Two-time national champion returning to his alma mater, Oak Park High School
by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information director
The most successful women’s basketball coach in Kansas City Kansas Community College history is returning to his high school alma mater.
Pending North Kansas City School District Board approval, Joe McKinstry, who led KCKCC to two NJCAA Division II national championships in his six years at the college, has announced that he has resigned to become girls’ basketball coach and campus supervisor at Oak Park, the high school from which he graduated in 1999.
In six years at KCKCC, McKinstry compiled a record of 151-42, a winning percentage of .783. He won the national championship in his first season in 2016 and again in 2019, steamrolling the field in both tournaments. He took the Blue Devils back to the national tournament for a third time this season in what may have been his best coaching job considering the lack of experience on the team.
McKinstry will not leave the cupboard bear. Ten of the Blue Devils’ 12-member squad will be returning. Only losses will be All-Jayhawk selections Aliyah Valentine and Hannah Valentine.
The Blue Devils finished 21-4 in 2021 with two of the losses in the national tournament and two to No. 1 ranked Johnson County, which finished second in the nation.
Calling it a “great opportunity,” McKinstry said several factors went into his decision, not the least of which will be the chance to spend more time with his wife and four daughters.
“That’s a huge part of it,” McKinstry said. “No recruiting, a shorter season, no long trips. The opportunity at Oak Park also gives me something new and a challenge that will be exciting and keep me motivated on the professional. I’ve been real fortunate here (at KCKCC) and accomplished a lot but outside of my own pressure and determination, I had no real incentive to stay here and continue.”
Returning to his former high school was also a factor.
“Oak Park came at me hard and as an alum they made me feel I was the person they wanted to fill the position and get the program going in the right direction,” he said. “Also, they have done a ton of upgrades in the facilities, specifically in athletics which is exciting.”
“We couldn’t be more excited,” said Oak Park Athletic Director Chad Valadez, who remembered McKinstry in his high school playing days while serving as football coach at North Kansas City. “We knew getting Joe was a long shot but I’m not afraid to take a chance at bringing in the best possible coach. What we’ve got going here at Oak Park makes it a very unique and special place.”
KCKCC Athletic Director Tony Tompkins said the college will begin a search for a new coach immediately. “Joe did an amazing job in leading our women’s program,” Tompkins said. “His vision and abilities made our women’s basketball program one of the very best in the nation. His commitment and consistency as to the success of his players both on and off the court made him special. He will be greatly missed.”