LYNN — When you step into KIPP Academy’s basketball gym, you’ll see athletes sitting together, talking long after practice — sometimes until the gym lights shut off. You might also see a player offering a teammate a pair of sneakers when he can’t afford his own.
For boys’ coach Moody Bey, that sense of brotherhood defined the 2025-26 season.
Bey, who became coach of the Panthers in 2022, earned his second Commonwealth Athletic Conference Coach of the Year award this season. His basketball journey began as a boy in Springfield.
“As long as I can remember, there hasn’t been a winter without basketball for me,” Bey said.
Bey played at Westfield State, where his final season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.
During that time, Bey became increasingly aware of rising youth suicide rates. After reading an article about the death of a young person in his Springfield neighborhood, he started an AAU basketball team to give young boys a positive outlet for stress.
Following a successful run coaching AAU, Bey moved to the Greater Boston area for work and landed at KIPP.
The program he inherited was struggling. The year before Bey took over as head coach, the team finished 3-17. This season, KIPP finished 14-8 and advanced to the Division 5 Elite 8.
The season ended with a 73-70 loss against Holbrook, played on KIPP’s home court.
Bey’s season-ending message to the team centered on admiration for this year’s senior class, which, in his words, left the program a better one.
“And that’s all you can really ask for as a coach and mentor, is that whatever room somebody goes into, whatever organization, whatever team, whatever program they’re a part of, by the time they leave, it’s in better hands,” Bey said.
KIPP’s Elite 8 appearance was just the second in school history. But for Bey, the season’s significance went beyond wins and losses.
In its 11th game against intracity rival Lynn Tech, KIPP’s starting point guard, junior Ethan Gicheru, suffered a broken left leg.
For many teams, losing a key player this early could have been the end of a winning season. But not for KIPP.
“I think we switched from being the most talented to trying to be the hardest-working team in Division 5,” Bey said.
Gicheru, who continues to recover, remained committed to the team.
“I just really wanted to be a part of what we had going on and finish it with them throughout the end of the season,” he said.
Despite being sidelined during practices, Gicheru showed up every day. Bey played a big part in making sure Gicheru still felt involved, as he understood the mental toll an injury can have on an athlete. Bey invited Gicheru to lead film sessions and scouting reports.
Bey said there are three roles a player can have: “You could be a superstar, you could be a game-changer, or you could be a supporter.”
This season, he said, Gicheru filled all three.
“It was really tough to see for the kids, but . . . they’re so resilient and tough and great to be able to just come back from that and still play for Ethan,” said Athletic Director Anthony Grimaldi.
That resilience helped define the season, and contributed to Bey’s Coach of the Year recognition.
“I’m really proud of him and I’m grateful that other people have recognized how much of a great coach he is,” Gicheru said.
According to Grimaldi, Bey exemplifies what a student-athlete looks for in a coach: He shows up.
“No matter the time of day, he will be there for his student-athletes and it shows in the way that the kids play for him. They respond to his directions,” Grimaldi said.
Bey, at the end of a memorable season, doesn’t think about the awards and honors. He thinks about his team and the relationships created along the way.
“I’m most proud of the brotherhood and family aspect that was created,” Bey said.
Stephanie Moreau is a student at Endicott College studying journalism. This story was published in partnership with the Massachusetts News Service.
