KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Legendary College of Charleston Head Coach John Kresse has been selected for induction into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in an announcement made by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) on Wednesday, March 28, 2018.
Kresse is joined in the Class of 2018 by Arkansas’ Otis Birdsong, Arizona’s Sean Elliott, Houston’s Sidney Moncrief, North Carolina’s Sam Perkins, Morgan State’s Marvin Webster, USC’s Paul Westphal and former Oregon Tech Head Coach Danny Miles.
Coach John Kresse looks on during a 1990s NCAA tournament game with the Cougars’ Men’s Basketball Team.
The 2018 National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Celebration, presented by Nike, will take place on Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018, in Kansas City, Mo.
The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame is located inside the College Basketball Experience (CBE), a world-class experiential entertainment facility adjacent to Kansas City’s Sprint Center. The Hall of Fame’s 13th induction celebration will precede the 2018 Hall of Fame Classic, which will showcase Nebraska, Texas Tech, USC and Missouri State competing on Nov. 19-20 at the Sprint Center.
John Kresse spent 23 years as the head coach at College of Charleston, winning 560 games to just 143 losses from 1979 to 2002. His 79.7 percent career-winning percentage is the fifth highest all-time among NCAA Division I coaches behind Claire Bee, Adolph Rupp, Mark Few and John Wooden.
A native New Yorker and former assistant coach of the New York Nets and St. John’s University, Kresse built the College into an NAIA power in the 1980s, highlighted by a national championship in 1983.
After the Cougars transitioned to NCAA Division I, Kresse’s teams reached four NCAA Tournaments and two NITs between 1994 and 1999. He won four conference Coach of the Year awards following the jump to NCAA Division I after earlier receiving five District Coach of the Year honors from the NAIA.
During his time with the Cougars, College of Charleston would become known as “Giant Killers” with Top 25 victories over Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Maryland and Stanford. The program also achieved its highest-ever national ranking of No. 16 in 1997 and 1999 under Kresse.
In recognition of Kresse’s decorated career, the playing surface at CofC’s TD Arena was named John Kresse Court. He is also a member of the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame (1999), NAIA Hall of Fame (2005), South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame (2001) and College of Charleston Athletics Hall of Fame (2015).
Featured image: Sue and John Kresse with a Cougar Club member at the Selection Sunday Watch Party at TD Arena on March 11, 2018. (Photo by Mike Ledford)
