Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now Mater Dei athletic director Kevin Kiernan will retire at the end of the school year and return as the girls basketball coach at Troy, the Trinity League school announced Thursday. Kiernan, 65, resigned after 17 seasons as Mater Dei’s girls basketball coach following the 2023-24 season citing health reasons. He underwent successful surgery to remove a cyst on his vocal cord after the season and expressed a desire to return to coaching during this past season. Kiernan, the state’s all-time leader in girls basketball coaching victories with 900, built Troy into a powerhouse before turning Mater Dei into a national contender. “I want to coach again,” Kiernan said. “When I left (coaching) last year, one, I thought I’m done. I can’t talk. The physical toll I had the last year and half with this cyst on my vocal, it was taxing.” “And to be honest, I looked at it as a great opportunity to hire a great coach (in Jody Wynn),” he added of the former Long Beach State and University of Washington coach who replaced him at Mater Dei. “I like working as the Mater Dei athletic director but I do want to coach again. I think it’s something I’m good at. I’m 65. My window is shrinking if I want to do this again.” At Troy, Kiernan will return to a school that he holds in high regard. A former special education instructional aide at Troy, Kiernan replaces the retiring coach Roger Anderson, who led the Warriors (12-17) to a runner-up finish in the North Hills League this winter and the first round of the CIF-SS Division 3AA playoffs. Troy is set to graduate nine seniors and return no all-league players. “I’ve always had a great fondest for Troy, a great experience at Troy,” Kiernan said. “It just seemed like a natural opportunity for me.” “Roger has done a great job,” the coach added. “It’s going to be a challenge but it will be fun for me.” This is a breaking news story. More details to come.