Herman Kull
{{Short description|American basketball coach (1930–1998)}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Herman Kull
| image = Lacampana1959mont 0055.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Kull in 1959
| number =
| position = Assistant coach
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 8
| weight_lb = 180
| birth_date = {{birth date|1930|3|4}}
| birth_place = Newark, New Jersey
| death_date = {{death date and age|1998|9|16|1930|3|4}}
| death_place = Morristown, New Jersey
| college = Montclair State
| coach_start = 1979
| coach_end = 1994
| cyears1 = 1959
| cteam1 = Montclair State (GA)
| cyears2 = 1979–1980
| cteam2 = Detroit Pistons (assistant)
| cyears3 = 1983–1985
| cteam3 = New Jersey Nets (assistant)
| cyears4 = 1986
| cteam4 = Cleveland Cavaliers (assistant)
| cyears5 = 1986–1988
| cteam5 = Golden State Warriors (assistant)
| cyears6 = 1988–1990
| cteam6 = Sacramento Kings (assistant)
| cyears7 = 1991
| cteam7 = San Jose / Bakersfield Jammers
| cyears8 = 1992
| cteam8 = Albany Patroons
| cyears9 = 1993–1994
| cteam9 = Yakima SunKings
| bbr = kullhe01c
}}
Herman Frederick Kull (March 4, 1930 – September 16, 1998) was an American basketball coach. He served as an assistant coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and a head coach in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA).
Biography
Kull was born on March 4, 1930, in Newark, New Jersey.{{cite web |title=Herman Frederick Kull |url=http://markdionne.com/ged/individual.php?pid=I9712&ged=dionne-mason.ged |website=markdionne.com |accessdate=22 February 2019}} He attended Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey and played on the men's basketball team for three seasons (1952–53, 1955–56, 1956–57). He played 31 games during his three seasons and averaged 4.5 points per game.{{cite web |title=Men's Basketball Career Roster |url=https://montclairathletics.com/careerroster.aspx?path=mbball |website=montclairathletics.com |publisher=Montclair State University |accessdate=22 February 2019}} Kull was the team's assistant coach in 1958. He was also on the school's football team and coached the baseball team in 1959.{{cite book |title=La Campanilla |date=1958 |publisher=Montclair State University |location=Montclair, New Jersey |pages=[https://archive.org/details/lacampanilla1958coll/page/54 54]–55 |url=https://archive.org/details/lacampanilla1958coll |accessdate=22 February 2019}}{{cite book |title=La Campana |date=1959 |publisher=Montclair State College |location=Montclair, New Jersey |page=[https://archive.org/details/lacampana1959mont/page/132 132] |url=https://archive.org/details/lacampana1959mont |accessdate=22 February 2019}} Kull coached high school basketball in New Jersey after college.{{cite news |last1=Mills |first1=Ed |title=THE COASTER POSTER BOYS |work=The Record |publisher=North Jersey Media Group Inc |date=May 18, 2010 |location=Bergen County, New Jersey |page=S03}}
In 1979, the Detroit Pistons hired Kull as an assistant coach.{{cite news |title=Transactions |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SCS19791223.1.57&srpos=6&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22Herman+Kull%22-------1 |accessdate=21 February 2019 |work=Santa Cruz Sentinel |date=23 December 1979 |location=Santa Cruz, California |page=57}} He joined the coaching staff of the New Jersey Nets as an assistant to head coach Stan Albeck in 1983. Kull was hospitalized after suffering chest pains while jogging in 1984.{{cite news |title=Otis Birdsong scored 29 points, six in overtime, as... |work=United Press International |date=February 21, 1984 |location=East Rutherford, New Jersey}} In 1985, the Cleveland Cavaliers hired Kull as a scout. In February 1986, he was promoted to assistant coach after Mo McHone resigned.{{cite news |title=The Cleveland Cavaliers have promoted Herman Kull from scout... |work=United Press International |date=February 13, 1986 |location=Richfield, Ohio}} Posters given away as a promotion shortly after McHone's resignation featured Kull's head crudely affixed over McHone's body.{{cite news |title=The NBA : Shue's Firing Is Raising Some Questions |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-03-25-sp-178-story.html |access-date=February 21, 2019 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=March 25, 1986 |location=Los Angeles, California|last=McManis|first=Sam}} Kull resigned his position with Cleveland in May 1986.{{cite news |title=Baseball |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1986-05-20-0220290221-story.html |accessdate=22 February 2019 |work=Orlando Sentinel |date=20 May 1986 |location=Orlando, Florida}}
Before the 1985–86 season, Kull was hired by the Golden State Warriors as an assistant coach.{{cite news |title=The Golden State Warriors named Jack McMahon director of... |work=United Press International |date=June 21, 1986 |location=Oakland, California}} He joined the coaching staff of the Sacramento Kings as an assistant to Jerry Reynolds in December 1988.{{cite news |title=Transactions |url=http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn84031482/1988-12-13/ed-1/seq-10/#date1=01%2F01%2F1725&sort=date&date2=12%2F31%2F2017&searchType=advanced&SearchType=phrase&sequence=0&index=13&am+p=&words=Herman+Kull&proxdistance=&to_year=2017&rows=20&ortext=&from_year=1725&proxtext=&phrasetext=%22Herman+Kull%22&andtext=&dateFilterType=range&page=22 |accessdate=21 February 2019 |work=The Palladium-Times |date=13 December 1988 |location=Oswego-Fulton, New York |page=10}} On December 27, Reynolds collapsed during the fourth quarter of a game against the Portland Trail Blazers while protesting a call. Kull served as head coach while Reynolds received medical attention.{{cite news |title=Harold Pressley hit a long jumper with one second... |work=United Press International |date=December 28, 1988 |location=Sacramento, California}} The following day, with Reynolds hospitalized, Kull served as head coach against the Utah Jazz.{{cite news |title=Cavaliers sting Hornets, 122-98 |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DS19881229.2.227&srpos=2&e=------198-en--20--1--txt-txIN-Kull----1988---1 |accessdate=22 February 2019 |work=Desert Sun |agency=Associated Press |date=29 December 1988 |location=Palm Springs, California |page=E4}}
Reynolds wrote of Kull in his 2005 book Reynolds Remembers: 20 Years with the Sacramento Kings:
{{bquote|I needed an assistant coach so I brought in the late Herman Kull. He had been scouting for us so he knew the system and the players. He came out of New Jersey with what they called the "five-star group:" Mike Fratello, Richie Adubato, Hubie Brown, Brendan Suhr and Herman. Unfortunately Herman was the least personable of the group, which hurt his career. [...]
At one point, Bill Jones, our trainer, and I told Herman that we weren't going to let him eat with us anymore if he didn't stop sending food back to the kitchen. Every meal, something was undercooked or overcooked or whatever—it took the fun out of eating. Now, Herman had good ideas as far as strategy went, and the fact the team was bad certainly wasn't his fault, but he was a piece of work.{{cite book |last1=Reynolds |first1=Jerry |title=Reynolds Remembers: 20 Years with the Sacramento Kings |date=2005 |publisher=Sports Publishing LLC |location=Champaign, Illinois |page=70 |isbn=9781596701373 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iNCcVF8INx4C&q=%22Herman+Kull%22+basketball&pg=PA70 |accessdate=22 February 2019}}}}
In January 1991, the San Jose Jammers of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), hired Kull to replace interim head coach Gary Freitas, who took over for Cory Russell on December 6, 1990.{{cite news |title=Jammers name new head coach |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SCS19910103.1.16&srpos=12&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22San+Jose+Jammers%22-------1 |accessdate=22 February 2019 |work=Santa Cruz Sentinel |date=3 January 1991 |location=Santa Cruz, California |page=16}} During the 1991–92 season, Kull continued to coach the Jammers, who re-located to Bakersfield, California in the off-season.{{cite news |title=Transactions |url=http://archives.nd.edu/observer/1991-09-25_v24_023.pdf |accessdate=22 February 2019 |work=The Observer |date=25 September 1991 |location=Notre Dame, Indiana |page=13}} The team disbanded in January 1992 as a part of Jammers owner Dominic L. Cortese's Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings.{{cite news |title=Pro Basketball |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-01-01-sp-1112-story.html |access-date=22 February 2019 |work=Los Angeles Times |agency=Newswire |date=1 January 1992 |location=Los Angeles, California}} On February 16, 1992, the Albany Patroons of the CBA fired their head coach Charley Rosen and replaced him with Kull, who finished the season with a 5–10 record.{{cite news |title=Albany Drops Ax on Rosen |url=https://newsok.com/article/2385315/albany-drops-ax-on-rosen |accessdate=22 February 2019 |work=The Oklahoman |date=18 February 1992 |location=Oklahoma City, Oklahoma}}{{cite web |title=1991-92 Albany Patroons Roster |url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbasketball/roster/t-CBAALP/y-1991 |website=statscrew.com |publisher=Stats Crew |accessdate=22 February 2019}} Kevin Mackey replaced Kull the following season.{{cite web |title=1992-93 Capital Region Pontiacs Roster |url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbasketball/roster/t-CBACRP/y-1992 |website=statscrew.com |publisher=Stats Crew |accessdate=22 February 2019}} In May 1993, Kull was hired by the CBA Yakima Sun Kings.{{cite news |title=Transactions |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/13/sports/transactions-844193.html |accessdate=22 February 2019 |work=The New York Times |date=13 May 1993 |location=New York}} He coached the team to a 7–17 record before being replaced by Mo McHone.{{cite web |title=1993-94 Yakima Sun Kings Roster |url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbasketball/roster/t-CBAYSK/y-1993 |website=statscrew.com |publisher=Stats Crew |accessdate=22 February 2019}}
Kull died on September 16, 1998, in Morristown, New Jersey.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kull, Herman}}
Category:American men's basketball coaches
Category:Basketball coaches from New Jersey
Category:Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coaches
Category:Continental Basketball Association coaches
Category:Detroit Pistons assistant coaches
Category:Montclair State University alumni
Category:New Jersey Nets assistant coaches
Category:People from Morristown, New Jersey