| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 17, 1943 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| 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 | |
| 6 NAIA District 6 Champion (1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989) NAIA National Champion (1983) 2 TAAC Tournament Champion (1997, 1998) 5 TAAC Regular Season Champion (1994–1998) 2 TAAC Division Champion (1997, 1998) SoCon Tournament Championship (1999) 4 SoCon Regular Season Champion (1999–2002) 4 SoCon Division Champion (1999–2002) | |
| Awards | |
| 3× TAAC Coach of the Year (1994, 1997, 1998) SoCon Coach of the Year (1999) 5× NAIA District 6 Coach of the Year (1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1989) NAIA Area 7 Coach of the Year (1982) 6× South Carolina State Coach of the Year (1983, 1987, 1988, 1994, 1996, 1999) | |
| College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2018 | |
John Leopold Kresse V (born April 17, 1943 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American basketball coach and writer.[1][2]
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 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 major power programs would fall to the Cougars.
John Leopold Kresse V is married to Dr. Sue Sommer-Kresse who also worked at the College of Charleston, and they have two sons, John Leopold Kresse VI and Ryan Henry Kresse.
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College of Charleston Cougars (NAIA) (1979–1989) | |||||||||
| 1979–80 | College of Charleston | 17–11 | 17–11 | District 6 Quarterfinal | |||||
| 1980–81 | College of Charleston | 25–5 | 25–5 | District 6 Semifinal | |||||
| 1981–82 | College of Charleston | 25–5 | 25–5 | District 6 Runner up | |||||
| 1982–83 | College of Charleston | 33–5 | 33–5 | District 6 Champions | NAIA National Champions | ||||
| 1983–84 | College of Charleston | 25–7 | 25–7 | District 6 Runner Up | |||||
| 1984–85 | College of Charleston | 30–4 | 30–4 | District 6 Champions | NAIA Quarterfinal | ||||
| 1985–86 | College of Charleston | 26–9 | 26–9 | District 6 Champions | NAIA Quarterfinal | ||||
| 1986–87 | College of Charleston | 31–2 | 31–2 | District 6 Champions | NAIA 2nd Round | ||||
| 1987–88 | College of Charleston | 30–5 | 30–5 | District 6 Champions | NAIA 2nd Runner Up | ||||
| 1988–89 | College of Charleston | 26–6 | 26–6 | District 6 Champions | NAIA 2nd Round | ||||
| College of Charleston: | 268–59 (.820) | 268–59 (.820) | |||||||
| College of Charleston Cougars (Independent) (1989–1991) | |||||||||
| 1989–90 | College of Charleston | 19–8 | 0–0 | – | NCAA D1 Compliance | ||||
| 1990–91 | College of Charleston | 15–12 | 0–0 | – | NCAA D1 Compliance | ||||
| College of Charleston: | 34–20 (.630) | ||||||||
| College of Charleston Cougars (Independent) (1991–1993) | |||||||||
| 1991–92 | College of Charleston | 19–8 | – | Joined Division 1 | |||||
| 1992–93 | College of Charleston | 19–8 | – | ||||||
| College of Charleston: | 38–16 (.704) | ||||||||
| College of Charleston Cougars (TAAC) (1993–1998) | |||||||||
| 1993–94 | College of Charleston | 24–4 | 14–2 | 1st | NCAA 1st Round | ||||
| 1994–95 | College of Charleston | 23–6 | 15–1 | 1st | NIT First Round | ||||
| 1995–96 | College of Charleston | 25–4 | 15–1 | 1st | NIT Second Round | ||||
| 1996–97 | College of Charleston | 29–3 | 16–0 | 1st (East) | NCAA 2nd Round | ||||
| 1997–98 | College of Charleston | 24–6 | 14–2 | 1st (East) | NCAA 1st Round | ||||
| College of Charleston: | 125–23 (.845) | 74–6 (.925) | |||||||
| College of Charleston Cougars (Southern) (1998–2002) | |||||||||
| 1998–99 | College of Charleston | 28–3 | 16–0 | 1st (South) | NCAA 1st Round | ||||
| 1999–2000 | College of Charleston | 24–6 | 13–3 | 1st (South) | |||||
| 2000–01 | College of Charleston | 22–7 | 12–4 | 1st (South) | |||||
| 2001–02 | College of Charleston | 21–9 | 9–7 | T–1st (South) | |||||
| College of Charleston: | 95–25 (.792) | 50–14 (.781) | |||||||
| Total: | 560–143 (.797) | ||||||||
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National champion
Postseason invitational champion
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