Chris Kellett’s decision to step away from coaching basketball was family oriented.
Kellett, an elementary school teacher in the Hortonville Area School District, resigned recently as coach of the Appleton North boys basketball program to better help his wife, Allison, with the expanding duties of being a sports parent to their children Landon, Cam and Kennedy.
The Lightning finished with a 24-5 record this past season, shared the Fox Valley Association title with Kaukauna with a 16-2 record and advanced to the state semifinals before losing to eventual Division 1 state champion Wisconsin Lutheran 68-61 at the Kohl Center in Madison.
The 40-year-old Kellett sat down with USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin to talk about North’s rise to basketball prominence and his decision to step away from the program.
On the decision to step down from coaching
“It’s always a tough decision when you’re spending so much time with a program, with the players and their families, especially this past year. We spent a lot of extra time together and we were able to reach some heights that we’ve never reached before. So it’s definitely a difficult decision.
“I’ve got three kids that are all involved in sports and this past year was really tough with eight sports going on during their winter break. And my wife to kind of get all the kids there on her own just took a toll. And it’s only going to get worse with my daughter, who’s getting older, joining the fray. It’s just one of those things where you don’t get those years back with your kids, so I’m just trying to be as present as possible for them. Obviously, teaching and living in Hortonville – a rival – probably didn’t help the situation either.”
On how the North program rose to prominence
“We did arrive at a really good time and we had some really good players. Where we started and where we were this past year and even the years leading up to it, North averaged around six wins a year from when it was built in [1995] to 2007. I’ve always told the players that we’re not just battling the other team, we’re kind of battling a stigma that hung over Appleton North. We were able to break through it and with recent success keep building it and growing it. We were spending a lot of time with the families, the youth program and giving them as many opportunities to get into the gym is what it’s all about. And I was really proud of the way that we were able to do that.”
On giving Wisconsin Lutheran a battle in the Division 1 state semifinal
“I honestly couldn’t be more proud. I actually pulled the guys aside as we were kind of walking off the court – it’s probably my favorite picture that I’ve ever gotten with Appleton North – our whole team’s huddled kind of in the corner. And I just told them, ‘You guys won’t understand how well we played and we competed with the heart and the grit with that team.’ Two or three years down the line, where [Wisconsin Lutheran] kids are playing – [Zavier] Zens is going to Illinois, Kager [Knueppel] could be at Duke and Kinston [Knueppel] is going somewhere – just the talent they had on the floor. So, I’m really proud that they never gave up and they had the heart of a lion.”
On having four 1,000-point scorers during his tenure
“Our goal as a staff is to open the gym up as much as possible for those kids if they wanted to come in and shoot and open gyms and leagues and summer events, because they always have AAU and things. Just give them an opportunity if they want to work to let them work. And all four of those kids that have surpassed a thousand points [Maximus Nelson, Will Sweeney, Grant Hardy, Nathan Ramus] and even many that didn’t, they just put in the time.”
On a possible return to coaching
“It would make it easier if I lived in the districts that I coached in, but we got some things in the air with what we’re doing in our future so it’ll be put on hold until that stuff can get figured out. But I’ll be involved in some way somehow. I’m just not sure if it’ll be as a head coach. But I do enjoy it too much, so we’ll see.”
WIAA spring state tournaments approaching
The WIAA postseason for spring sports begins with softball regionals May 21. Here’s a look at WIAA spring state tournament dates and venues.
Boys individual tennis: June 4-6, Nielsen Stadium, Madison.
Boys and girls track and field: June 5-6, Veterans Memorial Stadium Complex, La Crosse.
Boys golf: June 8-9, University Ridge, Madison.
Softball: June 10-13, Goodman Diamond, Madison.
Boys team tennis: June 12-13, Nielsen Stadium, Madison.
Boys and girls lacrosse: June 13, Bank of Sun Prairie Stadium at Ashley Field, Sun Prairie.
Baseball: June 15-18, Neuroscience Group Field, Grand Chute.
Girls soccer: June 18-20, Uihlein Soccer Park, Milwaukee.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Five questions with former Appleton North basketball coach Chris Kellett
Reporting by Ricardo Arguello, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
