MONROE — The Cheesemakers have a new girls basketball coach — just the third in more than 30 years.
Patrick Kenny, who has been an assistant for Monroe the past six years, takes over for Sam Mathiason, who stepped down as varsity coach in late April.
“I was thrilled” to be offered the job, Kenny said. “It is something I’ve been working for and hoping for. I’m very excited that they were going to allow me to take over for Sam and build on what he has accomplished.”
During Mathiason’s 10-year tenure, the Cheesemakers went 123-123 and reached the state tournament in Green Bay three years in a row from 2017-19, including a runner-up finish in 2019. Before him, Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame coach Kevin Keen led the team for 21 years and to a 397-127 record.
Kenny said he doesn’t plan on changing much with the program, and as the former junior varsity coach, he’s well versed in his returning players for this upcoming winter.
“I’m very happy with this group of players right now — I know them all very well, and I know how to push them. It definitely helps the transition process,” Kenny said.
The way Mathiason went about coaching helped Kenny grow. “Just his communication and poise, really. His demeanor and how he handled different situations. It was one of the best things that I, as a young coach, could learn,” Kenny said. “He also was willing to adjust his team’s style of play to its skill set. The high school game is ever-changing. It’s not like in college where you recruit players to fit your play style. You have to adjust to what hand you’re dealt.”
After graduating nearly 7 of 11 players off its roster from last year, the Cheesemakers will enter this fall as one of the youngest teams in program history, which means those remaining varsity players will have to be leaders ready to go on Day 1 of camp.
“It’s a younger team with a lot to learn,” Kenny said. “Between Taylor (Jacobson) and Megan (Benzschawel), and Sydney (Updike) at guard, there is a lot of talent here. Those three could do a nice job leading this group.”
Jeff Newcomer, Monroe athletic director, said the coaching search committee, which was a group of five administrators and coaches, interviewed more than five candidates for the position and determined Kenny’s resume was the best suite for the team.
“You can just tell he’s a good fit,” Newcomer said. “He understands the program; he understands the conference; he has college playing experience. He stood out above all the other candidates.”
Kenny, of Elmhurst, Illinois, was a two-sport college athlete at Beloit College playing basketball and golf. He graduated college in 2011 with a degree in secondary education and history. He is a social studies teacher at Monroe.
Newcomer said the committee liked that he has a high level of playing experience to go along with his time on Monroe’s bench. Kenny also was an assistant at Clinton while student teaching before reaching Monroe.
Kenny has helped coach track, cross country, football, basketball and golf since graduating college. Most recently, he was an assistant coach at Monroe in football and track, though he said he would step away from those sports now that he will be running his own program.
“My passion has always been basketball. I’ve always loved what the game does to teach its players about teamwork, hard work, and working through adversity,” Kenny said.
One intangible that Kenny has, according to Newcomer, is that he’s already well known not just in the program, but in the school.
“He’s got a good rapport with our students. It’s a change for the program, but he’s also a familiar face,” Newcomer said. “The kids in the school seem to really like and enjoy him.”
