Former UNC guard Jeff McInnis won’t return as coach at Combine Academy. Here’s why
In the past three years, former UNC point guard Jeff McInnis built a national power at Combine Academy in Lincolnton, N.C.
But after leading his team to back-to-back state championships, McInnis won’t return for a fourth season. Combine, which has been nationally ranked in each of the past three seasons, is expected to name a new coach later this week.
“I wanted to do something different,” McInnis said. “I’ve been here three years and what else can I do? I won (state) two years in a row and it was time for me and my staff to do something different. That’s basically it.”
Combine Academy president Jonah Baize, a former player at Clemson, said it was mutual decision for the school and McInnis to part ways, calling the three years that McInnis led the team as “tremendous.”
“Jeff is obviously a staple in North Carolina basketball and he took our organization to a super-high level and we’re forever grateful for that,” Baize said.
Baize said he wanted the school’s next coach to continue building what McInnis started, with the ultimate goal of getting Combine into the GEICO high school national championship in New York.
“That’s always been the goal,” Baize said, “and the No. 1 goal is college placement of all our guys, making sure all of our young men have a great home and multiple opportunities to choose from at the next level.”
McInnis, now coaching his Under Armour-sponsored Team Charlotte travel team, said he plans to remain in high school basketball.
“I’ll be having some news soon,” he said. “(Combine) gave me a platform for three years to show what I can do and I think I did. We played in the (state) championship three years in a row and won it twice. I showed what I can do, and I wanted to move more on my vision, as opposed to someone else’s vision. It was a good time over there. And I’ll definitely continue coaching.”
This story was originally published March 28, 2022 at 6:36 PM.
