Flynn's decision to stay at South Sioux pays off
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BY RON POWELL / Lincoln Journal Star
Two years ago, Kelly Flynn was all but gone as the athletic director and girls basketball coach at South Sioux City.
On a Friday in June of 2006, Flynn was offered the head women’s basketball coaching job at Briar Cliff University in nearby Sioux City, Iowa. He had his resignation prepared to present to the school board on Monday.
That is, until he had a conversation with his superintendent, assistant superintendent and principal who persuaded him to stay.
“There were some things I hadn’t paid that close of attention to, and they convinced me that in terms of retirement, it was a good idea to stay at South Sioux City,” Flynn said. “Just to hear that you’re wanted, it’s a good feeling.’’
The administrators’ sales job on Flynn paid off this past winter. He guided the Cardinals to their state-record 11th Class B state championship in March, capping a 24-1 season and earning Flynn the Journal Star Girls’ Prep Coach of the Year honor for the second time in his career. Flynn also received the award in 1996 after the Cardinals went 23-0 for their second straight state title and averaged a state-record 93.6 points per game that season.
Since 1996, South Sioux City has not only won nine state championships, but also left its impression nationally. The Cardinals were ranked in the final USA Today national top 25 eight times (they ended the season as high as No. 4 twice) and were No. 1 on two occasions. They compiled a remarkable 280-35 record during that 12-year span as Flynn took his teams to national tournaments in Chicago, California and Florida, where the Cardinals put Nebraska girls basketball on the national stage.
But perhaps even more important to him than the state championships and national recognition was the opportunity to coach his daughters Jenni (a first-team Super-Stater in 2002 and ’03) and Brooke on state-title teams.
Flynn’s coaching record is 460-108 during his 24 years coaching the South Sioux City girls. He says his success is a testament to the talented players, dedicated assistant coaches like Ed Wiltgen and Russ Fuchser and the community-supported youth programs that got his athletes off to an early start in basketball.
Not bad, considering Flynn didn’t see himself staying with girls basketball very long when he first took the job. He had been an assistant boys basketball coach his first four years at South Sioux City.
“I think he’s glad he didn’t go (to Briar Cliff),’’ said Cardinal assistant coach Trish Martin, a Super-Stater for Flynn in 1995 and ‘’96. “This group of kids were great. They were fun to be around, but they also worked extremely hard.”
The 2007-2008 Cardinals, however, didn’t have the same starting point previous teams had. In 2006, South Sioux City lost in the Class B state tournament semifinals, the first time the Cardinals had not made the state final since 1994. In 2007, South Sioux City lost in the district tournament semifinals and just missed a wild-card entry into state, snapping its consecutive state tournament string at 13 years.
“What this group went through to get that state championship was special,’’ Flynn said.
This was where Flynn’s coaching philosophy of “fun and fundamentals’’ provided the foundation for rebuilding the Cardinals into a state championship squad. His ability to connect with his players and make the game enjoyable gets athletes into the gym. Once they’re there, Flynn and Wiltgen turn them into some of the most fundamentally sound players in the state, executing the Cardinals‘ full-court pressure defense and fast-paced offense.
“The way Coach Flynn gets along with the girls, that’s huge,” Martin said. “They want to be there at practice every day and they‘re willing to work hard because of that. They look forward to it because they‘ll get something out of it and it will also be fun.’’
Flynn’s even-tempered coaching style on the bench seemed to translate into similar demeanor on the floor by his players this season in close, critical games. All-state guard Autumn Boyer made the game-winning free throw late in overtime to beat Bellevue East in the first round of the Tournament of Champions in late January. Boyer then hit a driving layup the next day to beat eventual Class A state champion Lincoln Southeast 51-49 in the finals.
The Tournament of Champions title climaxed a week that also included a win against Iowa state champion Sioux City Heelan.
At the state tournament, South Sioux City overcame a six-point, fourth-quarter deficit late to beat Gretna (the 2006 state champion) in overtime in the first round. Several key baskets down the stretch by all-state center McKayla Knudson staved off a furious fourth- quarter rally by Alliance (the ’07 champion) in the title game.
“The week we beat Heelan, Bellevue East and Southeast was definitely a springboard for us,” Flynn said. “The thing that was neat about this team was we had different people step up in big games and how they handled the pressure situations.’’
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
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Again, thanks...and thanks to your hard working, dedicated players that
are super role models for young kids!! "