Kenny O’Donnell maps strategy. Photo credit: Jerome Hubbard
By CHRIS CHRISTOPHER
If thousands of admirers have their way, Kenny O’Donnell will be honored.
O’Donnell, who enjoyed legendary coaching and playing careers in basketball and baseball at Neptune High School, died peacefully June 12, 2021, at his Brielle home.
A petition drive led by former Neptune player Jerome Hubbard, who competed in basketball under O’Donnell, began March 7 of this year.
“It closed in on 700 signatures in just over 10 hours,” Hubbard said. “The goal is 1,500 signatures.”
The petition is titled, “Rename Neptune High School Gymnasium in Honor of Coach Kenny O’Donnell.” It contained 1,076 signatures as of March 10.
“As a former student and player under the guidance of the late Coach Kenny O’Donnell, I am deeply moved to initiate this petition,” Hubbard, 37, a 2003 Neptune graduate, said in the petition. “Coach O’Donnell was not just a coach to me and my three brothers, but also an educator, mentor and pillar of our community. His dedication to basketball brought home state championships for two generations of my family–first with me, then with my younger brother seven years later. He also led myself and my siblings to Shore Conference championships along with many others who played for him.
“Coach O’Donnell’s legacy extends far beyond our personal experiences. For over six decades, he served the Neptune community as an all-state student-athlete, a teacher, a referee and a championship coach. His coaching career is adorned with three state championships and seven Shore Conference championships among many other accolades. At his retirement, he was among the top five coaches in New Jersey in terms of wins–close to 600 victories.
“His contributions were not limited only on court; he was also known as a great husband and father off the court. It’s time we honor his memory by renaming the Neptune High School Gymnasium after him–as the Coach Kenny O’Donnell Gymnasium.
“Join us in honoring this remarkable man who has left an indelible mark on our lives by signing this petition today, then share it to the community!”
Hubbard can be reached at jayhubbard40@gmail.com.
O’Donnell was not rehired as the Scarlet Fliers’ head boys basketball coach by a 6-3 vote of the Neptune Township Board of Education in June after the 2013-14 season. Hubbard said he will present the petition to board members Chanta L. Jackson (president), Donna Puryear (vice president), Donna Harris, Jerome M. Hubbard (Hubbard’s dad), Sheila B. Jones, Jessie Thompson, Kym Hoffman, April Morgan, Tu’Jaim Berry, Liza Flynn and Drisana Lashley.
The board is scheduled to meet Monday, March 25, and Wednesday, March 27, at the Neptune Board of Education Building, 60 Neptune Blvd., Neptune, 07753, at 7 p.m.
A petition born June 26, 2021, and presented to the board and Dr. Tami Crader, Superintendent of the Neptune Township School District, by 1972 Neptune graduate Bill King II failed a few years back. It received 2,431 signatures as of Sunday, March 10, 2024. King II said the goal was 2,500 signatures.
“For several years now, I’ve been advocating for it to get done,” young Hubbard said in a statement to The Coaster. “I believe it’s the best way to honor one of the best coaches Neptune has ever been blessed with. I made a Facebook post about renaming the gym and I received suggestions to create a petition and to attend the board meetings to present the idea. I’m serious about getting this done so I acted on those ideas.
“The goal is to obtain as many signatures as possible to represent the overall voice and support of the community. And the common theme according to the comments people have been leaving is, ‘This is an overdue honor,’ for O’Donnell.
“I hope we have a better chance now than the last time people tried to get this done, especially if we have more support from the community. Coach taught me how to become a better player by simplifying the game. He instilled confidence in me to be a fearless shooter. It helped me to have a great collegiate career (at Stockton University).
“Coach was one of the first people to tell us that how we act off the court–in the classroom, school and outside–is a representation of the team. It was something that stuck with me–that if I ever was near anything that could ruin my reputation or the team’s name to not get involved or be associated with.
“I was deeply saddened that he wasn’t rehired. I wanted him to retire on his terms and not by the terms of others. I felt like he deserved that for all that he had done for the basketball program. I actually attended one of the last town meetings in support of him before he wasn’t rehired.
“Practices involved drills, scrimmages, practicing sets, foul shooting and a lot of conditioning–a whole lot. A personal trainer came to our practices to do nothing but conditioning. Sometimes, it only lasted 45 minutes or so and sometimes whole practices. And coach made practice fun and enjoyable with conversations. jokes, competitions and more.
“One saying of coach’s was, ‘K.I.S.S,.’ which stood for Keep It Simple Silly. Example, ‘Make the simple bounce pass instead of the difficult behind the back pass.’ Another saying was, ‘Two points is two points. Make the easy layup instead of trying to dunk.’ Coach was energetic. Vocal. And respectful. I don’t recall him getting techs for being unsportsman like. Off the court, coach was calm, approachable, laid back and funny. He would often joke with us.”
Young Hubbard is in his eighth year of high school basketball and fifth season of men’s collegiate officiating. He hopes to become an NCAA Division I referee. He assists people with developmental disabilities at the Arc of Monmouth.
“Coach always encouraged me to pursue officiating once I started,” young Hubbard, who also played football for Neptune, said in the statement. “He told me I had the passion for it and was made for it. He was in charge of a few rec leagues and he assigned me games in them. Sometimes, I would officiate with him and that’s where we would have conversations.”
O’Donnell was replaced by current coach Joe Fagan. Former players spoke out at a board meeting in favor of O’Donnell and said they wanted him to remain as coach until he wanted to retire. Fagan was approved 7-0 with two abstentions. Several persons spoke on O’Donnell’s behalf at the board meeting during the public comment phase. A handful of others spoke against O’Donnell, who did not attend the meeting.
“After hearing about everything that transpired tonight,” O’Donnell told the Shore Sports Network, “I just want to thank all the people who supported me. It’s a tough day for the O’Donnell family because my kids grew up here and we gave everything to this school. The board had a different agenda. It was just not the right way to be treated.”
“What we hope is that people respect the decision of the board and that we move forward as a community united,” board president Jason Jones said, according to the Shore Sports Network.
Parents said their sons were not given proper playing time and assistance in securing college scholarships.
“If this is about playing time, it was always my job to play the best players in the interest of the school and the community and that’s always what I focused on doing,” O’Donnell said.
Randy Reynolds, a 1974 Neptune graduate, a former board member and then-president of the school’s Red and Black Booster Club, disagreed with the hiring of Fagan.
“You’re going to take (Fagan) over Kenny O’Donnell, the winningest coach at the Shore?” he asked, according to the Shore Sports Network. “I don’t see how you can even think about doing something like that. I will be behind our sports teams, but when you’ve got the best, why do you go away from it? (O’Donnell) has given his life to Neptune Township.”
O’Donnell is the lone coach in state history to lead boys and girls basketball teams to New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association state Group championships. His combined career record as the Scarlet Fliers’ girls and boys coach was 570-189. He led the boys team to four Shore Conference Tournament championships and two state Group titles.
He’s the first boys coach in Shore Conference history to lead a team to the Tournament of Champions final, a feat accomplished in 2002 when Neptune fell 69-49 to St. Anthony’s of Jersey City, ranked second in the nation. The 2001-02 team, which dealt the Friars their lone loss of the season earlier in the campaign, was 29-3 overall and presented O’Donnell with his first Group III state championship and second Shore Conference Tournament title.
Young Hubbard was a junior member of the Scarlet Fliers, who set a program record for single-season victories. Neptune was ranked 21st in the nation and rated the top public school in the tri-state region.
Between Shore Conference divisions, holiday tournaments, Shore Conference Tournaments and the state tournament, O’Donnell’s boys teams captured 43 titles. His boys clubs won four Shore Conference Tournament titles in a 15-year stretch. O’Donnell coached the boys team for 23 seasons after guiding the girls club from 1981-1990. His girls teams won 230 games and one Group IV state title. His boys teams won 340 games.
O’Donnell’s boys team lost to Group IV state champion Lenape in the 2009 Tournament of Champions quarterfinals on a short jumper in the final seconds of the game. He was the commissioner of the Jersey Shore Basketball League, ran the high school summer basketball league at the Hoop Group Headquarters in Neptune and led an outdoor summer league in Belmar.
O’Donnell was Neptune’s point guard under legendary coach Larry Hennessy from 1964-68. O’Donnell, who also coached boys soccer and baseball at Neptune, was chosen by the Kansas City Royals in the 1968 Major League Baseball Draft and played five seasons in the minor leagues. He earned all-state and all-shore honors in basketball and baseball at Neptune and graduated from then-Monmouth College, now Monmouth University.
The Neptune High School Hall of Fame, Neptune Athletic Hall of Fame and New Jersey State Sports Hall of Fame member coached the Hillel Yeshiva boys basketball teams to successful seasons after not being rehired. King II’s petition of O’Donnell’s accomplishments in and out of athletics and in the classroom.
“Ken O’Donnell is more than the measure of his won-loss record, x’s and o’s and championships,” the petition said in part. “As Shaun Hubbard, one of Ken’s athletes who so eloquently posted to Facebook upon learning of his passing, Ken was imbued with special qualities that merit this high honor.
“Wrote Shaun:’Ken O’Donnell was a coach that went above and beyond. I remember my first Holiday Jubilee. I was beyond nervous. Made many mistakes and went 0 for the world from the line in the first half. I could literally hear the crowd yelling, ‘Take him out O’Donnell,’ but he didn’t. He accepted my mistakes and coached me through it to a more productive and dominant second half and surpassed a 1,000-point career. When college football scouts came to see me during basketball season, he would set time aside for me to show off my athletic ability. He said, ‘Aye Shaun. dunk it,’ when he knew they were watching.
“When it came down to making the hardest decision for an 18-year-old athlete to make between college football and basketball, he didn’t pressure me on my decision. He fully supported me. He gave me my first job ever at one of his summer basketball caps, which introduced me to a love and respect for coaching, which I still do today.
“I’ve witnessed him taking in other players to his home for a few days while they got their heads on straight and kept them out of trouble. He was a great coach, a great person and a true Neptune legend. To his family, Mrs O’D, Kevin, Sean and Lauren, thanks for sharing him with us. He made a difference in my life as well as many others. He will be forever missed and forever loved.
“When it came to life, Ken saw but two colors: Red & Black.”
“Coach was all about Neptune pride,” young Hubbard said in his statement. “His professional and coaching career show that. He committed his entire life to the Neptune district. I’m sure if coach had the opportunity to teach or coach somewhere else he would have turned it down. When coach walked out onto the court before games, it was the majority of the time to applause and cheers. The community loved what he was doing with the program.
“People lined up outside for game tickets during school hours. He made a high school program feel like a high level college program.”