Why Millbrook’s longtime athletic director is leaving for a job in South Carolina
Scott McInnes is a Millbrook Wildcat through and through.
McInnes graduated from Millbrook in 1987 and eventually was lured back to his alma mater by then-athletic director Earl Smith.
McInnes coached basketball, tennis and golf and also served as the athletic director. He led the Wildcats’ basketball team to new heights, making the Wildcats the premier high school basketball team in the Triangle under his guidance.
That’s what makes leaving so difficult. On Tuesday, McInnes announced he was leaving Millbrook at the end of the month to take a job as new athletic director at Lucy Beckham High School in Mount Pleasant, S.C. The new school will open this fall with freshmen and sophomores.
McInnes spent the last 17 years at Millbrook High and even though it was hard to leave, he and his family knew it was time.
“It’s one of those things where we both love the beach, love the water,” McInnes said. “We love Raleigh, it’s a great place. We met a lot of great people, that’s definitely the part I’m going to miss the most.”
Scott McInnes prides himself on ‘being unified’
But McInnes and his family couldn’t pass up the chance to live in the Lowcountry, an area in South Carolina near Charleston where he has vacationed for years. McInnes leaves Millbrook as the winningest basketball coach in school history, with 357 wins. He also led the Wildcats to the state playoffs each of his 17 seasons as a head coach. Millbrook won 10 conference championships under McInnes.
As athletic director, he could always found around Millbrook athletic events the last few seasons. Asked what he’s the most proud of during his tenure, McInnes took a while to process the question. His answer had nothing to do with the championship basketball teams he coached, but with the smaller programs — tennis, golf, cheerleading — that he saw develop. He was also proud that the teams he coached were quick to support non-athletic organizations, such as the band and chorus..
“I tried to pride myself on just being unified,” McInnes told the N&O on Wednesday.
He is also proud of starting a cheerleading program for students with special needs.
“It’s hard to watch those kids compete at a cheering event and not bring you to tears,” McInnes said. “I know it sounds weird, you think of the high-revenue sports, and those have been awesome, I’m not saying that. But sometimes it’s taking care of the little guys, in the sense of just making sure those kids from special needs have a special senior night and a special time at our pep rally. When I see them in the hallway it brings a lot of joy, a lot of life.”
Starting a program from scratch
After coaching at Bunn High School, McInnes returned to Millbrook in 2000. He coached other sports at the school, but he led the boys basketball program to new heights during his time, including a state championship game appearance in 2011.
“We’ve had a lot of great players that really wanted to go the extra mile,” McInnes said. “Once we started winning, the younger kids coming through started getting excited about the program. A lot of good times, a lot of great memories.”
When McInnes arrived at Millbrook he took over for Earl Smith, so the chance to start his own program at Lucy Beckham was a huge draw.
“For me it’ll be a fun opportunity,” McInnes said. “It’ll be an adventure to start a program from scratch. I’m excited about the people there for sure.”
This story was originally published March 4, 2020 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Why Millbrook’s longtime athletic director is leaving for a job in South Carolina."
