The Cardinals may not stand out in the black-and-white world of wins and losses, and the way the 2017-18 Post-Journal Boys Basketball Coach of the Year sees things, that is just fine.

Hind’s strategy this past season was a simple one — find the best teams for Randolph to play, no matter what size school that may be.

“I made the toughest schedule that I could,” Hind said looking back on his 13-10 overall record. “Pioneer and Iroquois were both (Class) A schools that we played.”

“We played (Section V) Finney and they were tough,” Hind added. “None of those (non-league) games that we lost came down to more than three or four points. We were in every game.”

All told, before even heading into their 8-2 campaign in Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 1 East play, which would include a share of the league title alongside Allegany-Limestone, Hind’s team was already seasoned against some of the better basketball programs in Section VI.

Of course that difficult early stretch of the year was also made possible despite the Cardinals being without the services of junior forward Andrew Bernard, the preseason focal point of Randolph’s front court.

“Andy broke his foot right off the bat and we didn’t get him back until mid-January,” Hind said. “He came back for the Portville game and played a few minutes. He never even really became fully healthy the whole season.”

While the Cardinals developed a reputation for stunning opponents with talented outside shooting, dealing with the loss of Bernard in the paint provided some unseen challenges for Hind and his coaching staff.

While CCAA Division 1 East Player of the Year Tyler Hind would average 23.2 points, 6.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 steals to lead Randolph on the perimeter, filling the offensive and defensive holes left open by Bernard was a challenge.

Luckily for Hind, a motivated and athletically gifted eighth-grader by the name of Gabe McCoy was waiting in the wings for his shot.

While battling against players much older and more seasoned than himself, McCoy would go on to earn league Second-Team honors along with senior Calvin George while anchoring the Cardinals down low.

“Gabe had a lot to learn right off the get-go,” said Hind of his young 6-foot-5 center. “With Andrew being around early in the season, Gabe would have played maybe half the minutes that he did. He was just forced to play through, we had to keep him out there. The sky is the limit for him right now.”

While the high school season may be in the rearview mirror, Kevin Hind is maintaining his focus on the future.

McCoy and Tyler Hind now spend their weekends on the hardwood for the AAU Syracuse Select elite team, a 10th-grade travel squad that is under the tutelage of St. Lawrence University head coach Chris Downs.

With a combined six years of eligibility left between the inside and outside leaders for the Cardinals, it’s hard to see things looking anywhere else but up.

“I jumped on the opportunity to have those guys get coached by (Downs),” Hind said.

While the Cardinals’ season may have come to a close with a tough 63-54 loss to Tapestry Charter in the Section VI Class C title game, the team continues to look toward the future.

“I really wanted that Tapestry for the experience, if the goal is going to be to get to states,” Hind said.