3rd Region Hoops— you won’t speak to very many coaches in the area that will argue the coaching ability of McLean County Cougars Head Coach Darren Lynam. Labeled as one of the most difficult coaches to scout against, Lynam is known for his in depth & creative schemes offensively, Coach Lynam has long established himself as one of the top coaches not only in the 3rd Region, but in the area. Lynam is oft criticized for his personality, which could be considered as “business like” “No sugar coating” and a “No BS” approach to coaching, teaching and life. You can watch roughly 3 possessions of his cougar basketball team to know that he is VERY animated, passionate and demanding. All of which, at times can be rejected by unhappy parents & or “chair-back coaches” who love you when you’re winning but want you gone when you struggle. Those same “coaches” have all the answers to your issues but often times have never led a T-Ball team, much less a group of teenagers. Here’s my point; DARREN LYNAM CAN FLAT OUT COACH!!! McLean County plays in the Basketball rich 10th District & competes against two of the household names in 3rd Region Basketball, Ohio County & Muhlenberg County. Many outside the 10th District traditionally have not had the same level of “respect” for McLean County as they do Ohio County & Muhlenberg County & it’s hard to argue that when you consider the tradition of those two programs. McLean County, who’s school sits just outside the city limits of Calhoun Kentucky & is located in the middle of a corn field, has seen a tremendous uptick in success on the hardwood since Lynam took over as Head Coach. Lynam just finished his 4th season at the helm & has already put together a resume in Calhoun that is worthy of a statue being built RIGHT IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN CALHOUN! Is that a stretch & all in fun? Of course but come on, HE’S A WINNER & if he were to run for Mayor or Sheriff, McLean County Residents would be very wise to cast their vote for him. The days of overlooking McLean County basketball are long gone. We mentioned Lynam finishing his 4th season for the Cougars.. let’s look at some numbers; His overall record at McLean in 4 seasons is 81-41 & has yet to have a losing season. The previous 4 seasons for the boys program prior to his arrival, the Cougars posted an overall record of 29-79 & 2 coaching changes. In his first season in Calhoun, the Lynam Led Cougars ended a 5 year run of missing out on the 3rd Region Tournament & saw an increase of wins from 11 to 22. Alex Embry, who was a standout at Ohio County had made solid progress in his lone season as the head coach & at least started to lay the foundation of improvements before leaving the program to accept the Athletic Director’s job at Ohio. But back to the point, pencil in Darren Lynam and the folks of McLean County saw INSTANT SUCCESS. In year 3, the Cougars advanced the schools FIRST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP APPEARANCE in HISTORY, before falling to District Rival Muhlenberg County who was on the tail end of being BACK TO BACK Region Champs. Here’s something for you Lynam haters across the region; McLean County has a more recent 3rd Region Championship Appearance than the following “notable names”; Apollo, & Grayson County, among others. Did we mention BUILD A STATUE FOR THE MAN?!?! If he were to leave McLean County tomorrow, he’s done enough for them to do just that! His previous coaching stint was at Hancock County. He spent four seasons there & posted an overall record of 73-45 & only had 1 losing season. The 4 years after his departure saw the Hornets slip to an overall record of 39-68. Hancock has had 1 winning season since Lynam left and that was this season. The last 8 seasons Coach Lynam has coached a 3rd Region team he’s posted an overall record of 154-86 (64% win %). When you look back at the numbers, which you can’t argue, you can come away with only 1 takeaway… HE CAN COACH!!!! (Have you already read that in this blog?) If there are any lists or “basketball heads” that don’t list him as a top 5 coach in this region, cover your ears because they have little to no basketball knowledge.. either that or they are one of those “unhappy parents” or “ChairBack Coaches” we talked about in the beginning of this write up… parents, EMBRACE HIM. You may not like how demanding he is towards little Johnny, but you can’t argue his desire for perfection, his impact on them as a leader and he’s probably giving little Johnny the gift of being on a team who’s seen more success than some can remember. Your child will thank him for the way he pushed them long after the ball has stopped bouncing for them. One more thing before we go… This is a letter to the folks of McLean County…. In case you missed it – BUILD THE STATUE IN CALHOUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!