Assistant basketball coach Kenny Boren sat at his desk during 5th period smiling while reminiscing about his former student, Marcus Smart, the starting point guard for the Boston Celtics. “He’s one of my very best friends, I consider him family,” Boren said.

Boren had a relatively normal childhood with his family, school, and sports. His dad specifically was a role model for him.

“My dad was a coach,” Boren said. “I’ve always wanted to be a coach following my dad’s footsteps. He was someone I admired a lot. Seeing him enjoy coaching and teaching made me want to get into coaching and teaching.” During high school he played basketball and track, and continued basketball in college. “I got out and just got focused on getting my degree and getting into teaching and coaching,” Boren said.

Later, when he finished college and got into teaching and coaching, Boren coached Marcus Smart when he moved to North Dallas the summer before his freshman year in 2007.

“I’d already known him because my best friend’s son played with him in basketball, so we already had that introduction,” Boren said. “We started developing a really close coach to player relationship.”

Boren and Smart went on to win multiple state championships before Smart went to play basketball at Oklahoma State. Boren said they became very close, like family.

“We talk every day,” Boren said. “I hired his NBA agent, so we have been able to deal with a lot of his personal decisions regarding the NBA, from his agent to marketing deals that he signs, and he realized that he trusts me a lot with those decisions.”

Boren even runs his brand Young Game Changer (YGC), which has four prongs to it. The charity, summer camp, fashion line, and community prongs.

“All of that keeps me busy when I’m not at Boswell,” Boren said.

Now in his 28th year of teaching, Boren said he’s thinking about retiring, although nothing is set in stone.

“If I did retire, it would allow me to fish and spend a whole lot of time helping Marcus and going up to Boston more,” he said.

Some students and teachers are also very fond of Kenny Boren and love the happiness he brings to everyone.

“Coach Boren is an eclectic, energetic, and enigmatic man who brings joy to the world and leaves a little sparkle wherever he goes,” World History teacher Pamela Wise said.

“I don’t know if I inspire kids, but I definitely hope that I let them know that there’s many different ways that they can go [after high school]. They don’t have to fit a mold because someone said you have to go that way,” Boren said. “If they want to go open up a fashion studio, freaking go open a fashion studio.

“Do what you enjoy and you’ll be successful,” he said.