Basketball
in 2003, Don Kent entered his 22nd year as the Varsity Basketball Coach at Msgr. McClancy Memorial High School. In his first season, 1982-83, after finishing last the year before, Kent led the Crusaders to a second place league finish and advanced to the CHSAA semi-final, upsetting Tolentine, City Champs the previous three years, in a quarter final match-up 70-67.
In 1987, Kent’s McClancy squad once again advanced to the semi finals by beating an overwhelmingly favored St. Raymond’s team, ending the Raven’s 20 game win streak, 83-67.
In 1990, under a different league format, the Crusaders defeated Mount St. Michael to win the CHSAA City championship “B'” Division title and then marched upstate to overwhelm an unsuspecting St. Joseph’s of Buffalo Squad.
Kent’s 1992-93 team recorded the most single season wins in the school’s history (20) and led by Hall of Famer Jamal Robinson advanced to the CHSAA City Championship game for the first time since 1971 only to lose to a very tough St. Raymond’s team. Wins; over Cardinal Hayes and Rice highlighted that year’s playoff run.
Coach Kent’s teams’ successes are well documented as are the honors that he has received. Don is the winningest basketball coach in McClancy history winning over 200 games and was named CHSAA Coach of the Year by a vote of his peers in 1983, ’87, ’92, ’93 and ’94. The Tablet also presented Kent with the Coach of the Year Award in ’83, ’87 and ’93. He received the Sportsmanship Award from the Queens Referee Board #119 six times in his career and was recognized by the Daily News (’80, ’83, ’87, ’93, and ’94) and Newsday (’80, ’83 and ’93) as the best at what he does.
In his “spare time”, Don serves as the New York State Basketball Coaches Association New York City Catholic School Representative for the CHSAA Brooklyn Queens Diocese. He is a past President of the New York State Coaches Association and during the summer coaches the Boys Scholastic Empire State Team.
Coach Kent has sent numerous players on to play college basketball at the Division 1 Level. Many of his former players return to McClancy on a regular basis to visit with their coach.