KRISTEN McDONNELL

By Marvin Pave

For Kristen McDonnell, who underwent several knee surgeries while starring on the court at Boston Latin School and Stonehill College, the will to excel has been a formula for success.

McDonnell is currently in her third season as boys’ basketball coach at Norwood (MA) High School, where she’s been a guidance counselor for 13 years, and was formerly that department’s head.

She had previously spent ten years coaching at Braintree High, where the West Roxbury resident led the girls’ varsity to a 211–32 record, seven South Sectional championships, four Division 1 Eastern Massachusetts and State titles, and one Eastern Mass. runner-up finish.

Her honors included multiple selections as Boston Globe Coach of the Year, and Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year.

Yet, after Braintree had won back-to- back state titles in 2018 and 2019, McDonnell was ready to move on.

``Braintree was an amazing experience, but I felt I was getting complacent after throwing myself into helping grow the program,’’ McDonnell recalled. ``I needed a new challenge, and I needed to reignite my passion for the game.’’

Stonehill head women’s coach Trish Brown, who coached McDonnell her junior and senior seasons, predicts she is going to be a coach for a long time.

``Kristen’s on every basketball website and goes to every clinic and her preparation is second to none. To this day we still talk strategy and x’s and o’s, and we’ve remained close friends,’’ Brown said. ``While at Stonehill, she played through so much pain — more pain that many others couldn’t walk around with.’’

Brown would sit McDonnell out of drills, but ``then I’d look, and she’d be back on the floor,’’ said Brown. ``She’d say `coach don’t worry about it. I have to do this my way.’ ’’

A two-time team captain, McDonnell scored 1,215 career points from her guard position and helped lead the Lady Chieftains to the NCAA Division 2 Regional Finals as a senior when she averaged a team-best 14.7 points per game.

She was recipient of Stonehill’s Father William Gartland Award, presented annually to one male and one female student-athlete for athletic accomplishments, citizenship, character, and personality.

Her ability as a player and as a confidante to the coaching staff led to Brown offering her a part-time coaching position. McDonnell was second assistant for two seasons.

``I could tell even during her playing days that Kristen was headed down the coaching path,’’ said Brown. ``She’s one of the most thoughtful and passionate people I have ever met.’’

For the 41-year-old McDonnell, basketball was a family affair.

Growing up, she spent countless hours going head-to-head with her older brother Jim, on their backyard court. He preceded her as a player at Boston Latin and Stonehill and has been by her side for 13 years as an assistant coach at Braintree and Norwood.

Her father, Dave, who coached her in youth basketball, noticed early-on that ``Kristen had the physical talent and spent time developing that talent. She made the varsity at Boston Latin as a seventh grader. Even though she suffered injuries and couldn’t play at times, she also learned the game by watching.’’

McDonnell helped Latin win three Dual County League championships and, during her senior season, to upsetting Chelmsford High in the post-season. She was a league Most Valuable Player and a 1,000-point career scorer in high school.

``I was kind of a power point guard back then and even though I had the mind of a basketball player, I was always aware of what my body was daring me to do,’’ said McDonnell, who thought about redshirting as a college freshman.

``Maybe I should have,’’ she recalled, ``but it was too tough to be on the sidelines. I didn’t want to miss time away from basketball. When I had to rest so I could still play, I would watch film and go over scouting reports. That experience, realizing how much strategy made a difference, had everything to do with wanting to be a coach.’’

She feels ``incredibly lucky’’ to have been coached at Stonehill by Kelly Hart for two seasons, and then by Brown.

``I got to see two styles of coaching at a very high level. Kelly was a natural nurturer who would push you to be your absolute best,’’ she said, ``and Trish would do anything to help you to reach your potential. She has been with me ever since, every step of the way.’’

A game she will never forget as a player was Stonehill’s dramatic victory over Bryant College.

``First I hit a shot with no time left to tie the game and put it into overtime,’’ she said, ``and then I hit another one in OT for the win.’’

While earning her masters’ degree in school counseling at Providence College, McDonnell was an intern and assistant coach at Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High, all the while pushing her old Nissan Pathfinder to the limit.

When she heard about the opening for head girls’ basketball coach at Braintree High, she recalled, ``I threw my hat in the ring and just hoped for the best. I still thank them every day they gave me the chance.’’

Rachel Norton, a guard, and captain for Braintree who later helped McDonnell as an assistant coach, says it’s hard to find the words to fully express her admiration.

``Kristen had a great basketball IQ, and her practices were like college practices, and it was always team before self,’’ Norton, a Bowdoin College graduate, recalled. ``We had several players who went down with injuries, and she helped them see the light at the end of the tunnel because she had been there as a player.

``She could speak to you one on one, and I most admired her selflessness,’’ Norton said, ``being there for her players, students, family and friends.’’

Mike Denise, a former girls’ JV/assistant basketball coach at Braintree High, was athletic director at the school during what he called ``McDonnell’s ten fantastic years.

``She believed in her system, she taught the heck out of her system, and she had confidence in each player’s ability to contribute to the team’s success,’’ he said.

``Kristen’s playing experience and her counseling background helped her understand the highs and lows her players went through. She did a nice job balancing when to push a student-athlete and when to throttle down.’’

Denise, now athletic director at Blackstone Valley Regional High, said McDonnell brought enthusiasm, basketball knowledge, and coaching ability to her job, ``but just as important to her was the work her players did in the classroom and in the community.’’

However, in 2017, after some individuals criticized her through emails after Braintree lost in the Eastern Mass. finals, McDonnell reacted emotionally and resigned from her position.

``My character was attacked, and I had no patience for that, but then I cooled off and talked with Mike a few months later about coming back,’’ said McDonnell. Her following two seasons ended triumphantly with state championships.

When she decided to leave, this time on a high note, there was a going away party that brought tears to her eyes.

``When Kristen made the transition to Norwood High boys coach, we spoke about it quite a bit. She has a great rapport with the players, and she has their respect,’’ said her brother, Jim. ``Her wins and titles have been awesome, but the interaction, accountability, and hard work associated with coaching and the relationships she cherishes are more important to her.’’

Even before her interview for the Norwood job, McDonnell thoroughly learned all she could about the boys’ squad, and, also carefully plotted out how she could best bring her coaching skills to the program.

``Kristen’s a leader in all aspects of the school. She works to make things positive for kids,’’ said Norwood High principal Dr. Hugh Galligan. ``Her success is a result of a tireless work ethic. We really felt we were hiring one the best basketball coaches in the state.’’

Her first season, Norwood finished 9–11, then improved to 9–2 for 2020–21 before the Covid pandemic shut it down.

McDonnell is also Norwood High’s founding head coach for Unified Basketball, which played a five-game schedule this past fall.

A collaboration between Massachusetts Special Olympics and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, unified teams allow students with disabilities to get involved in sports while interacting with teammates who do not have a disability.

An inductee to the Boston Latin, Stonehill College, and New England Basketball Halls of Fame, McDonnell said she has grown as a coach and as a person.

``I tend to see the bigger picture,’’ she said. ``I used to get down after a loss and I still do. But I’m more resilient. I stay true to myself and my core values.’’

She counsels 230 students at Norwood High, which gives her a real sense of their stages of development.

``I want them to be successful,’’ said McDonnell. ``Their lives matter the most to me. Basketball is just a part of it.’’

Note: The Norwood High boys’ team is off to a 4–0 start!

(Marvin Pave, an award-winning writer for the Boston Globe, resides in Newton, MA)