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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

It's hard to think of much that Ken Darting hasn't accomplished in his Hall of Fame basketball coaching career.

He's led three different schools to state tournament appearances, won five state championships at two schools, including three straight titles at Highland Park, posted a perfect 25-0 campaign and registered 603 coaching victories.

Ken Darting, a member of multiple Halls of Fame, will close out his legendary coaching career alongside his son, Kerry, this season at Shawnee Heights. [File photo/TSN]

Now, when high school practice for the 2025-2026 season starts on Monday, Darting will add what he feels is the only missing piece when his son, Kerry, joins him on the T-Bird bench in his final season at Shawnee Heights.

The 75-year-old Darting had thought about retirement the last couple of years, but wanted to finish out with this year's senior class, which has been a part of back-to-back Class 5A state tournament appearances.

"I'm looking forward to this year as much as I have any year ever and that's pretty good when you say you lost your three leading scorers, three leading rebounders, three leading percentage shooters, leading free throw shooters, leading assist guy, and I'm looking forward to it? I've got to be drunk, dumb or something,'' Darting said. "But these senior kids do everything you ask and they want to be good, they want to have a good team. Those kids have done everything that I told them is important to get good, so we're looking forward to it.

"That's why it should be nothing but fun. When I'm saying I'm looking forward to this year and I said what I lost, I ain't stupid. I'm not looking forward to it because we're going to have five All-Americans and we're going to beat everybody 60 points. I'm looking forward to it because the kind of people that I like to work with are there.''

Kerry Darting, who operates Darting Basketball Academy, will serve as an assistant coach for his father, Ken, this season at Shawnee Heights. [File photo/TSN]

And when Kerry, a former Division I assistant and the co-founder with his dad in the highly-successful Darting Basketball Academy, committed to joining his dad on the Heights bench, one more season was a done deal for Ken.

"A biggie is Kerry coming on board,'' Ken said. "That made it a no decision.''

Coaching with his son is something that Ken has thought about for a long time, but the stars just never aligned to make that possible until now.

"It's funny because I talked about it from the time he graduated,'' Ken Darting said. "But he went off and coached Division I and like me, I did the same, and didn't like it at all. I mean, you like the on the floor stuff, but after that you've got to go to dinners with people you don't like to be with, you have to recruit, and everything like that.

"Really from then on I started on Kerry, 'Oh good, you can come home and coach with me,' and he said, 'I ain't coaching.' ''

But with his dad entering his final season, Kerry was quick to jump on board, much to Ken's delight.

"This is really special to me and this is great because I would had him with me forever,'' Ken said. "I'll turn the offense straight over to him and I'll take care of the defense and make the decisions and whatever and he doesn't have to do any of the stuff he would hate.'' 

"I definitely never felt like I had to do it for him, I really want to do it,'' said Kerry, who starred at Silver Lake and played at Kansas State and then-Missouri-Rolla before starting his coaching career. "Since the time I could walk I've been watching him coach and he's been coaching me, but it just gets so busy. I went and played in college and coached and then came back and started the academy, so the timing of it never worked out.

"But with it being his last year and with the seniors that are there now I've worked with them since they've been in third grade, so it all worked. The timing of it just worked. I'm looking more forward to coaching with him and coaching these seniors than anything.''

A plus for Kerry is that his schedule with the Darting Basketball Academy doesn't really crank up until after the high school season ends in March.

"I'm always at the games anyway, sitting behind the bench, and I've got to bite my shirt and can't say much sitting in the crowd, so now I get to be on the bench and I can be there yelling with him,'' Kerry said. "I'm not a yeller, but I can be there giving him influence.''

Ken Darting said he has no doubt this winter is going to be one of the most enjoyable times of his life.

"It's going to be fun, I guarantee you,'' Ken said. "I can't wait. If I had to win 20 games for it to be fun I wouldn't say its going to be fun, but that will take care of itself and I truly believe we're going to win a lot more than people think we are.

"That I know. What that number is I don't know, but we're going to be good, it's going to be fun to watch us and we're going to do things to make it a good experience for the kids that are playing. And in coaching I've never worked a day in my life. That's the way I look at it. I've just played all my life.

"I've got a wife (Karen) that does everything and raises kids and we go here and there and it was always around basketball. And now I get the final piece, Kerry coaching with me.''