It's postseason awards time here at NewsChannel 7, and I had the privilege of presenting the first one today.

Coaches from across Northcentral Wisconsin voted Amherst's Gregg Jensen the NewsChannel 7 Boys Basketball Coach of the Year. I presented coach Jensen the award at a pep rally today in Amherst, and he was admittedly caught off guard.

"I was speechless," Jensen said.

Jensen is Coach of the Year thanks to his team's 18-3 season, and the Falcons are 18-3 because of Jensen's coaching.

"I can tell you one thing, you get a coach of the year award because of the kids you have. You have to have players. I've got some kids that are good athletes, they're not great players. We don't have college scouts here looking at these kids. But these kids have taken what they have and played to the best of their ability and they really play hard."

Members of the Falcons were suprised to see Jensen speechless. They take as much pride in him winning the award as anyone.

"I think it's great," said senior Nate Martin. "He works so hard at it. He puts in more hours than any of us know by watching film and doing all that. Then taking it to the floor and teaching us the things he notices."

"Just being a good all-around coach," senior Jeremy Maves said, when asked what makes coach Jensen the Coach of the Year. "He comes out and he takes pride in his job and he enjoys it."

"I work at making my players better by looking at film and trying to give them little secrets," Jensen said. "Then they have to go out and execute it, because it's all about them executing on the court. If they win it's because of their execution."

And if they don't win? "I didn't give them the right things to do," Jensen said smiling.

Jensen also won the award back in 1987 and said he still has that one hanging on his wall. Now he'll have to dust it off because it has company with the latest trophy.

Tune in next Monday, March 9, for this years edition of the NewsChannel 7 Girls All-Stars. And then the Boys All-Stars will be on Tuesday, March 10. We also exopect to reveal the NewsChannel 7 Girls Basketball Coach of the Year next week as well.