Former Dover girls' basketball coach Kevin Glover hired at York High

One of the first phone calls Kevin Glover received after being approved to become the York High girls' basketball coach Wednesday night, came from former WNBA player and York High grad Chantel Tremitiere. 

Glover felt like he had returned home, and he had an important job.

"I'm excited and ecstatic to get the ball rolling, being home and bringing something positive to the city and community," Glover said Thursday morning.

"I mean, I'm a city guy. It's where I went to school. I ran those halls and that's where I got my education," the 2001 graduate said. "I currently live in the city and my kids attend school in the city. So for me, as a person, that's always been home." 

Glover, 34, works as a behavioral specialist in York City School District and also serves as the girls' basketball director for the basketball academy at Spooky Nook in Lancaster. He also has coaching ties to York High, where he formerly worked as the girls' basketball freshman coach. 

More: Inner-city girls' basketball struggles to reach same success as boys' programs

"I'm familiar with some of the girls," said Glover, who coached upcoming juniors and seniors when they were freshmen. "Even in my time away from the program, when I was able to I'd go support the girls and the team and watch them from a distance."

His interest in applying for the job actually came after talking to former head coach Larry Corbin.  

"He kind of felt it was time to step away from the program," Glover said. 

The Bearcats went 0-21 this season. 

In his five years as head coach, Corbin helped York High return to the District 3 tournament in 2015-16 after not reaching the postseason since 2005 . But the Bearcats continued to struggle with many of the issues other inner-city girls' basketball programs in District 3 have encountered.

Glover said he will bring stability to the program, but he also wants to change the culture around the program. Perhaps tops on his to-do list is figuring out the numbers and finding enough players to fill rosters throughout the program.

"There are a lot of girls that want to play for York High, it's just a matter of getting them out for the team," Glover said. "And I don't mind doing that. ... I've never been one to shy away from development, I'm big on development. 

"For me it's more rewarding, not so much for me, but for the student. In the sense of that kid seeing what they've become because of the work they've put in."

He doesn't expect a sudden turnaround. 

"It's not going to be a miracle success thing, that's one thing I wanted to stress in my interview, it's going to be a process," Glover said.

York High has had future college players, but the winning percentage of the program has varied greatly depending on the supporting cast. After enjoying success in the 1980s in developing talented players and winning teams, the Bearcats have had recent struggles filling its roster.  

Glover appeared to lay the foundation for a winning program with Dover girls' basketball in 2016-17. In his first season with a program that had struggled under almost constant coaching turnover, Glover had the Eagles in the state tournament in 2017. 

By Christmas, all that had changed. 

Glover was placed on leave before the arrest of former Dover girls' basketball junior varsity coach Aigneé Freeland. She was charged with institutional sexual assault of a player. 

Dover parents and players voiced their displeasure with the decision to pull Glover away from the program. Glover was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing by police and York County Office of Children, Youth, and Families after the completion of Dover's 13-11 season.  

"As far as everything that went on with Dover, I put that behind me," Glover said. "I always have good intentions in my heart. So I was never one to harbor any ill will. I just knew that something bigger and  better was waiting in store for me."

York High athletic director Jeff White said he received two "very good candidates" that work in the district.

"If there would have been any questions about what happened at Dover, we wouldn't be having this conversation," White said.

"We needed someone that could come in and look at getting the program back on track, from the junior high to high school level."

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