They reached the top of the prep basketball world just a few weeks ago.
But Monday evening, Kentwood girls basketball coach Keith Hennig and wife Wendy, the team’s assistant, announced they were stepping away from the program after six years.
The demands of raising two young children – 3-year-old Trevor and 1-year old Brady – along with working full time and coaching one of the state’s elite programs wasn’t easy and factored into the decision to step down, Keith admitted.
“It’s tough for a family,” said Keith, who noted that he and his wife had made the decision before the season began. “Sometimes we’re getting to bed at 10 o’clock and we find ourselves going through McDonald’s at 9:30 at night … it’s tough for kids this age. You throw in two people who are working full-time jobs and it really stretched both of us at both ends.
“It was really tough decision. Wendy and I have put a lot of time and effort into this program. I think we did it the right way.”
Indeed. Because in six years, the Hennigs guided the Conquerors to a 136-25 overall record, four straight South Puget Sound League North Division titles, two district crowns and two top-three finishes at state.
But the capper came on March 7, when Kentwood knocked off Snohomish 60-47 for the Class 4A state championship. The win culminated a 28-1 campaign and was Kentwood’s first-ever state championship on the girls basketball court.
It was the perfect finish.
“I guess if you plan to go out … you couldn’t script a better ending for leaving,” Keith said. “On the same end, we know there’s a heck of a lot of talent in this program.”
Finding a replacement isn’t going to be an easy task, Kentwood athletic director JoAnne Daughtry noted.
“It’s going to be really hard. Especially considering Auburn Riverside, Sumner, Lindbergh, Kent-Meridian and Steilacoom just in the last week are looking for girls basketball coaches,” Daughtry lamented. “He’s done an amazing job … it’s a huge loss to our program and to our school.”
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