Cory McCarthy is currently in his seventh season at New Mission High School (five as the girls coach and two as the boys coach). He has guided the Titans to a #4 ranking and a 15-1 record, and the overwhelming favorite in Division 4.
BH: How did you get started in coaching high school basketball?
CM: I got my start coaching CYO, and then moved on to BNBL. I just loved watching the college game so much as a kid that I knew that I’d be involved as a player or a coach.
BH: What is the most enjoyable thing about coaching?
CM: Watching kids develop. Sometimes I look at kids and say “you have no idea how much talent you have” then a year later I recognize how far they have come in terms of fundamentals, basketball language and IQ. Too bad most of the time the kids don’t see their own their development. If you leave it up to them they’ve been that talented since birth. It’s amusing.
BH: What do you consider to be the toughest part about coaching at the high school level?
CM: Teaching our kids to be mentally tough and thick skinned about the game, politics and their surroundings. Because we are a city team, people see our kids as being tough but in reality they are easy to rattle and sometimes let their emotions get the best of them in a competitive setting. Instilling those non tangible values about the game sometimes makes it difficult to be consistent as a coach on this level.
BH: What changes need to be made to high school basketball in Massachusetts to make it better?
CM: Coaches need to coach and be active with their players year round like the other states do. We are sending a message that these kids can only be around someone they look up for only 3 months out of the year. Where are they supposed to go for the other 9 months? We have to be more consistent in their lives and the rules take us in and out of their lives with respect to the game.
BH: Which coaches have influenced your style or philosophy?
CM: Hubie Brown, I have unlimited amounts of notes from his coaching clinics and I am particularly inspired but the job he did at Memphis. It takes a lot to turn a culture around and he used the game to do it. My assistant coach Paul Mahoney has taught me a ton about basketball along with former New Mission coach Darryl Hilliard.
BH: Tell the readers of Beantownhoops.com something that many people don’t know about you.
CM: My commitment to community service is my life’s calling. This year on MLK day the basketball team went to Pine St Inn and cooked and served breakfast for the homeless and I was as proud of my boys as I would if we won the city or state title.
http://beantownhoops.com/13.html
