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| Adam Hutchinson will be making his fourth head coaching stop, getting back into the head coaching role after significantly raising the level of the Washington & Lee program in his 14 seasons on the job. W&L athletics photo |
With less than three weeks before the first Division III regular season games, the Kean athletics department announced the hiring of Adam Hutchinson as the head coach of the men's basketball program.
Hutchinson, who has been head coach at Stevens, Case and Washington & Lee, spent this past season as an assistant coach at Amherst, his alma mater. He replaces Rob Kurzinsky, who stepped down in August but will remain the department's strength and conditioning coordinator.
"We are excited to announce Adam Hutchinson as our head men's basketball coach at Kean University," said athletic director Jack McKiernan. "Coach Hutchinson is a high-energy leader committed to being a part of our university and returning to his roots in New Jersey. He has a tremendous basketball pedigree and a strong track record of recruiting, developing and mentoring high-quality student-athletes."
The Cougars 7-18 this past season, 5-13 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. Kean was 96-118 in 11 seasons under Kurzinsky. Kean opens Nov. 8 at Neumann and will be at Amherst's Ken Wright '52 Invitational on Nov. 16-17.
"Kean University has long played an important role in higher education in New Jersey, and I am honored to become a part of the Kean community," stated Hutchinson. "During the hiring process I was incredibly impressed by the university's clear commitment to excellence, and by Jack McKiernan and the athletic department's dedication to Kean student-athletes. I'm looking forward to representing Kean on the court and in the community."
Hutchinson's defense this past season with Amherst finished the season ranked No. 1 in Division III in defensive field goal percentage.
Prior to Amherst, Hutchinson was the head coach of Washington & Lee for 14 seasons (2003-2017). During his time with the Generals, he become the second winningest coach in program history with 154 victories, reached the ODAC title game in 2009 and the semifinals in 2014 and 2017. In 2008, he was named both the ODAC Coach of the Year and the VaSID College Division Coach of the Year. His tenure also saw losing streaks to Randolph-Macon and Roanoke snapped. When Hutchinson led W&L to a winning record in his fifth season, it snapped a string of 17 consecutive losing seasons.
He also had the reins for two seasons at Case Western Reserve (2002-2003) and at Stevens (1999-2001). With the Spartans of CWRU, he recruited two multiple time All-UAA selections and the school's all-time leading scorer and rebounder. With the Ducks, the team saw improvements of wins and a third-place finish in the Skyline.
A 1993 graduate of Amherst, he played from 1989-93 and earned a bachelor's degree in black studies. He would go on to earn his Master of Science in Sports Management from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst after receiving an NCAA Graduate Scholarship for Careers in Athletics, of which only eight are awarded nationally each year.
Born and raised in the Garden State, he starred and graduated from the renowned St. Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark.
"His relentless work ethic, passion for the game and clear vision of how to build a program capable of competing at the highest levels in the New Jersey Athletic Conference and on the national stage are impressive. I look forward to our student-athletes getting to know Coach Hutchinson and his family and watching this program flourish under his direction," McKiernan said.