Four years ago, Physical Education teacher Andrew Kinney was the head coach of Algonquin’s junior varsity two boys’ basketball team. Fast forwarding to this season, he has moved up the ladder to become the boys’ basketball varsity head coach. 

For Kinney, managing his time between physical education teacher and varsity coach results in long days.

“It’s a lot of work, but I enjoy the work,” Kinney said.

Last season, the Titans finished with a 5-15 record. This year, they have already surpassed that win total with a 10-6 record and are looking to add to it through hard work and meaningful drills in practice. 

“We make better use of our time in practice this year,” Kinney said. “There is more ‘why’ in what we do because when you know why you’re doing it, it’s a more productive drill.”

Kinney’s philosophy is team oriented. He preaches ball movement and doing what’s best for the team. In his eyes, there is no one player who is better than the team as a whole. 

“Pass the ball around, find the open man and we are comfortable with anybody taking the open shots,” Kinney said. 

Basketball can be an extremely competitive and high-stakes game. Many people may crumble under these circumstances, but Kinney enjoys it. 

“Basketball is a big sport here and I enjoy the pressure of having to do well,” Kinney said.

Senior captain Cam Adams spoke highly about Kinney and feels his philosophies and ways of coaching have been received well by the team.

“It’s been great since Kinney’s been the coach,” Adams said. “He pushes us to be the best we can day in and day out. He makes sure we’re prepared for each game by showing us film and the other teams’ plays.”

Adams and others appreciate Kinney’s dedication and care about them and the game.

“Kinney gets on us for our mistakes, but also helps us to fix them, in order to make us better players,” Adams said, “He’s completely turned the culture around when compared to last year.”