ANDY McGOVERN: Following his Heart Back to the Hardwood

and Jed Walentas The date was February 22, 1954. The place was the Palestra. A nine-year-old boy left his first basketball game in tears after watching the Quakers lose a 62-57 heartbreaker to Notre Dame. Despite the disappointing result he witnessed that night, Andy McGovern was hooked. The game of basketball had captivated him and would forever be a part of his life. After playing throughout grade school, McGovern went on to co-captain his Malvern Prep team. Before enrolling at St. Joseph's, the part-time McGinn guard and Philadelphia native played summer league ball with the likes of future NBA star Artis Gilmore. The experience was extremely memorable, and one of his last as a player. "I took three shots and [Gilmore] swatted all of them back in my face," McGovern said. "The fourth time I got inspired and passed the ball. It was the most embarrassing moment I had in my sports history." Realizing he did not have a future playing the game, McGovern turned to coaching as a way to stay involved in the sport. After serving in Vietnam and graduating from St. Joe's in 1971 with a degree in business, he began coaching in the Catholic Youth Organization and independent level, where he was very successful. These successes led to his first collegiate position as an assistant coach at Widener. McGovern stayed there four years and the Pioneers won more than 60 percent of the time. He gained both valuable coaching experience and an increased understanding of the game while working under head coach Alan Rowe. Having enjoyed success as an assistant, the next logical step for McGovern was a head coaching position. That opportunity presented itself in the form of the Temple women's basketball program, which he took over in 1978. In his two years with the Owls, McGovern turned around a losing program to post a 14-10 record in his final season. Despite this success, he was forced to leave Temple after the 1979-80 season because of what he described as "philosophical differences." Unfortunately for McGovern, his departure from Temple prevented him from reaping the benefits of his greatest accomplishment as coach -- the recruitment of Marilyn Stephens. Stephens went on to become the leading rebounder and second all-time scorer in Big 5 history, winning Player of the Year honors in 1983 and 1984. Stephens was not the last of McGovern's outstanding recruiting accomplishments. After a brief stint as an assistant women's coach at St. Joe's, he accepted the same position at Villanova in 1982. In his first season there, McGovern landed the next dominant Big 5 player in Shelly Pennefather. Pennefather matched Stephens atop the record books by becoming the city's all-time leading scorer and second leading rebounder. She followed Stephens' back-to-back Player of the Year honors with a trifecta, claiming the prize from 1985-87. A year later, the list grew. McGovern got Lisa Angelotti to join Pennefather to form one of the greatest duos in recent memory. Angelotti finished her career with 1,622 points, 11th in Big 5 history. "Over the years, I've had the fortune to spot some kids that have been very talented and they've gone on to be successful in the programs," McGovern said. "The key to recruiting is projecting one's ability both in the classroom and on the basketball floor. It's just a matter of working hard and outhustling the other people." In spite of McGovern's recruiting successes and the solid performance of the team, he chose for financial reasons to move to an administrative position as the director of recreation and intramurals. Although McGovern missed being on the court and coaching, he remained close to the team by continuing to attend games and practices on a regular basis. In addition, his administrative role allowed him to more closely follow the national champion 1985 men's team. McGovern still cherishes his championship ring to this day. He was further pleased that his new position enabled him to continue working with young people in an athletic environment. "The advantage was that I was still around the game and working with an even greater number of students," McGovern said. When McGovern's position at Villanova was discontinued, he declined an offer to work as the assistant to the dean of engineering in order to stay close to the game. He instead used his Masters degree in Education to become a substitute high school teacher for the School District of Philadelphia and continued to own and run a baseball card store. McGovern is still a school teacher, but he has replaced his store with involvement with Nike and Foot Locker shootouts as a site director. The position allows him to travel and scout young talent throughout the country, and it has revitalized his desire to coach again. "I have burned with the desire to get back into coaching," McGovern said. "I realize that to get back into the game I've got to start over again and I am willing to work hard enough to do that." In fact, McGovern has already started working hard. Through his involvement with the shootouts and his connections in the basketball community, he has compiled evaluations of thousands of the top women high school basketball players in the country. These scouting reports include everything ranging from academic performance to vertical leap. His prior successes in recruiting will further help him evaluate this young talent. "Nothing really changes in recruiting," McGovern said. "The rules may have changed, but the evaluation of talent hasn't. You have to start recruiting a player from his or her freshman year. You have to talk to their coaches and then sit down with a teacher or counselor to find out if they can make it academically. The person you are recruiting must have the ability to win games for you." McGovern feels both his recruiting experience and coaching ability have been enhanced by his understanding of today's young people. His work as a teacher in Philadelphia high schools has allowed him to stay in touch with young student athletes. He agreed to help out friend Joseph McGinn and work as a security guard in the lobby of High Rise North because the job is another way for him to communicate with today's youth. "I've played, I've coached, I've recruited, and I've directed -- and now I have the ability to interact with the student body," McGovern said. "It makes you a better person and a better coach because you now understand the people you are recruiting. "Coaching is a matter of having a style and of recruiting players who are going to be able to play your style. You have to adapt your style to the talent around you. I look at Fran Dunphy's team and it exemplifies this." McGovern hopes to utilize these tools in a return to coaching. He wants to get back into the game as an assistant and would like to eventually be a head coach again. He was recently the runner-up for an assistant position with the Rutgers women's program and is currently searching for other opportunities. "I am no different except that I am older and I have experience," McGovern said. "I like to recruit and I can use my experience without being intimidating, and I have a good feel for the high school student of today." More than anything, McGovern's desire to coach again has been fueled by the pure love of the game he has shown since that fateful night at the Palestra in 1954. "The most fun you can have is going up against someone who has worked as hard as you have," he said. "The game itself is fun -- five on five, offense against defense, defense against offense. May the best team win."