Florida State University Athletics
Staff Directory
- Title:
- Assistant Coach / Player Development
Derwin Kitchen enters his second season as an assistant coach/player development with the Florida State men's basketball program after returning to his alma mater in 2025. A three-year starter for the Seminoles from 2009-11, Kitchen was a teammate of head coach Luke Loucks and helped lead Florida State through one of the most successful stretches in program history.
In his first season on the Seminoles' coaching staff, Kitchen helped Florida State to an 18-15 record and a 10-8 mark in ACC action. The Seminoles gained momentum throughout the 2025-26 season, winning seven of their final eight games and 10 of their final 12 contests, highlighted by a school-record five consecutive ACC road victories, before narrowly falling 80-79 to No. 1-ranked Duke in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals.
His player development included student-athletes like Robert McCray V, who earned All-ACC Third Team honors as selected by the league's coaches, and Lajae Jones, who was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the 54th overall pick in the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft before helping the Warriors capture the NBA Summer League championship.
Kitchen helped lead the Seminoles to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including the program's Sweet 16 run in 2011. During his career, Florida State won 70 games, advanced to the 2009 ACC Tournament championship game for the first time in school history and finished among the top four teams in the ACC in each of his three seasons.
Kitchen remains among Florida State's career leaders in assists (308, 18th), steals (133, tied for 19th) and games started (82, tied for 24th). He averaged 8.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals in 91 career games while earning his bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary social science from Florida State in 2011.
One of the premier defensive guards in the ACC during his playing career, Kitchen helped Florida State lead the nation in field goal percentage defense in both 2010 and 2011 while helping guide the Seminoles to one of the most successful three-year stretches in school history.
Following his collegiate career, Kitchen played professionally for eight seasons in Greece, Israel, France and Turkey. He also competed with the Denver Nuggets during the 2012 NBA Summer League before beginning his coaching career.
A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Kitchen was a First-Team All-State selection and the runner-up for Florida's Mr. Basketball honors at Raines High School. He and his wife, Brittany, have four children: Adrian Dixon, Marley, Brooke and Bailey.
