CV’s McConnell moves to girls’ side of basketball coaching

After 25 years of coaching boys’ basketball, Tim McConnell has shifted gears. He will coach girls’ basketball next season .
By a vote of 5-3 at its June 27 meeting, the Chartiers Valley School Board approved McConnell as the high school girls’ varsity basketball coach. McConnell succeeds Dan Slain, who resigned at the end of the season.
McConnell owned a 552-146 record while coaching the boys’ team. He made the WPIAL playoffs every year except for last season when the Colts posted an 8-14 record.
In his career, McConnell steered the Colts to six WPIAL titles and one PIAA runner-up banner. He ranks No. 14th in WPIAL history among coaches.
The move to the female side of the game is not surprising as McConnell has the opportunity to coach his daughter.
Megan McConnell is a rising junior. She earned all-state acclaim as a sophomore and helped the Colts win a WPIAL championship as a freshman.
Last winter, Megan averaged 18.5 points and 4.3 rebounds. She also managed four assists as well as four steals per game.
McConnell coached his two other offspring. T.J. now plays for the Philadelphia 76ers while Matt competes for Robert Morris University. Both sons won WPIAL titles under McConnell.
T.J. ranks as the school’s all-time leading scorer with over 2,000 career points. He scored more than 1,000 points his senior season when the Colts advanced to the state finals in 2010.
McConnell has experience with female players as he trained players such as Makenna Marisa from Peters Township and Rachel Martindale from North Allegheny. Both girls competed against each other in this year’s WPIAL Class 6A championship game at the Petersen Events Center. McConnell also runs successful camps in the summer at the high school and at Cool Springs.
Not only will McConnell coach his daughter, he inherits a talented team that also includes MacKenzie Wagner and Gabby Legister. The girls reached the Final Four in the WPIAL playoffs this season.
A rising senior, Wagner captained the Colts along with McConnell. She averaged 16.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. She provided 2.8 assists and 2.1 steals as well.
A rising senior, Legister is coming off an ACL injury. The 6-2 center is committed to Kennesaw State.