Q and A with Kevin Lenehan

John C. Longton III

Sports Editor

Kevin Lenehan is the starting center on the men’s basketball team. He’s a freshman from Duanesburg and is having a surprising season. Kevin is transitioning really well into the college level even though he himself didn’t think he was even going to start this season. He averages about 13 points to go along with the six rebounds in the 23 minutes that he averages per game. Coach Mike Long thinks that he’s going to be recruited by a DI program by the end of the season. I sat down with Kevin for a conversation and it went like this:

When did you start playing basketball?

 I started when I was in third grade. I did AAU for four or five years for Voorheesville actually. The Voorheesville swish. I played CYO when I was younger and high school basketball.

When did you become a starter for the high school team at Duanesburg?

Tenth grade was my first year on varsity and that’s when I started. I pretty much started every year that I played.

Did you play any other sports growing up?

Yeah I did wrestling for a little. I also played soccer, baseball and football to.

 What sport did you stick with the longest besides basketball?

Football. I played pee wee all the way through high school.

What’s your greatest high school basketball memory?

It was senior night my senior year. I don’t really remember how many points I had, but I remember I had four dunks in the game. That was really fun. I think we beat the team by like forty or something.

Did you think your game would translate to the college level so quickly?

No actually. Coming out of high school I didn’t think I would even be able to start. I thought I was going to be a sixth player at most. After the first couple weeks of practice then playing other teams. To me it’s not too much different I can still handle it and I like starting.

How do you like playing for Coach Long?

I like him. He’s a really good coach. I like the way he interacts with us. I like how hard he is on us. He’s doing it because he cares about us. Tough love.

What sets this team apart from past teams you’ve played for?

This team we all try to play together. On previous teams especially AAU it was just kind of one on one. We kind of had that problem a couple times this year, but we all are freshman we are all getting used to each other. And we are getting some good team chemistry.

You think the more games you guys are getting under your belt the better the team is performing?

Yeah.

What are your season goals?

We want at least 20 wins. We are at 11-6 right now. We’ve got 11 games left and we need to win at least nine of them. I think we can win all 11 of them. We just got to come prepared. I hope we do pretty good in the playoffs. I hope we win (regionals), but realistically I want to at least win a couple (playoff) games.

What classes are you taking here at Hudson Valley?

My major right now is individual studies, but I’m probably going to go for a business degree.

What are your career goals?

Get a job, have a family and live happy.

Any particular job you’re looking for?

Not right now. Something that I like.

Are you looking at other schools to transfer to?

I’m thinking of UAlbany. The only thing I have to do is get my grades up. I think I can put in the work and definitely be a good enough player to play for them. Over the summer I plan on getting a personal trainer and do some weightlifting. I’m close to done growing so I’m gonna start bulking up.

 You ever think of changing your position to play for a bigger school?

Um yes. In high school I was always a center. When I came here I thought I was going to play the four (power forward). I am the tallest guy on the team so I kinda still play center, but I can definitely play Like a three or a four position. My shot’s pretty decent and I can definitely get it a little better. Same with my handling.

Kevin’s impact to the men’s team was almost instant. He’s getting better every game and is getting noticed a little more every game. He has another year left at Hudson Valley and then will look to add value to a bigger program.