Courtesy: Boston University Athletic Communications
DETROIT - Former Boston University men's basketball head
coach John Kuester has been hired as the new head coach of the Detroit Pistons,
the organization announced Thursday morning. The former Cleveland Cavalier
assistant was the youngest coach in Division I when he led the Terriers during
the 1983-84 and 1984-85 seasons.
Prior to being tabbed to replace Rick Pitino at the age of 28 in his first
head coaching job, he worked as an assistant on the team for two seasons. In
Pitino's last year, the Terriers advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first
time in 25 years by defeating Holy Cross in the ECAC North Atlantic tournament.
A collegiate player for four seasons at North Carolina (1973-77) under
legendary coach Dean Smith, Kuester posted a record of 16-13 his first season
and then a 15-15 mark the following year. With his connections to his alma
mater, the Terriers were able to host the Tar Heels for the first time ever at
the Boston Garden on Dec. 2, 1984. His second year ended in heartbreak though
as BU fell to Reggie Lewis' Northeastern, 68-67, in the conference tournament
final.
During the offseason, he would take the head coaching job at George
Washington before leaving the college game for a Boston Celtics position in
1990.
Kuester is the second former America East coach to lead an NBA squad in the last three years. Former UNH mentor Jim Boylan coached the Chicago Bulls for the final 56 games of the 2007-08 season in an interim capacity.
The Terriers now have connections to both the NBA and WNBA with 1990 America
East Player of the Year Steven Key ('90) being the head coach/general manager
of the Chicago Sky. Earlier this spring, 1981 team MVP and San Antonio Spurs
assistant coach Brett Brown ('83) was named the head coach of Australia's
National Team.