Greg Kite has been hired as an assistant basketball coach on an interim basis for BYU's men's basketball team.
Kite will join Tony Ingle and assistant coach Russell Zaugg this Saturday at the Utah game on the bench and will be a temporary assistant for the remainder of the season."Greg brings a lot of experience to this position," says Ingle, interim head coach. "He is a great person. He played 13 years in the NBA as a teammate of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Anfernee Hardaway, Shaquille O'Neal and many other outstanding players.
"Greg will be good for our players, our fans and our boosters. He is well respected in the state of Utah and in many areas of the country. He understands this position is temporary, but is excited to help Tony Ingle and the BYU program any way he can."
Kite, 6-11, 265, just finished a career in the National Basketball Association. He was a first round draft in 1983 by the Boston Celtics and played for them through 1988, including NBA Championships in 1984 and 1986. He then played from 1988-89 with the Los Angeles Clippers, in 1989-90 with the Charlotte Hornets and the Sacramento Kings, from 1990-94 with the Orlando Magic, and in 1995 played for the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers. In 1996 he played two months with the Fort Wayne Fury, taking them to the CBA finals. This past October he was with the San Antonio Spurs.
"I intended to keep playing, but the opportunities have lessened," said Kite. "Coaching is something I've always dreamed of and the opportunity to be at BYU has been part of that dream.
There are few places where I would be interested in coaching that echo my thoughts and feelings. I'm glad to have an opportunity to help out. This is a plus for me because it helps me test the water and see if coaching is as appealing as it seems."
Kite, 35, played for BYU from 1979-83. He was the starting center for BYU during its 1981 "elite eight" team which defeated Princeton, UCLA, and Notre Dame before losing to Virginia in the NCAA Tournament. He set the BYU school records for eight blocked shots in one game, 81 in one season and 208 in his career and was third in career rebounding at 839.
"We are excited with Coach Ingle's choice of Greg Kite to assist him for the remainder of the season," said BYU Athletic Director Rondo Fehlberg. "Greg has been not only a successful player at the collegiate and professional levels, but is a true supporter of BYU and all it stands for."
Kite is married to the former Jennifer Cox (she played basketball for BYU from 1978-81) and they have eight children and reside in Orlando, Fla. For the past 13 years he has operated Greg Kite Basketball Camps, Inc., and been an instructor and special guest lecturer at junior college and YMCA camps. He has also been involved since 1989 in a real estate development construction company in Orlando. Last year he and his wife took over ownership of Pathways School, a pre-kindergarten through middle grades private school for 200 students.
The native from Houston, Texas, played for Madison High. He graduated from BYU in 1984 with a bachelor's degree in exercise physiology and continued with some master's work in that field.