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Kevin Funston named Bonner-Prendergast boys' basketball coach

Funston was an assistant under former B-P coach Jack Concannon, who stepped down after last season.

Kevin Funston, named boys’  basketball coach at Bonner-Prendergast.
Kevin Funston, named boys’ basketball coach at Bonner-Prendergast.Read moreCourtesy of Bonner-Prendergast

Kevin Funston called Bonner-Prendergast athletic director Joe Lake on Monday morning on an unrelated matter and got some unexpected but welcome news about the school's search for a boys' basketball coach.

"He said, 'I'm happy you called. You beat me to the punch. I was going to call to tell you that you're the next Bonner-Prendie coach,'" Funston recalled. "I said, 'Oh, wow, that's a good way to start the week!'"

For the last four years, Funston was an assistant coach under former B-P coach Jack Concannon, who stepped down after last season.

Funston, who graduated from St. Joseph's Prep in 2006 and went to the University of Pittsburgh, where he served as team manager under Jamie Dixon, has nearly a decade of coaching experience. He also had stops as an assistant at Lycoming College and Indiana (Pa.) and eventually returned to the Catholic League as the junior varsity coach at Archbishop Carroll under Paul Romanczuk, who also stepped down after last season.

His time playing for Speedy Morris, Funston said, is what solidified his desire to coach basketball.

But Funston, 30, grew up in Lansdowne and as a kid watched Bonner teams led by players such as Ashley Howard, now the head coach at La Salle University.

"I'm really excited," Funston said. "It's a huge honor, one that I've been looking forward to doing for a long time. Learning from Jack, and we've gotten so close, all I want to do is finish what he started."

The Friars finished as runners-up to Roman Catholic in the PCL final last season and made it to the semifinals of the PIAA Class 5A playoffs.

Next season, B-P figures to return ultra-talented junior point guard Isaiah Wong, who finished second in the PCL in scoring and was named league MVP by league coaches. Junior forward Tariq Ingraham should also return for the Friars.