From playing to teaching

Former N.C. State power forward coaches Cary Academy's boys

Having undergone six knee surgeries since 2001, Kenny Inge isn't as nimble as he was during his basketball playing days at N.C. State.

But the former power forward can still show youngsters how to play, which he's doing in his first season as the boys basketball coach at Cary Academy.

Drawing on much he learned under his Wolfpack coach, Herb Sendek, Inge has guided Cary Academy to an 11-3 start.

Asked what he has enjoyed the most about coaching, Inge said: "Watching how the team's progressing, but it's not all about the game. It's about academics, trying to run a quality program, see them grow as people, as citizens.

"I took a lot from Coach Sendek. He wanted you to play hard on the court and would say be a perfect gentleman off the court. That carried a lot of weight."

Inge also tells his players to be prepared for life after basketball, saying the game won't always be there.

He knows. Inge wanted "the big life" in the NBA, but it didn't pan out.

The 6-foot-8 athlete played overseas briefly and in the Continental Basketball Association, and he was set to try out with the then-Charlotte Hornets. But he injured a knee and underwent the first surgery. Two surgeries later, he knew his playing days were over.

After that, he did volunteer coaching at The Citadel and at several high schools. Then Inge, wife Christine and daughter Kendall, 5, were drawn back to the Triangle largely because of the school system.

One day, Inge got a call from former Wolfpack player Will Roach telling him about the opening at Cary Academy. Inge applied, and the rest is history.

As for his State days, Inge led the Pack in field-goal percentage (51.6), rebounds (7.4 per game) and blocked shots (31) in 1997-98. He also tied for the team lead in rebounds (7.2) in 2000-01, and he got his degree in 2001.

His biggest basketball thrills?

That, Inge said, was beating North Carolina in Chapel Hill 86-72 in 1997-98 and scoring 29 points, including seven dunks, against Georgia Tech in '98-99.

Disappointments?

"I wanted to play in the NCAA Tournament. That never happened,'' he said. "But maybe we were building blocks. The next five teams went to the tournament.

"You have to move on. It's all about lessons. I'm learning [while coaching]."

Apparently, he's doing a pretty good job of teaching, too.