Former Coach MHS coach Bill Connolly: Morristown’s turnaround a longtime coming

http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/-8649716651160233348/boys-basketball-morristowns-turnaround-a-longtime-coming/

Sean Hoehn took a deep breath, untucked his crimson jersey and began the slow jog over to Morristown’s bench being serenaded with cheers every step of the way.

After scoring 32 points in Morristown’s upset victory over Jefferson in the semifinals of the Morris County Tournament, Hoehn finally let himself relax as he looked up at the waning seconds winding off the clock.

But with each tick, the senior didn’t see the culmination of a 76-53 victory; he saw images of the work he and his teammates put in to make living this moment a possibility.

“I was smiling from ear to ear,” Hoehn recalled. “We finally made it. All that work finally got us where we wanted to be.”

When Hoehn arrived at Morristown for his freshman season four years ago, the thought of playing for a Morris County championship seemed more like a dream than a reality.

Morristown had just finished the season 5-19, coach Rick Osborne wasn’t slated to return and Hoehn found himself wondering if he had made the right decision in attending Morristown High.

“I wanted to be on a good basketball team,” Hoehn said. “Having that five-win year was tough. I wasn’t doubting that we could turn it around, but I just wanted to be part of a good team.”

After making the MCT championship in 2002, Morristown had followed with seven losing seasons in the ensuing eight years. The feeder program wasn’t feeding, the fans lacked enthusiasm and the community was desperate to relive the years of the Colonials being a powerhouse.

In need of a change, Athletic Director Kathy Perri began her search for a new head coach.

“We had about 30 people apply for the job,” Perri said. “Some people wanted to relocate from Florida or South Carolina to come up and just be part time.”

Among those applicants was longtime assistant Bill Connolly.

Throughout his career, Connolly had worked under two of the best basketball coaches in the state. First, he learned under Montgomery’s Kris Grundy, and then from 2008 to 2010 it was Mendham’s Jim Baglin. 

“Getting the opportunity to work for those two taught me so much,” Connolly said. “I’m forever grateful to both of them for allowing me to be a part of their programs. For them to allow me to be a part of that and learn was a great opportunity.”

Perri was aware of Connolly after his time with Mendham. He had developed a reputation with the students and was one of eight she brought in for an interview.

“I remember one thing that impressed me was that he came over here and handed me all of his credentials,” Perri said. “I thought that was very impressive that he came over here having never met me.”

The coach pitched his plan for what he wanted to do with Morristown basketball, from building up the feeder program, to getting the community excited again. Perri was impressed, but had one major question.

It was known that Jim Baglin was thinking of retiring within the next few years. Connolly was thought to be one of the favorites to take over when Baglin stepped down.

So why leave Mendham? Step away from a proven winner with a decorated history for a rebuilding project?

“He told me he wanted to build his own program,” Perri said. “He wanted to take something and see what he couldn’t do with it. That really stuck with me. I loved that mindset.”

Connolly was named head coach of Morristown in 2011. Once being given the title, he worked endlessly to integrate what Grundy and Baglin had taught him, along with a few other tips and tricks he had learned along the way.

“It’s funny, coach always tells us stories about how when he was in college he wouldn’t go out and party with his friends,” Hoehn said. “Instead, he said he’d go to his school’s basketball games and sit behind the bench and pick the coach’s mind.

“He has this notebook filled with stuff for us to do in games. It’s crazy the time he puts in with two kids and a wife.”

From the moment Hoehn met Connolly, he knew the coach was something special and had a “mind for the game.” While Hoehn admitted he had his doubts on Morristown being the right school after his freshman year, he had no question when Connolly walked in the door.

“He was very smart with us and knew his first year not to push things too fast,” Hoehn said. “He wasn’t telling kids to take a charge or dive for a loose ball because he knew we wouldn’t listen. It was a slow moving process, a large hill to climb, but we knew we had to get over it.”

In his first year in charge, Morristown finished 9-15. While the team still sat under .500, the jump from the year before motivated Hoehn and his teammates. For the first time each saw the potential the team had.

“We all wanted to be successful so desperately,” Hoehn said. “We all started to put in the work. We worked over the summer, went to the gym all the time together and were constantly shooting.”

Hoehn said his freshman year practices and workouts seemed like a competition for who was the best player, now it was everyone wanting to be better for the team.

“Everyone was constantly talking to everyone,” Hoehn said. “Calling each other or texting asking what time they wanted to go to the gym or workout. Everyone just wanted to get better.”

Last year, Morristown put together its most successful season in years finishing 18-8 to earn a share of the conference championship for the first time since 1980. In the Morris County Tournament semifinals, the Colonials lost to eventual champion, Mount Olive, 62-60

“That was heartbreaking,” Hoehn said. “The seniors on the team were crying. It hurt so bad knowing I’d never be able to take the floor in a county game with them again.”

Connolly saw the hurt in his star player’s eyes, which is why just before Hoehn got to the locker room, the coach grabbed him by the arm and pointed up at the scoreboard.

“He said, ‘Remember this feeling. Remember this for next year,’” Hoehn recalled. “And I did, all summer and fall.”

Following in the footsteps of the same seniors Hoehn had watched crying in the locker room, he took charge as the team’s captain with player-organized practices.

Hoehn pushed his team to go harder. In the gym, on the practice court and everywhere in between.

“I didn’t want that hurt I felt last year with my friends this year,” Hoehn said. “None of us did. We didn’t want to lose again.”

This year, losing has become a thing of the past. Morristown is 20-1–and following its victory over Jefferson in the MCT semifinals–faces a rematch with Mount Olive Saturday at 7pm at the County College of Morris in the MCT championship.

Hoehn admitted that after Morristown defeated the Falcons, he stuck around for Mount Olive’s victory over Mendham. The guard wasn’t just scouting the Colonials next opponent, but had a bit of a rooting interest as well.

“We’ll play anyone, anytime and anywhere,” Hoehn said. “But revenge is always the sweetest victory.

“Hopefully we can make that happen this weekend.”