LYNNFIELD — Coming back to one’s alma mater as a coach is something that not a lot of people get to experience, but for new Lynnfield girls basketball coach Jeannine Cavallaro that experience is now a reality.
“It’s so exciting to come back to my hometown and coach for the school that I played for,” said Cavallaro, who was a three-sport star for the Pioneers. “I never even thought of coaching in Lynnfield, but the opportunity arose and the timing was just right. It’ll be such a great feeling to come back and coach in the same gym that I played in for so many years.”
As far as basketball resumes go, Cavallaro’s is tough to beat. Following her years at Lynnfield — where she was a team captain, an MVP and an all-league player in basketball, softball and volleyball — Cavallaro went on to play two sports at Gordon College. She was a team captain and a multiple-time all-star in both basketball and volleyball, notching more than 1,000 career points on the court. After college, she moved on to play softball and basketball with Athletes in Action, touring internationally and playing against a number of national teams in Central and South America.
And that’s just her playing career. As a coach, she helped develop a basketball program in Huehuetenango, Guatemala and coached there for two years, going to the National Final Four several times and even getting offered the coaching job of Guatemala’s national team. She instead moved back to the United States, coaching volleyball at Melrose High for five years. She was also the athletic director and boys basketball coach at Lexington Christian Academy, winning Eastern Independent League Coach of the Year in 2014.
Her longest coaching tenure came at her alma mater Gordon College, where she spent six years as an assistant coach before becoming the head coach for 10 years. The winningest coach in the history of Gordon’s program, Cavallaro also held roles as interim athletic director, senior women’s administrator and sports information director in her time there.
Her wide array of experiences means that she can adapt to whatever strengths her new Lynnfield team has and cater the game plan to fit those strengths.
“If we have the ability to run the floor we can play more of a fast-paced game, but if we have more size then we can slow things down and play deliberate basketball,” said Cavallaro. “It’s all about playing to our strengths, whatever those are, and sticking to them.”
As far as getting to work with her team, Cavallaro and the Pioneers are allowed to take the court Monday and will practice for a few weeks before starting games in early January.
“I’m sure it’ll be interesting over the first week or so just getting used to all the rules and safety protocols that have been put in place,” said Cavallaro. “But we’re just going to go in there, focus on what we can focus on and have fun. We’re only going to have a couple weeks to prepare so it’ll be a quick turnaround, but we’ll roll with the punches as best we can.”
