Central Hires Fenchel to Coach Boys Basketball

Kurt Fenchel, who has coached three different basketball teams to sectional championships, has been hired as the new boys basketball coach at Central Regional High School.

Fenchel replaces longtime coach Mike Clemente, who was not rehired after more than 30 years as the Golden Eagles’ head coach.

Fenchel, who was the head coach at Irvington, Franklin, Brick Memorial and at Manasquan, has been assisting at Point Boro since 2009. He said he was intrigued by the opportunity.

“I’m good friends with John Truhan (Central’s girls basketball coach),” Fenchel said. “When JT got the job he told me it’s a real nice place to work, and that if anything opened up it would be something to look at.”

“Coach Clemente did a great job when he was there. He is Central basketball,” Fenchel said. “All I’m going to do is tweak a few things.”

Fenchel, who has been coaching for 30 years, going back to when he was a junior high coach, led Irvington to two sectional titles and the Group IV title in 1993. Franklin won a sectional title under his tutelage and Manasquan, where Fenchel coached from 2001-2008, won a sectional title as well as four Shore Conference divisional crowns. The Warriors also reached the Shore Conference Tournament championship game in 2005.

“We are very excited to have Mr. Fenchel as our new basketball coach here at Central Regional and are looking forward to many years of success,” said Central Regional Superintendent Triantifilos Parlapanides, “Mr. Fenchel is a very demanding coach and our students will have to work hard in the classroom and on the court. I am very excited about the new age of basketball here at Central Regional and wish Coach Fenchel and our boys the best!”

According to media reports, Fenchel has accumulated more than 450 victories in his coaching career, but he brushed that off.

“I’m a ‘we’ guy, not an ‘I’ guy,” he said. “People ask you how many wins you have, but I have a lot of losses, too.”

Fenchel, who will remain as a physical education teacher in Manasquan, said he plans to get to work with the team as soon as possible.

“We cannot officially start practice until June 11, but we’ll probably be in full swing as soon as summer starts,” he said, adding that he’s looking into team camps or joining one of the summer leagues to give the players time to get acquainted with him and him with them.

“This year we’re going to be extremely young,” he said. “I want to put everything in during the summer and then tweak it as the season approaches.”

In a Shore Conferece Class B South division that includes Lakewood, Lacey and Toms River South, Fenchel knows the Golden Eagles – and he – will have their hands full.

“I’m excited,” he said. “In life you always need something else to challenge you and this is a big challenge.”