photo by Colin Johnson
minded coach.” Kresse is also quick to attribute his success to those around him, never taking his accolades for granted. “My mentor was Lou Carnesecca, and he was the head coach at St. John’s. I was his assistant for 11 years at St. John’s and three with the New York Nets in the ABA,” he said. “I learned so much from him as his assistant, and I tried to pass that on to my players and my teams.” After the NAIA championship, it took six more years before the College moved up to the big leagues, joining the ranks of the NCAA Division I. But the title may have been the boost the Cougars needed. “It certainly helped. We knew we could play excellent basketball. We continued winning the NAIA as far as going to national championships. With thawt success we became the cream of the crop in the NAIA and knew we could certainly move on, and with our school and our location, we knew that the NCAA Division I was where we needed to place ourselves,” Kresse said, speaking as an instrumental figure in the NCAA decision. Though the program hasn’t found the same success since the retirement of its legendary coach, Kresse is hopeful that the Cougars are on the right track to making their way back into the big dance this season. “I really think it could happen. I think all the ingredients are there,” Kresse said. “We just need a touch of luck.”
Coach Kresse poses next to the ‘83 Championship trophy.
CisternYard News is headed to Asheville! SoCon Tournament coverage of men’s and women’s basketball tournaments begins as soon as the regular season ends on Monday, March 4, with tournament previews and five keys to success for each team. Follow the action at www.cisternyard.com and on Twitter with @CisternYard as the Cougars take their last shots at a pair of SoCon titles.