‘Fight like a McKenney’ and ‘play like it matters’

By Tom Maguire
Associate editor

The father had a school named after him and the mother personified gentleness, so what defines the son?

Well, in addition to the suspenders that he is known for wearing are the 600-plus wins in 40-plus years of coaching basketball in Vermont and the Syracuse area. He grew up in Canton, N.Y., home of J.M. McKenney Middle School, and even after “a life of winters,” he dismisses the Florida retirement thing.

“I love it here. … It’s my home,” he told the hundreds of admirers who attended the fundraiser for him Jan. 21 in the gym at Bishop Grimes Jr./Sr. High School in East Syracuse. Coach McKenney is being treated for breast cancer, and everybody was invited to support him. Cars crawled around the parking lot looking for a spot. Notable attendees included Father Christopher Celentano, a Grimes hoops alumnus. 

It was a night of speeches, music, chatter, food, auctions and raffles. One table was selling “FIGHT LIKE A McKenney” T-shirts that feature a design of pink suspenders.

“There’s probably more people here than we have at a basketball game,” Anthony Falgiatano, a 2020 Grimes grad who coaches the freshman basketball team at Grimes, said inside the noisy gym. “We have an amazing turnout. You can’t ask for much more, all these people coming out to support Coach Mac. And for Coach Mac, him seeing this is what he needed.”

“We had 350 RSVPs out of the gate,” said Grimes Principal Allyson Headd. “We just couldn’t be more humbled by the support for Bob. We’re blessed at Bishop Grimes to have him; he’s an amazing coach; he’s an amazing leader in our school community.

“And, it’s just been so inspiring to hear all the stories come in from former players …, people who have coached alongside him, referees, even those who he has contested with, so we’re just so excited to be able to put on this event for him and be able to give back to him a little bit of what he’s been able to give to everyone around him.”

Gotta love the refs

A generous donation even from referees? 

“I think I wore ’em down after all these years,” said Coach Mac, showing the sense of humor that former colleague Donna Demma cited. “Everybody thinks we all hate each other but I think they figured out” that when the game ends, “I respect what they do; they are good at their job. And no matter how upset it appears we are at each other …, when it’s over we’re friends.”

Demma, who taught ESL in the Syracuse City School District and also at Grimes, hadn’t seen Coach Mac since 2016, she said, “but I wanted to come and say hello. I had breast cancer … 10 years ago, so I just wanted to be encouraging to him.”

Coach Mac previously won several state titles at Jamesville-DeWitt. He has coached the boys varsity basketball team at Grimes since 2015. “It’s my passion, it’s my love,” he said of basketball, “it’s … always kind of kept me going.” Also, he teaches a sports marketing class and serves as Grimes’ athletic director.

Late last September, he felt a hard bump that turned out to be stage 2 breast cancer. He said the odds are good, 80/20.

“He’s a very strong person so I think he’s going to be OK,” said Charlie “We’re blessed at Bishop Grimes to have him; he’s an amazing coach; he’s an amazing leader in our school community.”

— Bishop Grimes Principal Allyson Headd, speaking about Bob McKenney

Falgiatano, Anthony’s dad, who coaches JV basketball at Grimes. “Knowing him he’s going to be in the 80 for sure.”

Coach Mac had a mastectomy Nov. 16, the third day of practice, and missed practice that night — the only practice he has missed because of the cancer. And he hasn’t missed any games coaching the Cobras, who are 12-3. 

After a break that will follow the end of chemotherapy in mid-February, Coach Mac will start five days a week of radiation for one month. After another break he will start on Tamoxifen, a hormone therapy that he expects to be on for 10 years or more. His mother had two mastectomies and cancer ultimately led to her death 40 years ago, but genetic testing came back negative in relation to his situation.

Mom’s memorable words

“My mom was beloved in our town,” he said, “and everywhere she went she had a smile and she would say, ‘Bob, make somebody’s day every day.’”

The somebodies in his “basketball family” were credited by his middle daughter, Becky Brown, for making the fundraiser happen: “our family, our friends, coaches, athletic directors, referees, colleagues, current and former players, parents and community members.”

The “outpouring of love these past few months has been instrumental in keeping us optimistic and hopeful,” Coach Mac’s youngest daughter, Madison McKenney, told the crowd.

“Our dad is a compassionate leader, animated coach and charismatic human being,” said oldest daughter Mandy Marino.

The animated coach said he now sits a little bit more at practice: “My assistant coaches follow me around with chairs, constantly yelling at me to sit down. … At the games, you wouldn’t see a big difference.”

Unstoppable coach

Jon Corl, a senior captain of the varsity, said that when Coach Mac caught COVID last basketball season, he still participated virtually. His coach’s dedication, Corl said, “is something that will stick with me for the rest of my life.”

The night before the fundraiser, Grimes beat Bishop Ludden by 31 points. 

How did that happen?

“Coach Mac, that’s how we did it,” Corl said.

Senior captain Erik Wall remembered that for a tournament last year, Coach Mac told the team, “‘Play like it matters.’” 

Another senior captain, Deng Garang, recalled that it had been a tough decision whether to attend Grimes or Christian Brothers Academy. “As I entered the gym, I noticed Coach Mac’s presence,” he said. “He greeted me right away, made me feel welcome.”

“I love all my kids here at Bishop Grimes, not just the basketball kids,” Coach Mac said. And he praised Grimes staffers such as Holly Wait, who is picking up a lot of the work.

“I’m 64,” Coach Mac said. “By the time I get all these people thanked, I might be 104.”