Boys Basketball Gets 1st Win And McKinney Reaches His 300th In Linn

The boys basketball team (1-7) finished in 7th place at the 62nd Annual Linn High School Holiday Tournament on Friday, Dec. 15. They lost to Tipton 40-26 in their opening round, got their first-season win against Russellville with a 56-48 victory but fell to Linn 52-39 in the Consolation Final.

Sullivan’s head coach, Dean McKinney, achieved a milestone at the tournament, reaching his 300th career win against Russellville. McKinney described this accomplishment as a truly special moment for him, except for the fact that it made him feel old. He said, “After the [Russellville] game and later that night, I couldn’t help but think of all the teams and kids I’ve had the privilege of coaching over 20 seasons as head coach here at Sullivan and at St. Clair years ago. All of those teams gave me so many special times to reflect on, but what made it even better was receiving all the calls, texts and messages from those who meant so much to me through the years, telling me congratulations and how happy they were for me.”

McKinney is using the experience he has gained over the years to get the Eagles back on track after their fall to a 1-7 record. He understands what it will take to rebuild this team back to success, saying, “With just now getting Chris Glaser back and playing point guard for the first time and with all the young and inexperienced varsity-level kids, we will just need to improve in every facet of the game. You can see definite signs and flashes of good play, but we still have too many mistakes spaced in there. To win varsity basketball games, you have to be able to play four good quarters and a full 32 minutes. We need to be more consistent!"

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition.