High school boys basketball: Paddock resigns at McHenry after 13 seasons

Tim Paddock will miss the relationships and interaction with his McHenry coaches and players the most.

Paddock, who was the Warriors’ boys basketball coach for the past 13 years, resigned that position this week. Paddock told his players about his plans Friday, a couple of weeks after McHenry had its best season (18-12) during his tenure.

Paddock cited the driving distance from his home in Geneva as the biggest factor in his decision. His wife, Jennifer, works in Downers Grove, so they moved to Geneva four years ago to help split the driving distance.

“The first nine years here we lived about 2 miles from school, and Jennifer drove about an hour to work,” Paddock said. “I don’t mind the drive, it’s 35 miles, it takes an hour, but in basketball season I leave at 5:45 in the morning and get home between 8 and 10 four nights a week. It was starting to wear on me.”

McHenry was 144-222 in his 13 seasons, with Class 4A regional titles in 2009 and 2012. He came to McHenry before the 2004-05 school year after coaching seven years at Peru St. Bede.

“I received his letter on Monday of his intention to step down from the Warrior basketball program,” McHenry athletic director Barry Burmeister said in a news release. “We wanted to wait to announce it until he had the chance to inform his staff and players. Coach Paddock’s teams will always be remembered for their hard work and their signature tough defense.”

Paddock will remain at the school in his driver education teaching position. He is leaving a team that could be one of the best in the Fox Valley Conference next season, led by Gavin Markgraff, Maki Mohr and Gio Calabrese.

“It’s never an easy thing to do,” Paddock said. “The most important thing, over the years, is I think if you asked the coaches we played, we were prepared, we played hard and we played the right way.”

Paddock occasionally grew emotional, to the point of tears, after big victories.

“It was because I knew how hard they had worked to accomplish their goals,” Paddock said. “I’ll miss the relationships. I appreciate the opportunity I was given. I’ll miss the daily interaction with the coaches and players, just watching guys accomplish something they didn’t think they could accomplish.

“There were some good times in there. We played in four regional championships and won two of them. The last two years, I think we were the third-best team in the Fox Valley, behind two pretty good ones, Jacobs and Prairie Ridge.”