KURT
KANASKIE ➤ ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH ➤ LaSALLE, ‘80 ➤ 8TH SEASON AT PENN STATE
DID YOU KNOW?: Coach Kanaskie was twice named the PSAC Coach of the Year, earned NABC District Coach of the Year honors twice and was twice named the Basketball Times National Coach of the Year during his tenor as a head coach.
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2010-11 P E N N S T A T E BASKETBALL
With 18 years of head coaching experience under his belt, Pennsylvania native Kurt Kanaskie is in his eighth season at Penn State and was promoted to Associate Head Coach prior to the 2009-10 season after six seasons as an assistant. Prior to coming to Penn State, Kanaskie served as the head coach at Drake for seven seasons (1996-2003) and was KANASKIE FILE one of the most successful Division II head Birthdate: 4/14/58 coaches in Pennsylvania history. At Drake, Kanaskie inherited a program Family: Daughter: Kristin; Sons: Kevin & Kyle on NCAA probation with few scholarship Hometown: Mechanicsburg, Pa. players returning. Under Kanaskie, Drake College: LaSalle, 1980 (B.S.) posted the most conference victories in a seaMBA, South Carolina, 1985 son in nearly a decade and its highest Missouri Valley Conference finish in 16 years College Coaching Experience: while the team’s overall record improved each 1980-1985 .............South Carolina (Asst. Coach) of his first six seasons. He was the 2000-01 1985-88.....................Lock Haven (Head Coach) MVC Coach of the Year runner-up. 1988-96 ........Indiana Univ. of PA (Head Coach) Prior to his tenure at Drake, Kanaskie was head coach at Indiana University of 1996-2003 .........Drake University (Head Coach) Pennsylvania (IUP) for eight seasons. 2003-Present .................Penn State (Asst. Coach) Kanaskie inherited an IUP program that Record As Head Coach: 269-243 (18 seasons) had posted four straight losing seasons Playing Experience: and, after a first year of building a solid foundation, posted seven straight win1977-80...........LaSalle (All-Big Five & All-ECC) ning records. In 1993, IUP made the Drafted by NBA’s Golden State Warriors Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) semifinals for the first time in 16 years. The next season (1994-95), IUP “He is very enthusiastic. He would grabbed its first national ranking in never let you slack off. He is here for school history (No. 5), earned an NCAA the same reasons we are. I’m here to Tournament bid for the first time ever get better and he’s here to help me and advanced to the Elite Eight. A year get better. I love working with Coach later (1995-96), IUP earned a No. 1 K. Everyday that he’s in there he is national ranking and advanced to the going to push me to the max and I national semifinals. Kanaskie was twice love that.” named PSAC Coach of the Year, – Cammeron Woodyard earned NABC District Coach of the Year honors twice and was twice named the Basketball Times National Coach of the Year. Prior to his tenure at IUP, Kanaskie served as the head coach at nearby Lock Haven University for three years (1985-88). He inherited a Bald Eagle program that was 18-84 over the previous four seasons and in his first year set a school record for wins with 15. His LHU team reached the NCAA Tournament a year later and earned the school’s first-ever national ranking. He was named PSAC Coach of the Year twice at LHU, giving him a total of four PSAC coaching awards. The Mechanicsburg, Pa., native began his coaching career as an assistant coach at the University of South Carolina and served on the Gamecock staff for five seasons. Kanaskie was an All-State basketball player at Cumberland Valley High School and earned his Bachelor of Science degree from LaSalle University in 1980 and a Master of Business Administration from South Carolina in 1985. While at LaSalle, he earned All-Big Five and All-East Coast Conference honors, was an Academic AllAmerican, and left as the school’s ninth all-time leading scorer. He was drafted by the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. In 2010, he was inducted into the West Shore Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. Kurt has three children: two sons, Kevin and Kyle, and a daughter, Kristin. Kevin was a standout guard at Middle Tennessee State from 2006-09. Kyle plays for State College Area High School.