Larry McKenzie initially dismissed the idea of taking over the boys' basketball program at Minneapolis North High School. It wasn’t because the Polars had fallen on hard times, finishing last in the Minneapolis City Conference the two previous seasons and winning just eight combined games.

It was that the Polars were a rival of Patrick Henry High School, a Minneapolis public school McKenzie had coached to four state titles over nine years.

As he reflected, McKenzie realized he could make an impact at North High School that would extend beyond the court.

And by the end of his first season, the Polars had gone from last to first, winning 10 of 12 conference games. And entering his fifth season, the Polars are now two-time defending state champions.

Here are three of his keys:

Athletic development: “We’re going to work hard: Good, better, best. Get each player to the next level. There are times the boys are at school from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., with workouts, study hall and practices.”

Academic development: “I always want my young men to understand that they’re student-athletes. That is the major separator. Know the odds. I don’t want to destroy anyone’s dreams. But it’s easier to be a teacher and doctor than a professional athlete. I want my kids to understand that academics are the key to opportunity. I check grades every week. You can’t have below a C. If you have a D, you can practice but can’t play. F, you can’t play until F becomes a C. I require my kids to sit in front three rows. There are mandatory study halls, three days a week.”

Moral growth: “You need to believe in a higher spirit and realize that every day is special. It’s a gift. Everyone doesn’t get it. You have to take ownership of your own life. Coaches don’t determine playing time. Teachers don’t determine grades. If you learn anything from coach McKenzie it’s The Creed. I got that from my younger brother, when he was the head coach at Delaware State University, 20 years ago. I lost one of my best friends to breast cancer. It was a rough time. But that creed helped me realize that every day is a gift. When you get in a jam, go back to that creed. You have to take ownership of your own life. I tell my kids all the time, ‘You’re not the first kid not to know your dad. You’re not the first kid on welfare.’ Feel sorry for yourself, go in the corner and cry, but come back and let’s go to work. We’re going to change your life.”

The words McKenzie has his players vocalize before practices and games:

This is beginning of a new day, God has given me this day to use as I will, I waste it or use it for good, for what I do today is important, I am exchanging a day of my life for it, I want it to be good not bad, gain not loss, success not failure in order that I will never regret the price that I paid for it.