LYNN — The Lynn Classical boys basketball team will continue to be coached by a son of Lynn, as the Rams announced on Wednesday that they have hired Marvin Avery as its new head coach.
“First of all, I just want to thank (Classical Principal) Amy Dunn, (Classical Athletic Director) Bill Devin and the administration for giving me the opportunity to be the coach at Lynn Classical,” said Avery, a lifelong Lynner. “I understand the kind of position this is, and I’m excited to bring my brand of basketball to the Rams.”
“Marvin’s experience is exemplary, and it was really hard to overlook that experience,” said Devin, who was a part of the committee that made the hiring decision. “He took a struggling program at Tech and really made a name for them. He has deep ties to Lynn, he’s a lifelong resident and he knows what it’s like to coach basketball in this city.”
Avery comes into the job at Classical with a host of experience, as he took a Lynn Tech program and built it up into a powerhouse back in the early 2000s. With Avery at the helm, the Tigers won four Division 3 North sectional titles (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005) and reached the sectional finals on two occasions (2003, 2010). Tech won its only state title in 2002, a 73-49 win over Frontier.
“The bottom line is, his teams have been where we want our teams to go,” said Devin. “He has experience not only building a team from the ground up, but also coaching that team to a championship.”
“I’ve learned from the best over the years, and I plan on using that experience to help lead this team to success,” Avery said.
Devin noted that one of the most important factors in the decision to hire Avery was the fact that his teams are known for their discipline.
“One of the deciding factors was how disciplined his teams are on and off the court,” Devin said. “He sets high expectations for his teams and he gets a lot out of them.”
Avery is taking over a team that will have a very young core in 2020-2021, as eight seniors graduated from the program this year.
“Taking over a younger program has its ups and downs, but I’m looking forward to getting the younger kids to grow and get used to my system, which will be new to them,” Avery said. “Nothing’s going to happen overnight and we’ll have our growing pains, but we’re all going to grow as a team.”
With the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down schools and putting summer conditioning programs in question, Avery is taking a wait-and-see approach to meeting with his team at the moment. He hopes to soon be able to put a program together for his players and eventually get them working out in small groups, all in compliance with the health regulations that are sure to be handed down for such activities.
“I’m hoping to start getting in contact with kids over the next week or two, but it’s all a waiting game at this point,” said Avery. “Once we get the rules and regulations put in place, we’ll be able to set up a program around that and get to work as soon as we can.”
