John Thurston (born April 17, 1948) is a retired American college basketball coach.

[1] Thurston was born in the Bronx, New York and is an alumnus of Archbishop Molloy High School and Seton Hall University.

Thurston next served as an assistant to Lou Campanelli at James Madison University, and was promoted to head coach in 1985.

With the Dukes, Thurston helped lead the team to three straight trips to the NCAA tournament from 1981 to 1983, and was named Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year in 1987.

In two seasons with Northwood, he led the Lady Seahawks to two Florida Sun Conference titles, a trip to the NAIA national tournament, and was named Coach of the Year in 2008.