Q and A with former Chartiers Valley basketball coach Tim McConnell

By: Don Rebel
Saturday, May 21, 2022 | 2:31 PM

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The district basketball world was stunned earlier this month when one of the most decorated coaches in WPIAL history decided to make a change and leave the school he had been at for nearly three decades.

Tim McConnell resigned from his job as Chartiers Valley girls basketball coach to take the open job as boys basketball coach at Bishop Canevin.

The move came less than a month after Gino Palmosina, who guided the Crusaders to a WPIAL and PIAA championship this past season, took the job as boys basketball coach at Moon.

McConnell had spent 29 years as basketball coach at Chartiers Valley, the first 25 as boys coach and the final four years as the Colts girls coach.

The Seton LaSalle and Waynesburg University alum was 552-146 in his quarter-century of coaching the boys at CV, and was 110-7 in the past four years as the girls coach.

He has won nine WPIAL championships and a state title thanks in part to coaching his three kids, T.J., Matty and his daughter, Megan.

McConnell, 57, will keep his full time job as transportation director in the Chartiers Valley School District.

Q: When you were hired by Chartiers Valley in 1993, did you imagine you would have coach the Colts for nearly three decades?

TM: I never imagined I would be at Chartiers Valley for 29 years.

Q: What are you most proud of when looking back at your 29 years as Chartiers Valley boys and girls basketball coach?

TM: I am proud of the impact that I had on so many boys and girls.

Q: At what point did you realize you wanted to coach boys basketball again?

TM: After the season ended I did some reflecting, and I just thought it was time to coach boys basketball again.

Q: Will longtime assistants Shawn Sherry and Cate Gannon follow you to Bishop Canevin?

TM: Yes, Cate and Shawn are going to Bishop Canevin with me. My son, Matty, is also going with me.

Q: Those two have been with you a long time. What makes the three of you click?

TM: We get along so well with each other.

Q: Will it make it easier still working in the Chartiers Valley School District, or will that make it tougher emotionally come next winter?

TM: I love my job and the people I work with at the bus garage. I will miss the girls though. I think the girls are going to do great things in college.

Q: Why Bishop Canevin?

TM: It’s close to home, plus I attended a Catholic grade school and high school. I thought it was a great fit for me.

Q: Do you expect an adjustment going from a big public school to a smaller private school?

TM: I think there will be an adjustment at first, but once we get to know each other, I think it will be great.

Q: Besides coaching your three children and all the championships your teams have won, what are some of your top memories from the last 29 years?

TM: Wow, there are way too many to list. I have so many great memories from my 29 years at Chartiers Valley.

Q: Did you ever see yourself leaving Chartiers Valley on your own?

TM: Honestly, I thought I would retire from Chartiers Valley. However, I thought Canevin was a great opportunity for me to get back on the boys side.

Q: What continues to drive you to be a great coach?

TM: Just knowing that I have a positive impact on the young people I coach.

Tags: Chartiers Valley