When he was hired in April 2001, Jan van Breda Kolff took an already lofty level of enthusiasm for St. Bonaventure basketball and turned it up a notch.

Last winter, the Bonnies' head coach did nothing but add to that fever pitch, leading an undersized, overachieving team to an NIT berth and 17 wins in his rookie season.

Named St. Bonaventure's 17th head basketball coach on April 10, 2001, van Breda Kolff is a man with a track record of success as both a coach and a player; a man renowned for intelligently preparing and motivating his teams to play well against any competition and for his teams' exciting style of play.

St. Bonaventure fans gained first-hand proof of those claims last season. Not only did van Breda Kolff's charges win, they did it with a pulsating style that led to one of the most profilific offensive seasons ever at St. Bonaventure. The Bonnies averaged just under 80 points per game and led the nation in three-pointers. Wins like Connecticut and Xavier and near-misses like Oklahoma and Boston College proved van Breda Kolff can match wits with any coach.

The van Breda Kolff resume' includes 11 years as a head coach, nine years as a professional player and an unwavering passion for the game, some of which stems from his upbringing as the son of a coach.

"Jan is a coach of tremendous experience and accomplishment,"said St. Bonaventure vice president and director of athletics Gothard Lane. "He has a deep caring for the student-athlete, a tremendous technical knowledge of the game, outstanding organizational skills, and the ability to mold 13 heartbeats into one. Add all of these characteristics and they equal a highly successful coach and program."

"I see our basketball program in a position to continue to make great strides," St. Bonaventure president Dr. Robert J. Wickenheiser said at van Breda Kolff's hiring. "We feel that Jan's combination of expertise, experience and class will help lead us to new heights."

Career Coaching Success
Van Breda Kolff is now in his 12th season as a collegiate head coach. In addition to his one year at St. Bonaventure, he spent two seasons at Pepperdine University, six at Vanderbilt University (1993-99) and two at Cornell University (1991-93). Van Breda Kolff's record is 191-141, an average of better than 17 wins per season. He has led his teams to two NCAA Tournaments and five National Invitation Tournament berths and his postseason record is an impressive 9-7.

At Pepperdine, van Breda Kolff led the Waves to back-to-back 20-win seasons and consecutive postseason appearances. His two-year record there was a sparkling 47-18. In 1999-00, the Waves went 25-9, tied the school record for victories, won the West Coast Conference regular season championship with a 12-2 mark and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, where they defeated Indiana in the first round at Buffalo's HSBC Arena. Van Breda Kolff was chosen the WCC Coach of the Year. In the 2000-01 season, Pepperdine finished 22-9 and reached the second round of the NIT. The Waves went 12-2 in WCC play.

Over his six seasons at Vanderbilt, which is his alma mater, van Breda Kolff led his teams to a record of 104-81 (.562) -- an impressive average of 17 wins per year in the rugged Southeastern Conference. He led Vanderbilt to two 20-win seasons and four postseason appearances, highlighted by an NCAA berth in 1997. The Commodores' three NIT trips under van Breda Kolff came in 1994, 1996 and 1998. In 1994, Vanderbilt advanced to the NIT championship game. Van Breda Kolff and the Commodores hosted St. Bonaventure in the first round of the NIT in 1998 and prevailed, 73-61.

Van Breda Kolff's first head coaching job came at Cornell. After opening with a 7-19 season in 1991-92, he revitalized the program and the Big Red went 16-10 the following season, including a 10-4 mark in the Ivy League, good for a second place finish.

Van Breda Kolff began his coaching career as a player-coach in the Italian professional league from 1983-85. He returned to the United States following his playing days and served as an assistant coach at Princeton under legendary coach Pete Carril for five seasons, 1987-91. Van Breda Kolff helped Princeton reach the NCAA Tournament and win Ivy League championships in 1989, 1990 and 1991.

NBA Pedigree
Van Breda Kolff enjoyed a nine-year career as a professional player in the NBA and ABA. The 6-foot-8 forward was the fifth overall pick in the 1974 ABA draft, chosen by the Denver Nuggets. That same year, he also was chosen in the second round of the 1974 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He signed with the Nuggets and played there and in Kentucky of the now-defunct ABA from 1974-76. From 1976-83, van Breda Kolff played for the New York/New Jersey Nets of the ABA and later the NBA. His top statistical season with that club was in 1976-77 when he averaged 10.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Over his nine seasons as a pro, van Breda Kolff totalled 3,696 points and 568 rebounds. He played for and was influenced by some of the game's most respected coaches such as current Philadelphia 76ers coach Larry Brown and "NBA on TNT" analysts Hubie Brown and Kevin Loughery.

At Vanderbilt, van Breda Kolff was named SEC Player of the Year as a senior in 1973-74. He led the SEC in assists and was second in rebounding, averaging 10.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. He led the Commodores to the second round of the 1974 NCAA Tournament. Vanderbilt finished 23-5 that year and won the SEC regular season crown. Van Breda Kolff, who played three seasons, still holds the school's single season and career assists records. He graduated in 1974 with bachelor's degrees in both English and history.

Family Style
Van Breda Kolff espouses the values of integrity, dedication and self-sacrifice in his program. Those values stem from his strong sense of family both in his basketball program and in his personal life.

Van Breda Kolff and his wife Betty met at Vanderbilt and have been married over 25 years. They have two sons, Jan-Michael and Erik. Jan-Michael graduated from Vanderbilt in 2000 while Erik is a senior majoring in graphic design at the Art Institute in Atlanta.

Basketball is in van Breda Kolff's bloodlines. His father, Butch, coached five NBA teams including the Los Angeles Lakers and also was a college head coach at four schools including Princeton and Hofstra.

Even while balancing the demands on his time, Van Breda Kolff's priority is always his players, whom he includes as members of his close-knit family. He relates his knowledge, experiences and values to them every day.

"I really look forward to having the opportunity to be with our players on a daily basis and see their growth on and off the court," van Breda Kolff said. "We're not just trying to make them better basketball players, but better people. If we're able to do that, then that will be a rewarding experience for them in their four years here. I couldn't be more excited to have that opportunity."

A Promising Future
The future of Bonnies basketball under van Breda Kolff projects to be nothing short of exciting. Van Breda Kolff-coached teams will continue to employ an up-tempo, attacking style of play. His recruiting efforts will scour the country and the world for players to best fit his program and St. Bonaventure. Van Breda Kolff's ultimate goals are clear: win the Atlantic 10 Championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament every season.

Off the court, van Breda Kolff said the opportunity to work in a community and school which is passionate about basketball 365 days a year is invigorating.

"People have followed St. Bonaventure since they were kids," Van Breda Kolff said. "They recognize the players and coaches. I have never seen a better home court advantage than we have at the Reilly Center. You can't ask for an atmosphere any better than that as a player or coach."

Year-By-Year Record:

Season	School	Overall	Conf. (Finish)	Postseason
1991-92	Cornell	7-19	5-9 (7th)	--
1992-93	Cornell	16-10	10-4 (2nd)	--
1993-94	Vanderbilt	20-12	9-7 (6th)	NIT (second place)
1994-95	Vanderbilt	13-15	6-10 (9th)	--
1995-96	Vanderbilt	18-14	7-9 (4th East)	NIT (second round)
1996-97	Vanderbilt	19-12	9-7 (4th East)	NCAA (first round)
1997-98	Vanderbilt	20-13	7-9 (4th East)	NIT (third round)
1998-99	Vanderbilt	14-15	5-11 (5th East)	--
1999-00	Pepperdine	25-9	12-2 (1st)	NCAA (second round)
2000-01	Pepperdine	22-9	12-2 (2nd)	NIT (second round)
2001-02	St. Bonaventure	17-13	8-8 (3rd East)	NIT (first round)
Totals	11 Years	191-141	90-78	2 NCAA's, 5 NIT's