Some will argue that it's good to have new and fresh ideas come on board to revitalize a program.
I'm not so sure.
This past October, Tony Falzarano stepped away from high school basketball in Putnam although not by his own choice. Tonight, another legend steps aside as Griswold says good-bye to Gary Kinel.
Kinel is leaving on his own volition, however, as he put it to me the other night, "It's time."
That's unfortunate because there are few Gary Kinels left. The type of coach that doesn't seek the headlines but just wants to coach his players and let them get the ink and the glory.
That's one of the reasons why, even though many of us including his players knew that he was stepping aside, the story of his departure didn't come out until the end of the season. In Kinel's mind, this is the players' season, not his, and he wanted his players to be the focal point- not him.
Tonight, Gary Kinel will be the focal point and it's well deserved after 33 seasons and 502 high school basketball victories. The veteran coach steps aside as his Wolverines finish up their season against Fitch.
Good luck Coach Kinel and, hopefully, we'll see you on a golf course in Florida in the near future.