Classical's Kavanagh, East Greenwich's McMullen top coaches at All-State Rhode Island High School Sports Awards

John Kavanagh of Classical and Debra McMullen of East Greenwich won coach of the year awards for boys and girls teams, respectively, at the All-State Rhode Island High School Sports Awards this past Thursday at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium.

Other boys coach finalists were Bill Barrass of Barrington and Jeremy Wilner of Lincoln Senior High School. Other girls coach finalists were John Hoxsie of Cumberland and Tamara Tardy of Moses Brown.

Talent was never a question this winter for the Purple, but it was whether they could get over some mental hurdles throughout the season. With Kavanagh at the helm, there were no issues – just perfection. From the start of the basketball season right up until the buzzer-beating 3-pointer that won it the state title, Classical played with unmatched chemistry, displaying the type of unselfishness that comes from a coach who understands how to get the most out of his players.

Kavanagh was calm, cool and collected every game and understood when he needed to bring the Purple together and when to let them figure it out. The results speak for themselves – a perfect regular season, a run to the Division I title and a State Tournament win that won’t be forgotten.

What wins championships? Individual talent is always helpful, but creating a winning culture is what really matters. There aren’t many in the state who have built what McMullen in her time as head coach at East Greenwich High School and while she has nine state titles to her name, the most recent may have been her most impressive.

The Avengers’ success starts on the practice field, where McMullen works her team like a football team going through two-a-days. Her presence allowed EG to survive the ups and downs that happen in a season, but when it came time for the games that mattered, McMullen was at her best.

East Greenwich’s meticulous defensive game plan against Moses Brown was brilliant. The Avengers’ execution was flawless. When the game went to overtime, EG was calm and ready to go and when Ellie Picard tapped in the game winning goal in the second OT, the Avengers celebrated on the field, surrounding their coach who had put it all together and made them all believe the outcome was never in doubt.

This article originally appeared on USATNetwork: Classical's Kavanagh, East Greenwich's McMullen top coaches at All-State Rhode Island High School Sports Awards