The 2021-22 season marks Chicago native John McGinty's second season as an assistant coach with the Loyola University Chicago women's basketball team. McGinty arrived in Rogers Park following a stint at the University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH), where he served as the program's head coach.
“First, I would like to thank Coach Achter for this exciting opportunity to work with such a special program in one of the top mid-major conferences in the country," McGinty commented. "Being a Chicagoan, having the chance to work in the area where I'm from is the opportunity of a lifetime. I'm grateful to be able to assist in continuing the rise of the program!”
During his stay with the Racers, McGinty mentored a trio of All-WHAC selections and recorded the program's signature victory, downing #14 Sienna Heights. In 2020-21, he helped UNOH get off to just its second 2-0 start in program history.
Prior to taking over as head coach at UNOH, McGinty enjoyed a successful stay as an assistant coach at Northern Illinois. During his time in DeKalb, Ill., the Huskies posted three straight seasons at .500 or better, highlighted by a 21-12 (12-6 MAC) mark in 2016-17 that saw the program make its first postseason appearance in over 20 years. McGinty orchestrated an attack that averaged a MAC-best 85 points per game that year, a mark that ranked fifth overall nationally and fifth in MAC annals. Northern Illinois' 66 wins during his tenure where the program's most over a four-year period. He helped numerous student-athletes earn All-MAC honors, including First Team honorees Ally Leahman and Courtney Woods.
McGinty broke into the college ranks at Lewis University in suburban Romeoville, Ill., serving as an assistant coach for two seasons after spending the 2012-13 campaign as a practice player while pursuing his Master's Degree. He was on the bench for a wildly successful 2014-15 season that saw Lewis ranked No. 1 in the USA Today/WBCA Top 25 Coaches Poll, as the Flyers ultimately finished 31-3 overall and 17-1 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play, setting a new league record in the latter category. Lewis went on to win its first regional title in program history and advanced to the Elite Eight on the NCAA Division II Tournament.
McGinty, who resides in Chicago with his wife, Catherine, earned his Bachelor's Degree in Health and Sport Sciences from the University of Iowa in 2012 and completed a Master's Degree in Organizational Leadership at Lewis University in 2015.
