McCook Community College has named Kyle Drennan as men’s basketball coach and career coach. Drennan comes from McNeese State University at Lake Charles, La. where he was Director of Operations for the basketball staff.

“I’ve been involved in many search committees over the years and it’s rare to see someone come in with so much passion and excitement for a job, especially when it involves more than just coaching basketball,” said Kelly Rippen, Area Vice President of Student Affairs and McCook Community College.

She said Drennan brings a strong foundation in business, marketing, and management that is perfect for the Career Coaching role. From the basketball side, he’s been part of several successful programs and has a “wonderful network in collegiate athletics.

A 2009 graduate from the University of Colorado, Drennan has nearly 10 years of experience in working with athletic programs in terms of team management, planning, player development, mentoring, marketing and promoting, film breakdown, and leadership skills.

“We were very impressed when Kyle came to interview,” said Athletic Director Jon Olsen. “He displayed a great passion for the game of basketball as well as a high level of organization which will help him succeed at McCook.”

Drennan came to McNeese after serving as the Director of Scouting and Operations with JUCO Advocate out of Austin, Texas, where he guided players to the JUCO ranks then assisted them in getting scholarships from four-year programs. He worked as the Director of Scouting and Social Media at Texas Top 100 where he developed and executed regional camps, evaluated players at the local and national levels, spearheaded social media coverage of live and upcoming events, and much more.

Drennan started coaching in 2015 as an assistant coach at Labette Community College in Parsons, Kan. He started his career in marketing with the Fenway Sports Group and the Salem Red Sox, a minor league baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. There he development short and long term marketing plans as well as building relationships with Fortune 500 companies. After that, he became the Assistant Director of Operations at PAQ-Source in Denver where he developed strategic plans and the overseeing of assigned operations.

“I’m excited to be here and excited to dive into being part of this community,” Drennan said, adding that having coached in a small town in Kansas (Parsons) he understands the pride aspect of it.

“Not just from the college’s standpoint but at the community college level your town invests in your kids,” Drennan said. “Host families open their doors to students and student athletes, businesses reach out… we are neighbors and want to be good neighbors and we want our neighbors to root for us. We plan on being out in the community a lot.”

Drennan said, as a coach he tries to confine his “rules” for athletes to five basic pillars that include: love, communication, appreciation, servant mentality and passion.

Since he inherits a team with only one returning freshman, he’s fast-tracking his recruiting. He’ll be in Chicago Monday to speak with a point guard. Thanks to his connections with JUCO Advocate, he has commitments from a couple post players from Europe and has interests serious enough to visit three players in Texas, as well as the Washington D.C., area and Canada. He also knows there area players locally and in Nebraska who fit his mold of what he’s looking for.

“It definitely be will be a different-looking team in 2019-2020,” Drennan said.

“Kyle is very tied in on the recruiting scene which will not only help in the short time period for this year but moving forward as our head men’s basketball coach,” Olsen said.

Rippen said Drennan’s ability to recruit top athletes and bring out the best in them on the court and in the classroom impressed the MCC hiring committee, as did his coaching philosophy and experiences over the past 10 years.

Drennan describes his offensive philosophy as a lot of pick-and-roll, with skilled big men. He likes to space the floor, and his shooters better be ready to shoot. “I’d like to have a team that can play fast on misses, and defensively we want to be tough and dictate how the other team has to play.” He likes defenses that can take away their opponents top option and rebounding is always a priority.

“Basically anything that comes with effort, I want my team to be good at those things, and those are the type of qualities I’ll recruit,” Drennan said.

“I am excited for Kyle to get to work and looking forward the working with him as our new head men’s basketball coach,” Olsen said.

“He’s an impressive individual with a strong work ethic and will be an excellent addition to the college and the community,” Rippen said. “We are thrilled to have him join our college family.

Drennan fills the vacancy held by Brandon Lenhart who took a job at Minot State University in Minot, N.D. Lenhart was at MCC for 12 years, compiling a 192-181 record.

https://mccindians.com/news/2019/6/14/mcc-names-kyle-drennan-mens-basketball-coach.aspx