Kerry Kittles will join the Princeton men’s basketball coaching staff as an assistant coach, Mitch Henderson, the Franklin C. Cappon-Edward G. Green ’40 head coach of Princeton men’s basketball, announced Tuesday.
“Kerry brings the experience of a nine-year NBA veteran to our staff, and we’re looking forward to having our players benefit from that,” Henderson said. “But that’s just the beginning of what Kerry adds to our program. Kerry is a first-class person on many levels and I’m thrilled he has decided to join our team. As an undergraduate at Villanova University, Kerry gained a deep appreciation for the balance required of student-athletes, a perspective he will undoubtedly bring to Princeton. Understanding the value of education outside of basketball, he returned to Villanova to earn his MBA degree. He has been a part of the NBA’s Corporate Crossover program, which allows NBA alums to gain experience through an internship working for the league. He’s looking forward to bringing his family, with his wife Adria and their five children, into the Princeton community. His work ethic, diligence and attention to detail were common themes when college and NBA coaches, as well as league executives, spoke to me about Kerry. He has a great understanding of the kind of person, player and student we are looking to recruit to Princeton. Please join me in welcoming Kerry and his family to Princeton.”
Since finishing his NBA career with with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2005, Kittles returned to his undergraduate alma mater, Villanova, to earn his MBA, which he completed in 2009. Since 2010, he has served on Villanova’s President’s Advisory Council as an ambassador for the university, developing opportunities for students and alumni by engaging with the school’s corporate relationships, mentoring students and alums, and promoting academic success and career development.
Kittles graduated from Villanova in 1996 as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,243 points, a program record that stands 20 years later as he returns to the college game at Princeton.
“I’d like to thank Coach Henderson for giving me this very exciting opportunity to be a part of the Princeton basketball family,” Kittles said. “I am thrilled to be back in college athletics and I am eager to share my wealth of basketball knowledge with Mitch and the team. I look forward to being an integral part of his staff and of the Princeton community.”
Kittles, also Villanova’s career leader in steals with 277, earned All-America honors twice, including second-team recognition in 1995, when he helped Villanova to a Big East Tournament title, and first-team honors in 1996, when the Wildcats earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. In 2011, Kittles was inducted into the Philadelphia Big Five Hall of Fame.
In the 1996 NBA Draft, the New Jersey Nets selected Kittles with the eighth pick. Kittles finished second on the team in scoring while earning All-NBA Rookie second-team recognition.
After missing the 2000-01 NBA season due to a knee injury, Kittles returned the next season to score 1,102 points, his third-highest season total, while helping the Nets return to the NBA Finals for the second straight year. Kittles played in the postseason in each of his last four seasons with the Nets before a trade sent him to Los Angeles for his final season as a pro.
“As a former Villanova standout and NBA player I was driven to compete in sports at the highest level,” Kittles said. “Of equal importance to me are the value of education and the love of learning. I know that this combination exists here at Princeton and that is part of what made this opportunity attractive to me.”
Kittles is set to make his coaching debut next season with a Princeton team that returns all five starters and more than 99 percent of its scoring from the 2015-16 campaign, during which the Tigers earned an NIT berth.
“I look forward to the challenges of being a college coach,” Kittles said. “I am excited about sharing my experiences as they relate to the goals and aspirations of the players. My desire is to uphold a tradition of athletic and academic excellence, to help players win both on and off the court, to succeed in their endeavors, to build character of mind and body.”
Photo Courtesy Princeton Athletics
