Weston -

It all came down to family. For seven years, Sean McInnis worked at building a program and a family as girls' head basketball coach at Weston High School. When he resigned that position last week to become the boys' head basketball coach at King Philip Regional High School, it was because of another family. His own. "My own girls are getting older and they are becoming active in sports,'' McInnis said. "My oldest daughter is beginning to play basketball and I wanted the opportunity to be around and watch her.'' McInnis has two daughters, Madeline, 7, and Katie, 4. "They (King Philip) decided I would be a good fit for the direction they were going,'' McInnis said. "I felt, more importantly, that they were a good fit for me as that would allow me more time with my family.'' During the basketball season, McInnis, who lives in Norfolk, spent at least 3-4 hours a day at Weston High and then faced a 45-60 minute ride home each night. "I put my family first because it's the right thing to do,'' McInnis said. ``My daughter, Maddie, was deeply involved in my decision making. The opportunity for me to be home to read stories to her before she goes to bed was important to her.''

But before he looks forward to the work he has ahead of him at King Philip, McInnis looked back on his time at Weston. "I would never change anything I have done because those girls were worth it,'' McInnis said. "They changed my life and my family's life more than I changed them and the game of basketball at Weston. "They taught me the right way about life and raising student-athletes and they taught me more about life and basketball than I could have learned from any book or clinic.'' McInnis credited former Weston athletic director Pete Foley for teaching him how to respect and love the game from a coach's perspective and Mitch Finnegan and Jon Beverly helped bring him along in Xs and Os. "I promised when I came into Weston that I would leave it in better shape than when I came in and I think we have,'' McInnis said. "I promised that we would build a very strong student-athlete, and build a respect factor, and build a family. I am hoping I did that. I am hoping that I was able to effect some student-athlete's lives and teach them the enjoyment of basketball and a successful team. "If I have touched one athlete than I think I have done my job there.''

In King Philip, a large Division 2 school, McInnis takes over a boys program that was looking for its third coach in four years after recording two consecutive no-win seasons (0-20) the past two years and a third season in which the team went 8-12. McInnis believes that his seven years at Weston will prove invaluable at King Philip. "From a program perspective, it's not going to be different,'' McInnis said. "Because the girls at Weston have taught me how to build a program, they've taught me the working parts of a successful program, I can now teach King Philip.'' In his first week on the job at King Philip, McInnis said that his new employer and future players are excited that he is coming on board. McInnis has already begun outreach to the recreation directors, CYO directors, and youth basketball directors in Norfolk, Plainville, and Wrentham, the three towns that make up the King Philip Regional School District. McInnis is helping set up a youth summer league for kids as well as some free clinics. ``We've got a lot of work to do, but it can be done and it's because of Weston that I know that it could be done,'' McInnis said. "It's time to get to work and make the girls at Weston proud of me. It would be tough for me to go here and not do what they taught me to do.

"I am very excited. The student-athletes are great. They deserve more than what their record has shown. They have an identifiable work ethic and if you have a work ethic and heart, the rest will come.''