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Kensy coaching influence shows in Maryvale hoops
 | | KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY...Maryvale boys varsity coach Mark Kensy, above, and his son, Chris (right), who is the boys J.V. coach, have helped build the Flyers' basketball program. (Times photos) |
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When you think of Maryvale boys basketball, visions of sound fundamentals, conditioned athletes and a winning tradition come to mind. Those attributes are very much a reflection of the Flyers' coach, Mark Kensy, and his son and junior varsity coach, Chris.
After playing for his father as a Flyer in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Chris was reunited with his dad in the coaching ranks, as he was selected before last year to handle sideline duties for the J.V. Flyers, where he produced a 16-4 record, including 11-1 in ECIC-III.
Chris, a star during his playing career at Maryvale, described his father as the "hardest-working coach he's ever seen," adding that his dad scouts each of Maryvale's opponents twice per season, as well as puts in countless hours watching film and studying opposing styles.
"It's special working with my dad, definitely a different perspective," Chris told the Times. "He treats me as an equal in terms of coaching, and even uses some of my suggestions in his own team's game plans...(Coaching) is a lot of fun, to be able to have come back to my alma mater. "
Seven of Chris's players from last year's team moved up to the varsity level, giving each athlete the opportunity to experience the strong fundamental background that the Kensys stress.
"We shoot and rebound every day," said Chris, a mathematics teacher at Amherst Central School. "Before you can install any style, you need be able to shoot and dribble with both hands, make free throws and other fundamentals. It's what helped varsity teams get to Buffalo State the last five years. The kids almost expect to be there now."
Chris really admires his father.
"If I could get anywhere near what he's accomplished would be amazing," he deadpanned.
The elder Kensy coach described Chris as a great student of the game, adding that his experience in both high school and collegiately at Fredonia State helped him a lot.
"He exceeded my expecations last year," said the 23rd-year coach who has won four straight Class A-2 championships. "He took a team that probably could have gone about .500 and led them to a 16-4 mark."
Chris's younger brother, Garrett, also starred on the court for the Flyers, graduating from Maryvale in 2006. Currently attending Mercyhurst College, Garrett helped out both his father and brother in coaching at times last season.
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