LYNN — Between the five schools in Lynn, many would say the basketball talent is through the roof – or, rafters. From 1,000-point scorers, to breakaway dunks, and to clutch game-winners, Lynn Classical Boys Basketball Coach Marvin Avery – who has been coaching in Lynn for 20 years – loves what he is seeing.
“I think the basketball talent in Lynn – with the upcoming young kids and what we had in years’ past – we’re very fortunate to have really good student-athletes,” Avery said. “Lynn is a great place.”
Avery has been around Lynn his entire life, and when asked about the city’s other boys basketball coaches, he had nothing but praise for how they’re doing.
“I’ve seen Corey Bingham (Tech) and Alvin Abreu (English) come up through high school. Corey is one of my former players and Alvin is probably one of the best basketball players coming out of Classical. They’re both doing great jobs,” Avery said. “Then you have Moody Bey up at KIPP who, being new to the game in Lynn, is very successful. And of course, we have the legendary David Brown at St. Mary’s doing a hell of a job there.”
“We’re fortunate to have good coaches in Lynn, too. I give credit to coaches for monitoring these student-athletes to make sure they’re successful on and off the court,” Avery said. “It’s a big plus to have guys who played the game and are from Lynn.”
The future is bright for Lynn, as teams have new talent ready to showcase their skills.
“Lynn is going to be very good for a while. There’s a lot of good upcoming talent that had another year of experience last year at the varsity level,” Avery said. “It’ll depend on how hard the kids work in the offseason, but they’re all hard-working, blue-collar kids who are hustling and playing good basketball.”
Avery, who is in Tech’s Hall of Fame, said he likes what Bingham is doing at Tech and how the program is progressing under him.
“The first year is always the toughest year of coaching. Even when I was at Tech, my first year was tough,” Avery said. “To turn it around, he has some great players there and I think he’s doing a great job. Being a former player of mine and it being my alma mater, I love seeing Tech being back on the rise.”
Although we’re not close to winter, Avery is excited for his Rams this year.
“Marvin (Avery Jr.) should be one of the better sophomores in the state next year and he’s surrounded by some good, talented players,” Avery said. “We’re looking forward to a great year at Lynn Classical. We’re going on a team-bonding trip to Florida around Christmastime this year, so I’m looking forward to that.”
With the Rams in Florida, the Lynn Tournament will feature the other four Lynn teams this year.
“The Lynn tournament is a great tournament to showcase the talent in Lynn,” Avery said. “It’s very good for the city [with] former players coming back to see what their former teams are doing. It’s just good for the city overall.”
When asked if Avery keeps an eye on any particular Lynn team during the season, he said he keeps up to date with all of them.
“I keep my eye out on all the Lynn teams throughout the season. I like seeing all the Lynn teams being successful. When we compete against them, we make sure we are very competitive,” Avery said. “I’m fortunate enough to have coached Lynn Tech, but now I’m at Classical trying to get them up on the rise.”
“I’m a diehard Lynn guy,” Avery said. “I’m not going anywhere.”
