After waiting more than 600 days in between games due to the COVID-19 pandemic with 498 wins in the record book, Joliet Junior College men's basketball coaches Joe Kuhn and Keith Kinzler finally notched win number 500 with the Wolves, a testament to their coaching longevity as well as the success of their program. 
 
The milestone victory came two games into the 2021-22 season, an 83-61 defeat of Division II adversary McHenry County College on Nov. 6. 
 
"It's been an incredible journey thanks to all of the players and coaches, athletics staff and college administration, and the entire JJC community that have helped us along the way," reflected Head Coach Kuhn.
 
The coaching duo earned their first win almost 24 years ago, a 74-72 home triumph over the Olivet Nazarene University JV team on November 14, 1997, three games into the season.
 
"I don't remember that (the win)," laughed Kuhn. "I just remember we started that season 2-11 with the second win coming late in the first (fall) semester. We went through a lot of issues and growing pains and learning curves as coaches that year."
 
Despite the early turbulence, the team finished the season strong, winning 10 of their last 12 games to advance to the 1998 NJCAA Division III national tournament in Delhi, N.Y., losing their semifinal game at the buzzer to finish third place overall. 
 
Since that unlikely initial campaign, the Wolves have returned to the national tournament five more times, including an NJCAA Division III national championship in 2010.
 
After so much success as a coach, it's hard to believe that Kuhn once envisioned a different career path. While playing basketball at Prairie State College, the Hillcrest High School grad had plans to pursue a career in accounting. 
 
"I was at a crossroads right away, with an opportunity to attend William Penn University and continue playing, or to become an assistant coach at Prairie State, which meant changing college plans as well," explained Kuhn. "I knew I wanted to coach – I loved sports too much – so that was the shift. I decided to attend Chicago State University because it was close, which allowed me the opportunity to coach at Prairie State. I was very fortunate to get started in coaching at such a young age." 
 
Kuhn went on to earn his bachelor's degree in Physical Education from Chicago State, eventually earning master's degrees in Curriculum and Instruction from National-Louis University and Educational Leadership from the American College of Education. He has now been a teacher in the Rich Township High School District for more than 30 years. 
 
That first coaching experience at Prairie State led to other opportunities with local programs. Kuhn served as an assistant on Pat Sullivan's staff at St. Francis for two years, giving him experience in scouting and recruiting. Then came a year under Pat Klingler at JJC, providing exposure to a national tournament environment. He then transitioned to the head coaching job at Rich East High School, where he already worked a physical education teacher, for three seasons. 
 
Then, in 1997, came the opportunity to return to the Wolves as the team's head coach. 
 
Kuhn welcomed Kinzler onto his staff from the start. The two had known each other since 1992, when Kuhn was an assistant coach at JJC and Kinzler was a sophomore center for the Wolves. 
 
"Keith has a great feel for the game. He sees things on the floor before they happen so his instincts of the game are tremendous," said Kuhn. "Plus he played here. He wore the uniform. He understands the conditioning program that we go through because he did it as a player. So those things really help us." 
 
The 6-foot-9 Kinzler played at JJC from 1991-93, and is number two on the college's all-time rebounding list with 861 boards in 70 games, an average of 12.3 per game. He is also second on the school's all-time single season list with 502 rebounds during the 1992-93 season, an average of 14.3 per game.
 
While a player for the Wolves, the Joliet Catholic product helped lead the team to a 55-17 record and a 1993 N4C championship and national tournament appearance. Following his time at JJC, Kinzler attended Morehead State University in Kentucky on a basketball scholarship. He is now the vice president of operations for his family's business, Kinzler Janitorial Service. 
 
"It's kind of a weird relationship," admits Kuhn. "Obviously, we've known each other a long time. But two coaches together for this long is very rare at any college, especially at the JuCo level."
 
Adds Kuhn, "Obviously there are times when we see the game from different perspectives, and we disagree sometimes, but it is ok to disagree with each other. It's healthy. It provides new ideas and brings balance."
 
That balance has brought great success to their program. Kuhn and Kinzler have led the Wolves to national championship games three times in their six national tournament appearances. They also have six Region IV championships and seven N4C conference crowns.
 
"Originally, it was probably my goal to coach here for several years and then see what happened," confessed Kuhn, "But then we started to have some success. Plus, I live in a great community, I built my own house, and my wife is a teacher in our community. And sometimes the grass isn't greener on the other side anyway."
 
"So in time, the focus really became making JJC as good of a program as we can be at the level that we're at with the facilities that we have, which were none at the time, but are fabulous now," added Kuhn. The JJC Event Center, which opened in 2017, is an 85,000-square-foot state-of-the-art athletic facility. Previously, the Wolves played in the A. A. Wills Gymnasium located in the college's G Building. 
 
Kuhn's 25-year tenure as head coach of the Wolves has seen a roller coaster of highs and lows. Coaching at the junior college level brings plenty of challenges, but also many rewards. 
 
"I have always felt that if you can coach at this level, going up levels is easier because then you just coach. You don't have to wash uniforms or drive vans or break down game film. That's all done for you and you just have to make the decisions. At this level, you're doing everything, and in most cases, working a full-time job as well."
 
"So part of my success, and this program's success, has come from having very good assistant coaches and letting them do what they really do well and shine where their strengths are, putting us all in position for success," continued Kuhn. "Players and coaches all have their individual goals and dreams so I think the most rewarding thing is seeing them be able to use this college and our program as a stepping stone to move on and be successful."
 
The success of his teams has brought accolades for Kuhn as well. He is a 2017 inductee to the NJCAA Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2015 and the NJCAA Region IV Hall of Fame in 2013. In addition, he was named the 2010 NJCAA National Coach of the Year.