Repetition, curiosity, and avoiding complacency were among the words of advice presented to the students in the Journalism and Sports Journalism classes when one of the finest scholastic sportswriters in New Jersey history visited Bridgewater-Raritan High School on Tuesday, October 22.
Mike Kinney, a veteran and award-winning sportswriter for The Star-Ledger/NJ.com., delivered a presentation on the world of journalism to the students in Phil D’Apolito’s Journalism and Sports Journalism classes.
Mr. Kinney, who began his newspaper career in 1982, shared various stories of his coverage of some of the finest names in New Jersey scholastic sports history while also fielding questions from the students in both classes.
However, he focused on supplying his best recommendations to the students on developing into passionate and successful writers.
“To become a good writer, keep on writing. Repetition is so valuable,” Mr. Kinney stated. “Keep asking for advice from your teachers. And keep reading so you can keep getting better as a writer.”
He also emphasized that “curiosity is key and to trust yourself.”
“Don't ever be complacent. Look to be better tomorrow,” he said.
When asked about the most memorable game he reported on, Mr. Kinney responded, “That the best game I covered is the game I cover tomorrow.”
But he did select one event that he will forever cherish.
“The 1989 Tournament of Champions boys’ basketball title game between St. Anthony High School and Elizabeth High School. It was the first Tournament of Champions ever in New Jersey,” he said.
“The game was at the Meadowlands (Byrne Arena), and you had St. Anthony, the greatest boys’ basketball program in New Jersey history, with Hall of Fame Coach Bob Hurley and his sons Bob Hurley (Duke All-American) and Danny Hurley (two-time NCAA championship coach at Connecticut) and Elizabeth with their famous coach Ben Candelino,” Mr. Kinney said.
St. Anthony won that game en route to being ranked No. 1 in the country.
Mr. Kinney also spoke about his coverage of such fabled New Jersey basketball players as Dejuan Wagner of Camden High School, Tim Thomas of Paterson Catholic High School, Shaheen Holloway of St. Patrick High School, Kyrie Irving of St. Patrick High School and Karl Anthony Towns of St. Joseph Regional High School in Metuchen. Irving and Towns are NBA all-stars with the Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks, respectively. Holloway is presently the head coach at Seton Hall University.
Besides basketball, Mr. Kinney, who grew up in East Orange and currently resides in Piscataway, gained fame for his coverage of New Jersey scholastic football and, most notably, boys’ lacrosse.
He reported that the first boys’ lacrosse game that he staffed was the 1984 state championship game, which included Bridgewater-Raritan East High School (before Bridgewater-Raritan East merged with Bridgewater-Raritan West to form one high school in 1992).
“My editor asked for someone to cover the game because our main writer had been in a car accident and had to spend a few days in the hospital. I volunteered. It was Bridgewater-Raritan East against Montclair High School. I will never forget it.”
While Montclair won the championship, that game was also the beginning of his fond experiences and relationship between Mr. Kinney and Bridgewater-Raritan boys’ lacrosse and veteran Hall of Fame coach Chuck Apel, who is still in command of the program with his son, Matt, who is a Social Studies Teacher at Bridgewater-Raritan High School.
"I had some wonderful times covering Bridgewater-Raritan boys' lacrosse with Coach Apel and his son, Matt, who I also wrote about when he played," Mr. Kinney said. "I will be back again at their games and I look forward to coming."
The attentive audience during Mr. Kinney’s presentation included Mr. D’Apolito.
“It was great for the students to hear from someone with so much professional experience in the field. Mike's emphasis on the importance of curiosity was a valuable message that I think really resonated with the students. It will benefit them no matter what path they choose to pursue,” Mr. D’Apolito said.
Mr. Kinney added:
“I encourage you to explore every option and opportunity you can.”