Coaching Shakeup at Molloy

Through all his years as a basketball coach, in CYO leagues and the AAU circuit, and then the last six plus seasons at Archbishop Molloy, John McGlynn had been around long enough to know it was not working.
So, last Wednesday evening, January 16, after a victory over Bishop Kearney, the second-year girls varsity coach resigned from his post.
“It was a situation that wasn’t going to improve so we thought it was in the best interest of the team to move on,” he said. “I don’t know what it was; maybe they needed a new face. The team wasn’t functioning the way I believed it could function and it was better to have somebody there who could get it going in the right direction.”
Jayvee coach Dom Cecala, who led the Stanners to the Brooklyn/Queens Jayvee title last season, took over the varsity, leading them to a 62-33 win over St. Joseph Hill at the Briarwood school Saturday afternoon, and two more non-league victories on the road the next two days.
“It’s unfortunate what happened, but Molloy is going to move on and we’ve got a lot of talent here,” said the 28-year-old Cecala, a 1997 Molloy graduate from Bellerose. “I think we’re going to be in pretty good shape and surprise some teams.”
There was friction between McGlynn and several players over playing time and their roles, issues that came to a head in a January 12 loss to Christ the King. McGlynn sat sophomore guard Kelly Robinson the entire first half and benched leading scorer and senior Kerri White the second half.
Afterwards, he told reporters Robinson was benched because she was sick - although that did not explain her scoring 11 points in the second half - and White did not play because he preferred a smaller lineup.
“We wanted to beat King, so, yeah, that could’ve played a part in it,” said Robinson, who noted the biggest problem was a “lack of communication” between McGlynn and the team, without offering further examples. “We weren’t on the same page,” she said.
Many parents were upset, and a meeting with athletic director Mike McCleary ensued Monday, January 14, although McCleary said that had little to do with McGlynn’s departure.
“It was John’s decision,” he said.
In any event, many of the players are familiar with Cecala, from their time on the jayvee last season to playing for him on the AAU New York Xplosion. “Everyone knows his coaching style, so the transition is much easier,” Robinson said.
“He knows what he’s talking about and he’s knows us, too,” sophomore guard Kelly Guerriero said. “We all played for him. He’s easy to get along with.”
No matter who is coaching, the Stanners have yet to live up to lofty expectations. With four impressive sophomores - Guerriero, Robinson, Marielle Duryea and Elise Lontos - in addition to seniors White, a Manhattan College recruit, and center Molly Dreyer, Molloy was expected to challenge Christ the King and Mary Louis. Yet already they have lost twice to those two teams and have struggled against their non-league schedule.
“It’s definitely disappointing; we’re not where we should be,” White said.
They’re hoping this shakeup can alter their current course. It will not be quick or easy, but the Stanners (10-5, 2-2 CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens Division I) are hopeful.
“We have to pull together as a team,” White said. “We’re going to be tougher for it. We are going to be closer. It will help us get better.”