Longtime fan favorite Derwin Kitchen, who was an instrumental part of three NCAA Tournament teams for the Florida State Seminoles, is rejoining the program as the assistant coach for player development. First-year Florida State coach Luke Loucks announced the hire on Friday afternoon in a press release. “We are extremely excited to welcome Derwin Kitchen […]
Longtime fan favorite Derwin Kitchen, who was an instrumental part of three NCAA Tournament teams for the Florida State Seminoles, is rejoining the program as the assistant coach for player development.
First-year Florida State coach Luke Loucks announced the hire on Friday afternoon in a press release.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Derwin Kitchen back to the Florida State Basketball program as an assistant coach specializing in player development,” Loucks said. “Derwin was a very successful professional basketball player following a great career at Florida State. …. More importantly, Derwin’s character, work ethic, and ability to build authentic relationships will be a representation of what means most to our program.
“He will be a strong asset to me and our staff as a connector, teacher of the game, and mentor for our roster.”
Kitchen had a long, arduous journey to finally become a Seminole during the 2008-2009 season. Originally committed to Florida, and then St. John’s, the Jacksonville native eventually wound up enrolling at Iowa Western Community College before taking his talents to Tallahassee.
Even when he officially joined the Florida State program, it was well into his sophomore season before the NCAA finally ruled he was eligible to play. That long and winding path was one of the reasons he always seemed to have a special place in the heart of his head coach, Leonard Hamilton, and the Florida State fan base during his career.
And he absolutely made the most of his opportunity, helping lead the Seminoles to 70 wins during a three-year stretch that ended in the Sweet 16 his senior year.
Kitchen finished his career in the Top 25 in three different categories for the Seminoles (assists, steals and games started). He was instrumental in nine different wins over ranked teams during that span, including two — 2011 vs. Duke and 2009 vs. UNC — against No. 1 teams in the country.
Now he’s back, with his former teammate and backcourt mate serving as the head coach, trying to recapture that magic from their playing days.
“I am extremely excited to begin my collegiate coaching career at Florida State,” said Kitchen. “Florida State is where I played collegiately and earned my degree, so it has a special place in my heart. I’d like to thank Coach Loucks, who was one of my teammates when I was a Seminole player for this incredible opportunity.
“The opportunity Coach Loucks has given me is certainly a dream come true, and I will make the most of it.”
Kitchen earned his bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary social studies from Florida State on April 30, 2011, after leading the Seminoles to the NCAA Tournaments in 2009 (first round), 2010 (first round) and 2011 (NCAA Sweet 16).
Kitchen averaged 8.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals in 91 games as a Seminole. He averaged his career-high of 10.4 points, a career-high 5.8 rebounds, and a career-high 1.6 steals as a senior in 2011.
Following his career as a Seminole, Kitchen played professionally in Greece, Israel, France and Turkey for eight years.
Kitchen graduated from Jacksonville’s Raines High School in 2005. He was a First-Team All-State selection and was the runner-up for the title of Mr. Basketball in the state of Florida during his senior season.
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Category: General Sports
