Walsh Jesuit names interim boys basketball after Kevin Byrne leaves to coach Gilmour girls
Sometimes an opportunity arises that is just too good to pass up.
Walsh Jesuit boys basketball coach Kevin Byrne was ready to begin his sixth season with the Warriors, but Gilmour Academy called and gave the veteran coach an offer he couldn’t refuse.
A 1992 Walsh graduate, Byrne leaves his alma mater as the alumni relations director to coach the Lancers girls basketball program and be Gilmour's associate athletic director.
Walsh athletic director Mark Hassman has already named assistant Joe Wojcik as the interim coach for the Warriors.
“It was very tough,” Byrne said. “We worked really hard and have a really good group of seniors. It was a really difficult decision, but there was more to it than just basketball. When I looked at that, I know I made the right decision. Walsh basketball is in a really good place. I’ll be rooting for them to have a great season and do well in the future.”
Byrne heads to a Gilmour girls program that has reached the state final four three times. The Lancers won it all in 2017 and finished second in 2018. They are coming off a season where they went 18-6 before losing in a district semifinal to Elyria Catholic.
Byrne takes over for Tyler Hammond, who left as the Northeast Lakes Division II Coach of the Year.
“It’s been one of the better programs for years,” Byrne said. “To be able to go in and continue that legacy is something that really appealed to me.”
Walsh Jesuit High School boys basketball was a winner under coach Kevin Byrne
While at Walsh, Byrne guided the Warriors to a 91-33 record in five seasons. He never won less than 14 games and was an 18-game winner or better his final four seasons.
The squad went to three district finals. The Warriors were 20-8 last season and lost to eventual Division I state champion Hoban 56-37 in a regional final.
“It’s very difficult to lose him a month before the preseason starts,” Hassman said. “He’s one of the coaches, I think, where his X’s and O’s were the best I’ve seen around. Losing him was tough for the seniors, especially, but under Coach Wojcik it will be the same system.
“Every AD will say the same thing: Having a coach in the building makes a big difference to the program’s success. That’s not to say outside coaches aren’t successful, but especially in basketball there’s a lot to be said about having a coach in the building.”
Former Firestone, Akron East boys basketball coach Joe Wojcik brings experience, knowledge as coach at Walsh
Hassman expects a seamless transition under Wojcik, who teaches business technology at Ellet High School.
Wojcik knows the ins and outs of the program as an assistant the last four seasons.
He was the head coach at Firestone for three years and East for two where he was a combined 45-74.
Wojcik graduated Crown Conference MVP and All-Ohio forward Zach Halligan (15.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, now an Akron Zip), as well as starters Max Matta and Keith Rivers.
The Warriors return senior starters Tyler Bell (9.0 points, 4.0 assists) and Sean Spicer (9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 rebounds) and have senior regulars Jesse James, Nick Mitchell and Joe Sitarz back.
“It is beneficial to me because I know how the kids play,” Wojcik said. “I know their strengths and weaknesses. We can keep some of the continuity and continue to build and grow as a team.”
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Kevin Byrne leaves Walsh Jesuit boys basketball to coach Gilmour girls
