MERIDEN — Cory McClure is off to a good start at Kimball Union Academy.

The new boys basketball coach has the Wildcats sitting at 15-3 with 10 games left in the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Class AA regular season. KUA extended its win streak to four games with Saturday’s home victory over The Master’s School, 78-59.

McClure, who also works in KUA’s admissions office, came to Meriden this year to take over a team that was 9-10 last season in a campaign that was abbreviated by a disciplinary issue affecting multiple players.

McClure’s previous coaching job was at ski-intensive Gould Academy, where he started the boys basketball team.

“I think we had some success there they didn’t even anticipate,” McClure said of his four-year tenure. “(Last year) we got to the semifinals in double-A, lost to Cushing in a close game, late.”

Gould’s fledgling program under McClure sent players to Northwestern, South Carolina, Cincinnati and several NCAA Division III schools.

The Maine native made other NEPSAC coaching stops at Bridgton Academy and New Hampton. He was a one-year head coach at New England College and also worked as an assistant at UNH and St. Bonaventure. He played for Westbrook College, now known as the University of New England.

McClure was hired last winter following the retirement of Mike Olson, who held the KUA job for 10 years, amassing a record of 156-106. McClure now lives on campus with his wife, Destiny, and their three children, who are 14, 12 and 10 years old.

The Wildcats seem to have benefited from McClure’s move, bouncing back from a lackluster 2018-19 season.

“For me, there was going to be a clean slate,” said McClure, who is joined on the staff by Murray Dewdney, the Wildcats’ longtime assistant coach. “That’s what I knew when I accepted the job late last winter. Task No. 1 was to recruit basically a brand new team.”

McClure’s recruiting brought in “basically 10 new guys,” including two who followed him over from Gould, “which was super-exciting because not only did I inherit a clean slate, but I was able to bring a couple of guys that know me well and how I operate,” he said.

Most on KUA’s squad are seeking college playing opportunities, but Wildcat postgraduate Robert McRae III has already found one in Dartmouth.

McRae, of Los Angeles, was originally committed to play at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo until its head coach, Joe Callero, was fired after last season.

“We talked to the new head coach, and he said he wanted to go in a different direction,” McRae said. “So we made the decision to go PG.”

McRae, who averages 15 points per game for the Wildcats, described his current postgraduate experience as “extremely valuable.”

“Coming out of high school, I felt like I was ready for college,” he said. “And now that I’m playing here, it’s allowed me to develop my game more. It’s allowed me to develop in the classroom more, and I recognize that I was nowhere near ready.”

The 6-foot-4 combination guard saw the Big Green play live against Florida Gulf Coast and Harvard and watches them regularly online.

Another prominent PG for the Wildcats is Andrew Hartel, of Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The 6-9 post player is starting to see more recruitment as the season progresses, according to his coach. He’s averaging nine points and a team-leading seven rebounds per game. His backup is 6-10 sophomore Emile Rioux, of Montreal.

Robert Brown III is the team’s leading scorer at 23 points per game, Quinn Guth averages 12 ppg and point guard Matt Price is averaging 11.5 points and four assists per contest — and all three are juniors.

The Wildcats’ Jarron Flynn has received significant collegiate interest, but he is missing his senior season due to injury.

Saturday’s game came six days after KUA defeated Master’s, 81-78, in overtime. The rematch was less compelling, with the hosts taking an 18-point lead into halftime. McRae and Brown led the team with 18 points apiece. Price scored 15, Guth had 11 and Day’ion Thompson chipped in 10 off the bench. The Wildcats hit eight 3-pointers and were 21-for-28 from the foul line. Jadon Archer led Master’s with 13 points.

The NEPSAC playoffs, which will include AA’s top eight teams, begin March 4. In the meantime, the Wildcats return to action at Bradford (Mass.) Christian on Monday afternoon.

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