theDetroit Pistons, replacingMichael Curry.[8] An agreement was made after the Pistons and their first choice,Avery Johnson, broke off contract talks.[9] On June 5, 2011, Kuester was fired from his position as head coach of the Detroit Pistons.[10]
On June 29, 2011, he was hired as an assistant coach for theLos 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]
Kuester and wife, Tricia, have a son, John III, and a daughter,Katelyn.[3] ("Katie") played basketball atSt. Joseph's University.[12][13]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Source[1]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977–78 | Kansas City | 78 | 15.6 | .455 | .829 | 1.5 | 3.2 | .7 | .0 | 4.8 | ||
| 1978–79 | Denver | 33 | 6.4 | .308 | .929 | .4 | 1.1 | .5 | .0 | 1.4 | ||
| 1979–80 | Indiana | 24 | 0 | 4.2 | .353 | .000 | .714 | .6 | .7 | .3 | .0 | 1.2 |
| Career | 135 | 0 | 11.3 | .427 | .000 | .833 | 1.0 | 2.3 | .6 | .0 | 3.3 | |
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston University Terriers(Eastern College Athletic Conference-North)(1983–1995) | |||||||||
| 1983–84 | Boston University | 16–13 | 9–5 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1984–85 | Boston University | 15–15 | 9–7 | 5th | |||||
| Boston University: | 31–28 | 18–12 | |||||||
| George Washington Colonials(Atlantic 10 Conference)(1985–1990) | |||||||||
| 1985–86 | George Washington | 12–16 | 7–11 | 6th | |||||
| 1986–87 | George Washington | 10–19 | 6–12 | 8th | |||||
| 1987–88 | George Washington | 13–15 | 7–11 | T–6th | |||||
| 1988–89 | George Washington | 1–27 | 1–17 | 10th | |||||
| 1989–90 | George Washington | 14–17 | 6–12 | 7th | |||||
| George Washington: | 50–94 | 27–63 | |||||||
| Total: | 81–122 | ||||||||
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | 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 | 82 | 27 | 55 | .329 | 5th in Central | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Detroit | 2010–11 | 82 | 30 | 52 | .366 | 4th in Central | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Career | 164 | 57 | 107 | .348 | — | — | — | — |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)