Frank Kendrick

For the Australian rules footballer, see Frank Kendrick (footballer).

Frank Edward Kendrick (September 11, 1950 – December 18, 2024) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He played college basketball for the Purdue Boilermakers and was selected by the Golden State Warriors in the 1974 NBA draft. He spent part of the 1974–75 season with the Warriors and then spent the next ten years playing professionally in Europe. He served as an assistant coach for the Boilermakers from 1989 to 1999 and as head coach for the Gary Steelheads of the Continental Basketball Association during the 2000–01 season.

Frank Kendrick

Kendrick with the Arsenal Tech basketball team in 1970
Personal information
Born	(1950-09-11)September 11, 1950 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Died	December 18, 2024(2024-12-18) (aged 74) Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	198 lb (90 kg)
Career information
High school	Arsenal Tech (Indianapolis, Indiana)
College	Purdue (1971–1974)
NBA draft	1974: 3rd round, 47th overall pick
Selected by the Golden State Warriors
Playing career	1974–1985
Position	Small forward
Number	34
Coaching career	1989–2001, 2009–2011
Career history
As player:
1974–1975	Golden State Warriors
1976–1977	Caen
As coach:
1989–1999	Purdue (assistant)
2000–2001	Gary Steelheads
2009–2011	Arsenal Tech HS
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-Big Ten (1974) NIT champion (1974)
Career statistics
Points	80 (3.3 ppg)
Rebounds	36 (1.5 rpb)
Assists	6 (0.3 apg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

Early life

Kendrick shoots the ball over a defender while playing for Arsenal Tech High School in 1970

Kendrick was born as the seventh of nine children to parents George and Odesta Kendrick. He attended Arsenal Technical High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he was an All-American selection.

College career

Kendrick attended Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana. He played basketball under head coach George King in his sophomore season. Playing under Fred Schaus in his last two seasons at Purdue, he led the Boilers to the 1974 NIT Championship, scoring a team high 25 points against Utah. He was selected as the team MVP and as a First Team All-Big Ten selection during his Junior and Senior seasons while averaging 18.5 points per game in both seasons. He was named a Helms Athletic Foundation All-American following his senior season. He finished his career at Purdue with 1,269 points, #22 All-Time at Purdue; 664 rebounds (#9 All-Time) and 29 double-doubles. Frank helped lead the team to an overall 48–30 record in his three varsity seasons, which includes a 24–18 Big Ten Conference record.

Professional career

Golden State Warriors

Kendrick was the 47th pick in the 3rd round of the 1974 NBA draft. He played one season (1974–1975) in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Golden State Warriors. Playing alongside Rick Barry and fellow rookie Jamaal Wilkes in 24 games, he averaged 3.3 points per game and shot 40.3 percent from the field. Kendrick was dropped from the Warriors’ roster in mid season to make room for veteran Bill Bridges. The Warriors went on to win the 1975 NBA Championship and Kendrick won a championship ring in his only NBA season.

Euro League

After one season in the NBA, Kendrick moved overseas where he spent a decade in several European (France, Belgium and Switzerland) leagues.

Coaching career

Purdue

After his professional career, he returned to his alma mater and joined the Purdue bench with fellow assistant coaches Steve Lavin and Bruce Weber under head coach Gene Keady. He's well known for recruiting John R. Wooden Award winner and NBA All-Star Glenn Robinson to play at Purdue. He helped Purdue to an overall record of 222–96, which included nine NCAA tournament appearances and one NIT appearance. After ten years on the Purdue bench, another former Boilermaker, Cuonzo Martin, became an assistant a year later.

He was involved in an NCAA investigation for alleged recruiting violations at Purdue in 1995. Purdue ultimately paid $80,000 in fines and Kendrick left Purdue the next season.

Gary Steelheads

After ten seasons on the Boilermakers bench, he moved on to coach the Gary Steelheads, a first-year franchise team located in Gary, Indiana in the CBA. He drafted two former Boilers in Jaraan Cornell and Chad Austin.

Other

Frank later ran basketball camps, which consisted of other former Purdue, IBA, and NBA players. In 2002, he was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. He spent two seasons (2009–10 & 2010–11) as the head coach of his high school alma mater, Indianapolis Arsenal Tech High School. He was employed at Noblesville High School as an instructional assistant until his retirement in 2024.

Personal life and death

Kendrick met his wife, Mieke Lambrecht, while he was playing basketball in Europe. They had three children. His son, Kristof, played college basketball for the Western Michigan Broncos and has served as a coach at the collegiate and high school levels.

Kendrick died in his Indianapolis home on December 18, 2024, at the age of 74.

External links

• Career statistics from NBA.com  and Basketball Reference
• College statistics