Mile High Hoops Coaches Corner: Kevin Boley

Photo courtesy of LegendBasketball.com

Editor’s Note: Mile High Hoops Reporter Zach Cohn talks basketball with Legend High School coach Kevin Boley.  Legend is a brand new high school in Douglas Country in its second year of existence.  Kevin Boley is the first head coach at Legend and is building the program from ground up. Legend plays all freshmen and sophomores, but is hanging tough at 6-5 as of Monday.

Bio

Head Coach: Legend High School (2nd year)
Coaching experience: 23 years
Previous jobs:  Littleton High School, Asst. Coach (4 years), Jefferson High School (3 years), Montrose (5 years), Broomfield (9 years)
State titles: 1 - Broomfield (2004)

The Interview

Zach Cohn:  What precipitated the job switch by Broomfield High School, where you had so much success, to Legend High School, where you pretty much are starting from scratch?

Kevin Boley:  It’s kind of a long and complicated answer, but a lot of it has to do with family.  I did what I thought was best for my family at the time.  We had established a program and a tradition at Broomfield, and each year we were doing more and more.  I was so busy and I was never home it seemed.  I have two young kids, and a lot of my family lives down South, in Littleton and in Castle Pines, so it was nice to get closer to them.  Big picture – we had a lot of success at Broomfield, and probably would have continued to have success – but it was kind of  time for a new challenge.  And opening a new school was exciting. I was one of the first core teachers hired, so I had a say in creating the culture of our school.

ZC: So what was it like taking over a brand new school, a brand new team, and working with only freshmen?

KB:  It’s the best thing I have ever done, and it’s by far the hardest thing I have ever done. Last year, when there was just freshmen, what was really cool was that there was no culture here.  We got to build the culture – as coaches, as teachers, as what our vision for this high school was.  And there was an excitement about the opening of a new building, tremendous enthusiasm from the community, and a young staff that was eager to learn.  But there was also a serious lack of leadership because of there was no upperclassmen, so everyday was a teachable moment.  Whether it was how you act in the classroom or how you carry yourself in school, to how we act on a road trip in a basketball game, or how we act when we get introduced for warm-ups. Teachable moments left and right. It’s been a real special experience.

ZC: What is your favorite part about coaching high school hoops?

KB:  The impact you get to make on the lives of these kids. I want to make a positive difference. When you think about the time you spend with the team, we really are a family during the course of the basketball season. Players probably spend more time with me and their teammates than they do at home.  So you really have a chance to shape the lives of these kids in a way that other people can’t.

ZC: I understand you are an assistant golf coach as well, what’s the difference between coaching golf and coaching hoops?

KB:  The biggest difference is in the intensity. Basketball is high energy, high intensity, high work ethic. The whole pace and the entire mental aspect of golf is much more patient, much more even keel.  There are not a lot of push-ups when it comes to golf. Picking the teams is different.  You know, in golf, you go out and play, and your top four scorers are your varsity, and your next four are your JV. There is no decision making there.

ZC: You are involved with the Colorado Select Program in Colorado.  Tell us about Colorado Select, and what being a part of the program actually entails.

KB: Colorado Select is a club basketball program that was started by Mike Brookhart (Head Coach, Cherry Creek) several years ago. It is designed to give players opportunities to play against high - level players , to be seen by college coaches, and hopefully to get recruited. Opportunity to play against other club teams, opportunity to travel across the country, opportunity to try to get kids to the next level. I work with a lot of different coaches that are all good friends of mine: Brookhart, Joe Ortiz (Head Coach, ThunderRidge), Vince Valdez (Head Coach, Lincoln), and a bunch of elite top coaches from across the state.

ZC: Your career path shows that when you take over at a school, you generally make the program better.  Do you take pride in that?

KB: As a coach, one of your goals is to leave a program in a better place than when you got it. To be successful, you have to believe in what you are doing.  When you do things right, when you work hard, and you have kids and parents buy in, I think you are going to see improvement. The challenge here is to build a program from scratch, create the culture the way you want it to be.  And we are going into the toughest league in the state next year. (Note: Legend High School will be moving into 5A next year, joining the Continental League, arguably one of the state’s best conferences.) If I am able to become as successful here as I was at my other stops, I think I will be more proud of that than anything in my career.  

ZC:  Anything you want to add to the interview, coach?

KB: Well, I’m aware that you interviewed Ken Shaw in the Coaches Corner before me.  He is a very good friend of mine, and I just want to say it is an honor to follow him.
 
Quick Hitters

ZC: Captain Crunch or Cinnamon Toast Crunch?

KB:  (Chuckles). Cinnamon Toast crunch.

ZC: Sand wedge or pitching wedge?

KB: (More chuckles) Pitching wedge.

ZC: Batman or Spiderman?

KB: Batman.

ZC: Dogs or Cats?

KB: Dogs.

ZC: Peyton Manning or Brett Favre?

KB: Peyton Manning.

ZC: Curve ball or fast ball?

KB: Fast ball.

ZC: Lamborghini or Ferrari?

KB: Ferrari

ZC: Winter Olympics or Summer Olympics?

KB: Let’s go Winter Olympics.

ZC: Apple Juice or Orange Juice?

KB: Orange juice.

ZC: Lebron or Kobe?

KB: Lebron.

Contact the writer at newsroom@milehighhoops.com

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