North Quincy High 'didn't think twice' making this 24-year-old its new girls hoops coach

Kevin Mahoney remembers a young Liana Cunningham asking to use the shooting machine before and after class rang into session at Quincy High.

That work ethic, plus "her point-guard mentality", gave Mahoney, Quincy High's athletic director, the impression in 2018 that Cunningham could one day be a high school basketball coach, if interested.

“When she was a player here, she was one of the hardest workers I ever saw come through," Mahoney said.

This fall, the 24-year-old Cunningham saw an open position for head coach of the North Quincy girls basketball team and applied. One week later, she came aboard on staff as an algebra and geometry teacher at the school, and Mahoney, who now doubles as AD at both Quincy and North Quincy High, handed the program over.

“One of my all-time faves when she was here, and just really happy for her," Mahoney said. "She’s worked hard. She deserves it.”

“We thought it’d be a great transition. Truthfully, she’s doing a really good job," Mahoney added. "The kids seem to like her and are playing hard for her. She’s getting the program going in the right direction. She’s on the younger side, but she’s taking it and running with it.”

Cunningham, a 2018 Quincy High grad, was a two-time Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic point guard in her high school days. She ended her career as the Presidents' assist queen, setting the program's single-season (125) and career (366) records when previous high marks were 92 and 206, respectively. She averaged 10.1 points, 3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.3 steals per game as a senior.

After high school, she played two years of Division 3 college basketball at Framingham State.

“The biggest thing that stood out to us was her passion for the game,” Mahoney said of the interview process. “We didn’t really consider the age (to be) a thing. We thought she could make (the team) her own and learn, grow and use that experience she had playing in college and transition it to the girls. We didn’t think twice about it.”

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Cunningham, who is two years removed from her playing career, thought they might've.

“I wasn’t hesitant, but I was like, ‘Maybe they’ll see me as a young girl with not enough experience.’ But I feel like I have the experience and the knowledge," Cunningham said. "I’m here to put all my effort and passion into it. I can’t say enough how grateful I am to see these girls every day. They make my day. It’s a blessing.”

Led by senior captains Ava Bryan and Autumn O'Campos, the Raiders are out to a 4-4 start in Cunningham's first year with losses to some of the area's best (Bridgewater-Raynham, Duxbury, Hanover and Pembroke).

A pair of Cunningham's former high school teammates, Alyssa Camara and Gabby Jerahian, joined her staff this season. Not long ago, they were also former college players at Westfield State and Roger Williams University, respectively.

“I believe in them with my whole heart," Cunningham said of her staff and team.

Cunningham cited her high school coach, Jeff Bretsch, as one of the biggest influences in her pursuing a job in coaching, a dream she had since age 10. Bretsch, whose tenure leading the Presidents ended in 2020 after 19 years and over 200 wins, was also a math teacher at the school.

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So, after Cunningham finished college, she got started in coaching an assistant at Stoneham High for two years.

Then came the homecoming.

“This job came up two weeks before the season," Cunningham said. "It was a no-brainer. I want to give back to the city I grew up in, under the principal I had (Daniel Gilbert) and under the athletic director that I had. I’m so grateful for the opportunity. The highs and lows, the wins and losses, it’s really my passion.”

There were no reservations as a Quincy High alum donning the rival school's colors?

“It was definitely a switch-up," Cunningham said with a smile, "but I can say I’m a Raider now. I’m pretty proud to say that.”

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: North Quincy's new girls basketball coach is one of area's youngest