Men's Basketball Southern Conference

South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fames Newest Inductee

College of Charleston Men's Basketball Coach John Kresse will be Inducted into the South Carolina

Charleston, S.C. -- College of Charleston men's basketball coach John Kresse will be inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame at ceremonies to be held at the Embassy Suites in Columbia on Thursday, April 26 beginning at 6:00.

Kresse, who just completed his 22nd season as the Cougars' mentor and currently ranks third among active head coaches with an .801 winning percentage (539-134), is one of seven inductees in the 2001 class.

Others include former Gamecock football players Sterling Sharpe and Dickie Harris, as well as, Shelia Foster (USC basketball), Jeff Davis (Clemson football), Larry Nance (Clemson basketball) and long-time Clemson sports information director Bob Bradley, who passed away this year.

Other Kresse accomplishments include:

* Became the second fastest coach in NCAA history to 500 wins on Dec. 29, 1999 in a 69-56 win over Tennessee Tech.

* Earned 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999 NCAA tournament bids.

* Earned 1995 and 1996 NIT tournament bids.

* Won 22 or more games in 17 of the last 21 seasons.

* In 1999, CofC became the only team SoCon history to go 19-0.

* Won eight straight championships (5 TAAC, 1 SoCon, 2 SoCon South).

* Compiled a 237-59 (.801) NCAA Division I record.

* Ranked in the top 13 nationally in scoring defense in nine of the last 10 seasons...7th in 2001 surrendering just 60.0 points per game.

* Owned the nation's longest 16-game winning streak in 1994 and 1995.

* Won 20 straight games in 1996, 23 in 1997 and 25 in a row in 1999.

* Claimed the 1983 NAIA National Championship and finished third in 1988.

* Won 25 or more games in nine consecutive seasons from1980 to 1989.

* Appeared in the NAIA National Tournament five consecutive seasons from 1984 to 1989 and six times in seven years overall.

* Has enjoyed 22 straight winning seasons.

* Posted a 322-32 (.910) record at home and 217-103 (.678) mark on the road.

* CofC is 264-25 all-time at Kresse Arena (.913)...best winning percentage in the nation.

* On Dec. 15, 1994 the home facility of the Cougars was named the John Kresse Arena.