An Astoria basketball coach was named Jr. Knicks Coach of the Year was surprised with the award by Knicks forward Mikal Bridges Thursday night.
Jerry Kokkinos, a volunteer athletic director and parish athletic representative at Immaculate Conception Catholic Youth Organization in Astoria, was in the Delta Sky 360 Club at Madison Square Garden ahead of the Knicks’ game against the Detroit Pistons on Feb. 19 when he received the award.
Kokkinos believed that he was attending the event alongside other finalists when Bridges surprised him with the trophy, causing a visibly stunned Kokkinos to almost drop his award.
“I don’t know what’s happening right now,” Kokkinos said. “My wife won’t believe me when I tell her.”
Kokkinos, who also received a check for $20,000 for winning the award, was also surprised by former Knicks player John Starks and Knicks lead team physician Dr. Daphne Scott on Thursday night.
The award, presented by Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), is now in its eighth year and featured 15 coaches from across New York, including five from Queens.
Kokkinos has spent 17 years coaching at the CYO’s basketball program in Astoria, founding the area’s first girls CYO basketball program and ensuring that girls had a league of their own to compete in rather than just a place on boys’ teams. The program is now thriving, featuring 11 teams across all age groups.
“It’s very nice to see what we’ve grown in the community,” Kokkinos told QNS last month, adding that providing girls with a platform to take part in sports offers them a chance to develop off the court as well as on it.
“They go into so many different fields because of the confidence they gain in playing sports,” Kokkinos said.
Kokkinos added that many girls who participate in the program go on to play high school or college basketball, while others return to coach and help out.
The program welcomes children of all backgrounds, Kokkinos said, providing a sporting outlet for kids who may be struggling at school or going through a hard time.
“They come from different homes, they come from different situations,” he said. “They might be struggling in school, they might be having personal stuff, so this is just an outlet we provide for this community, and we will continue to do so as long as the school allows us and the community encourages us to.”
Kokkinos will now go on to represent the Knicks at the Jr. NBA’s National Coach of the Year Program.
