Kevin McFarland hired as boys basketball coach at Hamburg

Nov. 16—Amidst several weeks of uncertainty surrounding the head boys basketball coaching position, former Hamburg Middle School coach Kevin McFarland thought the Hawks needed a familiar face at the helm.

As McFarland ran preseason open gyms and workouts for the middle and high school teams heading into the upcoming season, he could tell the players were distracted by the coaching vacancy.

"Over the past few weeks, with the coaching changes in the program, during the open gyms I saw a lot of long faces," McFarland said. "I saw young men that were a bit confused and a bit curious about what was happening next, and I didn't really have answers for them.

"But with so much confusion, and just so much uncertainty, I wanted to give them a face they were familiar with, and allow them to take a deep breath and say, 'It's gonna be okay, we know Coach McFarland.' "

On Monday, the Hamburg School Board named McFarland head coach of the varsity boys basketball team after he resigned from the position he held for nine years at Hamburg Area Middle School. McFarland is also a Home and School Visitor for Hamburg.

"We're fortunate to have Kevin step up to fill the void," Hamburg athletic director Aaron Menapace said. "He's assembled a high energy, caring and committed staff. Kevin is familiar with the kids, and I have no doubt he will get the best out of every one of them."

The appointment comes after the October resignation of former coach Nick Evangelista, who coached the Hawks from 2018-22. Hamburg went 18-70 during Evangelista's four seasons, including 2-9 in Berks III and 5-17 overall last season.

Mike Donley, who replaced Evangelista briefly as the Hawks head coach, will replace McFarland as the middle school coach, a post he has previously held.

Donley resigned from his role as head varsity coach at Hamburg a week after being hired, citing "internal pressures behind the scenes."

"I had no intention of coaching (the high school team); we were just kind of waiting and seeing where things were going to play out," McFarland said. "But I had a young man ask me, 'Coach, what happens if we don't have a coach?' And that really hit me close to the chest because I felt bad for them and what they were going through. My son (Kevin McFarland) is on the team as well and he was asking questions; it was difficult.

"I didn't want those young men to have a bad experience, especially the seniors, so I decided to put my name in as a candidate for the position. I was familiar with a lot of the young men because I've coached them through middle school. I coached the senior group from fourth grade to eighth grade, and over that time, they had a lot of success. So, I just wanted to give them an opportunity this year to enjoy themselves, enjoy the game that they all love to play, and give them a coach who was going to be in their corner and care for them this season."

McFarland's son, Kevin, is one of the seniors looking to make the most out of their senior year. He missed significant playing time last year due to a hand injury he suffered during the football season. As a coach and a father, McFarland said it was important to help see his son and his teammates end their careers on a high note.

"Kevin has been a four-year starter with us here at the program and last year he suffered an injury during football that they told us that he would not play at all last year," McFarland said. "Through his hard work and dedication he was able to come back way earlier than they expected and he played in a few games last year. So this year, we're hoping that he's able to show his full potential and he's going to be a key factor for us on both ends of the floor.

"Our seniors in general, these guys have been together since fourth grade and had a lot of success at one time so I'd like to see these guys end on a really high note. They've put a lot into school and athletics; they all play multiple sports, and they've all played at a high level. So I'm hoping that they bring that excitement and they bring that competitive fire back onto the basketball court."

The elder McFarland, a Lycoming college grad who played basketball for the Warriors, cited the importance of positive role models as a motivating factor for taking the position.

"Basketball has been very good to me in my life; basketball is the reason I am in the position I am with my education," McFarland said. "I had a college coach named Joe Bresson at Lycoming College. He believed in me and showed me the importance of a college education. I had no intentions of going to college until he brought me in for a visit one day, and I ended up being a four-year starter.

"He was very important in my life and he was very important in shaping the man I am today. So I've always wanted to give back and be that type of mentor for kids and that's why I've stayed involved in the game."

McFarland is joined on the coaching staff by assistant coach Rob Flowers, who is also the head coach of the Daniel Boone football team. Flowers has coached at Daniel Boone since December 2017 and was coach for the Reading High football team from 2011-17.

McFarland said he believes that Flowers' strong leadership abilities make him a perfect fit.

"In trying to find a staff, it was important that I found men that I thought were positive role models and knew how to lead young men," McFarland said. "Coach Flowers and I have been friends for a long time, and I think he is one of the best coaches in the county. What he does for his team goes beyond wins and losses. So he was the first gentleman that I reached out to because I knew if I was going to do this, I would need somebody like him to be a part of the staff."

Also on the staff are William Wilson as JV coach and Justin Bentz as an assistant.

Though there may be work to be done in turning around a program that has not had a winning record since 1999-2000, McFarland said that his team's progress will be measured by more than just the results on the scoreboard.

"We're gonna give the program what it needs, the young men what they need, and hopefully they buy in and they believe in it," McFarland said. "Whether or not we have success in the win-loss column is one thing. What we're going to judge our success on this year is can we get these guys to play hard? Can we get them to commit to themselves and the team? Can they give us all that they have every day? That's hard for young men.

"There's been no basketball activity here in our program since February of 2022. So that's a long time for these young men to not be in the gym and just getting back in. We can't make things complicated. We got to keep things simple. And the focus is showing up every day and working hard and being committed to what we're trying to do."