By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 8/18/16
Billy McKinney was a standout player and an assistant coach in the Inter-Ac League so the thought of being a head coach at Germantown Academy had much appeal.
“The GA job was appealing because it gives my family and I the opportunity to join an incredible community,” said McKinney, who on Thursday accepted the Patriots head coaching post. “The commitment to excellence is obvious once you set foot on GA’s campus and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to build a championship culture within the lacrosse program.”
McKinney is well-known in all circles of Philly lacrosse.
He was a three-time Inter-Ac defenseman at Penn Charter and then started three years at the University of Denver, serving as team captain his senior year in 2006. McKinney was a member of the MLL champion Philadelphia Barrage in 2007 and served two years as an assistant at Penn Charter before spending a year at three Philly colleges, Lafayette, Haverford College and St. Joseph’s before returning to be an assistant the past five years at Penn Charter.
McKinney, formerly the Director of Operations for L.E.A.P.S., also is co-founder and co-director of the Big 4 HHH club program.
“The search for a new varsity head coach for boys’ lacrosse was a challenging yet rewarding experience as the Director of Athletics,” said GA Athletic Director James Fenerty. “Challenging in the fact that we were overwhelmed with so many excellent candidates for this position. Rewarding in that this incredible interest in the position is a true reflection of the quality of this program and the young men who have made it so. We are very pleased to have Bill McKinney join the GA community. Bill’s experience and passion for the game of lacrosse is outstanding.”
McKinney takes over a team that was 10-13 overall and reached the quarterfinals of the Inter-Ac Challenge. GA has 21 returning lettermen.
“My short term goal is to instill a culture where each member of the program is held accountable, works as hard as possible, is a good citizen, and commits to doing the right thing the right way,” he said. “Long term, I plan on leading a program where every lacrosse player that graduates from GA experiences winning an Inter-Ac championship.”
McKinney believes to compete for an Inter-Ac title his players must adapt a complete team concept.
“Teams play at a championship level when players hold each other accountable,” he said. “I constantly put players in competitive situations and make sure they care about more than their individual performance.”
