John Dewitt Kuester, Jr. (pronounced: (/ˈkjuːstər/; QUE-ster) (born February 6, 1955, in Richmond, Virginia) is an American basketball coach.
He played in the NBA from 1977 to 1980 and then coached in the college ranks before moving on to the NBA sidelines as an assistant. Kuester was named head coach of the Detroit Pistons on July 9, 2009. An agreement was made after the Pistons and their first choice, Avery Johnson, broke off contract talks. Kuester coached the Pistons for two seasons.
He was a 6'2" (1.88 m) and 180 lb (82 kg) guard and played collegiately with the University of North Carolina Tar Heels from 1973–77.
Kuester played four years at Benedictine for legendary coach Warren Rutledge. His senior year the Cadets were 33-1.
Kuester played four seasons with the UNC Tar Heels under head coach Dean Smith, for whom he won two ACC championships and helped reach the NCAA Tournament four times, including an appearance in the 1977 NCAA Finals, in which they lost to Marquette 67–59. In both his junior and senior year (1976 and 1977), Kuester was voted UNC's best defensive player. Also in his senior year, as was voted Most Valuable Player of the ACC Tournament and the NCAA East Regionals.
Rodney Norvell Stuckey (born April 21, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the NBA.
Born in Seattle, Stuckey prepped at Kentwood High School in Covington, Washington, where he led the Conquerors to a 4A State Title in 2004.
Stuckey played college basketball at Eastern Washington University. As a sophomore, Stuckey averaged 24.6 points (7th in the nation), 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per game. Against Portland State, he scored a season high 36 points. In his sophomore season, he had nine 30-point games and three 10-assist games. He had a career high 7 steals against Idaho.
In only two seasons, he scored 1,438 points, made 98 3-point field goals, collected 279 rebounds, dished out 283 assists, and collected 145 steals.
On January 11, 2009 Rodney Stuckey's #3 Eastern Washington University jersey was retired at half time.
On June 28, 2007, Stuckey was taken 15th overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. Stuckey got off to a quick start with strong play in summer league and averaged 32.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG and 9.1 APG in pre-season play before breaking his hand in the final pre-season game. He had left-hand surgery prior to the regular season and was expected to miss 6–8 weeks before making his NBA debut. Stuckey was cleared December 20 to practice and play again, nearly two months after undergoing surgery. He made his professional debut December 21, 2007 against the Memphis Grizzlies and scored 11 points in 6 minutes off the bench.
Kobe Bean Bryant (born August 23, 1978) is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school basketball player in the country. He decided to declare his eligibility for the NBA Draft upon graduation, and was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest.
Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. A heated feud between the duo and a loss in the 2004 NBA Finals was followed by O'Neal's trade from the Lakers after the 2003–04 season. Following O'Neal's departure Bryant became the cornerstone of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. He led the NBA in scoring during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons, setting numerous scoring records in the process. In 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second most points scored in a single game in NBA history, second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962. He was awarded the regular season's Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in 2008. After losing in the 2008 NBA Finals, Bryant led the Lakers to two consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, earning the NBA Finals MVP Award on both occasions.
Austin Darren Daye (born June 5, 1988) is an American professional basketball player from Irvine, California who currently plays for the Detroit Pistons of the NBA. He was drafted by the Pistons with the 15th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft. Daye is following in the footsteps of his father, Darren Daye, who played five seasons in the NBA.
During Daye's senior year at Woodbridge High School he averaged 30.9 points, 12.4 rebounds and 5.4 blocks per game. He played college basketball at Gonzaga University.
Daye played with BC Khimki in Russia during the 2011 NBA lockout.