Former NJ Net Kerry Kittles Joins Princeton Men’s Basketball Staff

Kerry Kittles, No. 30 (Jesse D. Garrabrant / Getty Images)

PRINCETON, N.J. — Former NBA player Kerry Kittles has joined Princeton’s coaching staff, head coach Mitch Henderson announced on 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.”

Kittles played nine seasons in the NBA, retiring in 2005 as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers.  He was drafted by the then-New Jersey Nets in the 1996 NBA draft out of Villanova.  He remains the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,243 points.  Kittles spent the majority of his playing career in New Jersey, helping the Nets reach the NBA finals in 2002 and 2003.

After retiring from professional basketball, Kittles returned to Villanova to earn his MBA, which he completed in 2009.  He has served on the Villanova’s President’s Advisory Council as an ambassador for the university since 2010.

”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.”

Kittles joins a Princeton team that will return all five of its starters from last season.  The Tigers will look to build upon last season’s NIT birth when play resumes this fall.