The Benet girls basketball team won a lot of games during Joe Kilbride’s coaching tenure, which ended earlier this week when he announced his retirement.
Yet Kilbride will be remembered most for the growth he helped foster in his players, both on and off the court, in his 12 years.
“I’m really happy for him,” Benet athletic director Scott Lawler said. “He was a culture builder and just a great role model for everybody in our school, especially the girls.
“He did a great job mentoring his assistants. He did a great job mentoring the girls. He was always there for them.”
One of those assistants will succeed Kilbride. Kelsey Coulter, who was hired as Benet’s coach on Wednesday, her 34th birthday, has been on Kilbride’s staff for his entire tenure, including six seasons as a varsity assistant and six as the sophomore coach.
“She’s a great human being,” Lawler said. “I think the kids are excited. Kelsey talked to everybody last night, and I think when you have a great program, I think the continuity makes everybody feel comfortable.”
Coulter, who played at Batavia and North Central College, was the first assistant Kilbride hired upon becoming Benet’s coach.
“I’m very excited for her,” Kilbride said. “She’s been like a younger mini-me for years.
“The girls love her. She’s a great coach, great leader. So I feel very good for the potential in the program continuing to take care of the kids and pursue excellence at the same time.”
That excellence includes a 325-55 record, two Class 4A state titles and five state trophies overall under Kilbride, who led the Redwings at least as far as the sectional final in each of 11 full seasons.
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“There’s not a good time to leave,” he said. “There’s always kids that I love coming up, and that’s the case this year. I feel horrible leaving some of those kids, but I’m getting older.”
Kilbride, 68, had been an assistant for 10 seasons under Illinois High School Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Peter Paul, who retired in 2014 after posting a 617-261 record in 28 years.
Lawler was part of the committee that hired Kilbride to replace Paul, who died Oct. 15 at age 79.
Kilbride, who began his coaching career in 1980 on the sophomore team in the Benet boys basketball program, saw 37 former student-athletes play in college, 17 of them at the Division I level. They include Illinois Ms. Basketball winners Kathleen Doyle (2016) and Lenee Beaumont (2023).
Doyle, who led the Redwings to the 2015 and 2016 state titles and later played in the WNBA, is an assistant at DePaul.
“I grew up in Benet’s gym, and for me, Joe Kilbride and Benet girls basketball are synonymous,” Doyle said. “He has always been so dedicated to the growth and success of the program, and Benet was lucky to have him.
“He is a great coach and an even better person. He played a huge role in my own basketball career, and I’ll forever be grateful for all he has done for me and the Benet girls basketball program.”
Beaumont led the Redwings to two state trophies — fourth place in 2022 and second place in 2023 — and is a starting guard at Indiana. She was stunned by Kilbride’s decision.
“I can’t believe he actually retired,” she said. “I didn’t think the day would ever come, to be honest.
“I almost got emotional when I saw it. He is just the most amazing coach I could have ever asked for in my high school career.”
Kilbride continues to influence Beaumont, who missed the 2024-25 season after knee surgery.
“I know for a fact if my path never crossed with him, I’m not where I am today,” Beaumont said. “He’s always been my biggest believer ever since I was in eighth grade. His impact on me from that standpoint is still to this day affecting me in the most beneficial way.”
Beaumont is one of many former players who stay in contact with Kilbride.
“I went home last week, and I got to hang out with him and just talk ball,” Beaumont said. “I was teasing him, ‘Hey, if you ever think about retirement, you can come help me out at Indiana. We’d love to have you at Indiana.’
“Coach Kilbride is a great basketball mind, but he’s a fatherly figure, too, in the sense of he cares about me and how I’m doing. He’s really helped me in some of my lowest moments of my basketball career and helped bring me back to a healthy state of mind.”
Kilbride has been on the minds of many former Redwings in the wake of his announcement.
“He really knew how to connect with his players, even if you didn’t necessarily have the biggest role,” Beaumont said. “I’m texting in all these group chats with my old teammates, and everyone is like, ‘There’s no Benet basketball without Joe. We love Joe.’
“That’s everyone’s favorite person, and I think they all agree that’s probably their favorite coach they’ve ever had.”
Kilbride, who will be inducted into the East Suburban Catholic Conference Hall of Fame on April 16, said he’s most proud of the players that he’s coached and their families.
“I’m incredibly grateful for having had the opportunity to coach not just outstanding players but great people, the young women who have gone through our program,” he said. “These kids have busy lives now. They’re all successful adults.
“We had a number of them come back this year for Peter’s (Benet Hall of Fame induction) ceremony, so it was great connecting with some of them and seeing how they’re doing.”
Kilbride won 85.6 of his games, but few came against easy opponents. Benet’s schedule has consistently ranked among the top three toughest in the state.
“One of the things I feel good about is every year I feel like our kids got better,” Kilbride said. “That’s kind of the point of it.”
Coulter remembers playing against Benet, which beat Batavia in the regional final during her junior year. But she had never met Kilbride until spring 2014.
“I was coaching travel basketball at the time and had (Benet’s) Kendal Schramek on my team,” Coulter said. “I remember seeing him at our game and thinking, ‘Wow, that’s really special that their high school coach is here supporting them in their AAU game on a Friday night in April.’
“A day later, I had an email from them reaching out to see if I would be interested in joining the program. He was looking for a strong female assistant coach. What an absolute joy and pleasure to accept that role.”
By all accounts, Coulter has excelled at Benet, helping Kilbride in a number of positions.
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“I was fortunate enough to play for her my whole freshman year on the sophomore team,” Beaumont said. “She’s an example of a great coach who has really been mentored by coach Kilbride for some time now.
“She’s very similar in the sense that she knows how to build relationships with her players, and we still talk to this day and make jokes. I’m so happy she got the opportunity to be the head coach. She definitely deserves it, and I can’t wait to follow her and go back to Benet and watch her do her thing.”
Coulter is ready to do just that.
“It’s been a whirlwind of 48 hours, but I couldn’t ask for a better opportunity,” she said. “Coach Kilbride is a legend. I’m super excited to carry on his traditions and the standards and the culture that he’s built. Outside of the wins, the culture and tradition of our program mean the most at the end of the day.”
So much so that Coulter won’t consider coaching anywhere else.
“In the back of mind, I thought that I would coach with Kilbride forever,” she said. “I always told him and our athletic director that if I left Benet Academy, it would mean that I would be done coaching because there is no program and community that means more to me.
“It’s certainly something I’ve been preparing for and, when the time came, am definitely ready to take on the challenge.”
Coulter said Kilbride is the reason she’s ready.
“I didn’t know exactly when it would be, but he’s definitely prepared me for the journey ahead,” she said.
“Getting an opportunity to make an impact on young women and their lives to set them up for success in their future endeavors really means a lot to me because I believe in the impact you can have on another person’s life in the role of head coach. It is something I totally enjoy.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.