By Barbara A. Preston for The Montgomery News | September 20, 2026
The fact that Montgomery High School Athletic Director and Boys Head Basketball Coach Kris Grundy built a team that won nine Conference Championships, four Central Jersey Group IV Sectional Championships, and were Group IV State Finalists in 2025 and 2026 — is enough to earn him the spot as the 2026 Montgomery News Coach of the Year.
However, it is the fact that Grundy builds scholar athletes with character, and his commitment to his team, that led The Montgomery News to select him as our first “Coach of the Year.”
Montgomery High School Principal Heather Pino-Beattie, who is a basketball fan, told The Montgomery News that winning a championship always reflects talent, but what makes a team special is the character behind the talent."
“Coach Kris Grundy and his staff have built a program grounded in accountability, work ethic, and an unwavering commitment to one another. That culture was on full display in a hard-fought over-time win against an outstanding Hillsborough team,” in March she said.
MHS Principal Pino-Beattie said, “What our community should be most proud of, though, is the way this team defines family. They compete relentlessly for each other on the court, but they also show up for each other off it."
“During a time when Coach Grundy experienced the profound loss of his father, these young men rallied around their coach the same way he has always rallied around them," Pino-Beattie said. "That speaks volumes about the kind of program he has built and the kind of young people these players are becoming.”
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Coach Grundy's father was Montgomery High School Basketball Team’s No. 1 Fan, and attended most of Grundy’s games, as does Grundy's wife, Megan, and three sons - Matty, Ryan, and Jack Grundy. The three-peat championship with his team was a game for the record books, and an example of how family can extend to include an entire team with players from as far away as Ukraine.
A close-knit family based on trust, sacrifice, and unconditional support, builds a culture of loyalty, and creates lasting bonds beyond winning games.
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After teaching math in the Montgomery School District district for almost 20 years, Grundy replaced Chris Pena as Athletic Director (AD) in 2022. overseeing all 33 sports teams at MHS, while being the best basketball coach he can be is challenging. As AD, he oversees all 33 sports teams in the district, while being the best basketball coach he can be.
