McNeilly Takes Reigns of Sting
The Seneca Sting is excited to announce that Jay McNeilly has been appointed as the new Men’s Basketball Head Coach.
McNeilly brings nearly twenty years of coaching experience to the position at the high school, collegiate and club level. McNeilly most recently served as the Associate Head Coach of the Men’s Basketball team for the past two seasons.
“We are thrilled with the opportunity to bring Jay on board as our new head coach. We have demonstrated tremendous progress over the past few years and we will look to Coach McNeilly’s leadership to continue moving our program in the right direction.”
Coming off a season which saw the Sting finish 17-3, qualify for the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association Championship and rank in the top fifteen nationally for most of the season, McNeilly looks to continue to build on the recent success of the Sting and the foundation that has been laid over the last two seasons.
Leading a program seeking its first OCAA championship in thirty-one years, McNeilly looks to build on the current foundation.
“Many of the ideas that I have in mind have been planted the past two years I have spent with the Seneca program. I would like to water and grow the seeds we have (already) planted.”
That foundation and McNeilly’s vision for a successful team goes beyond the basketball court.
“First and foremost, I want to give the student-athlete a really positive, enjoyable and memorable experience. We will play team basketball on both ends of the court, creating a selfless environment that staff, family, friends, students and fans would like to support. We want to represent (Seneca) with good character on and off the court and work to the best of our ability.”
One of McNeilly’s biggest strengths is his ability to recruit top-level student-athletes. With the Sting, McNeilly played a major role in two strong recruiting classes. This success can be attributed to his ability to identify and connect with young adults, as seen by his back-to-back OFSAA championships at Mother Theresa Catholic High School and his AAU / CYBL 2020 team being ranked in the top ten in North America.
Prior to joining the Sting, McNeilly was an Assistant Coach with York University for two years as well as an Associate Head Coach with the Centennial Colts where the team earned an OCAA Silver medal and berth in the CCAA National Championship.
An NCCP Level 2 certified coach and USA Basketball Gold Licensed Coach, McNeilly brings a unique combination as an experienced coach and former student-athlete.
“Being a student-athlete has helped me as a coach because I can relate to, and share, my firsthand experiences with the current players, specifically as a former OCAA student-athlete. There are multiple challenges that our student-athletes face on a day-to-day basis that I will help navigate the players through.”
Thanks to his experience, knowledge and certifications, Kerswill sees a smooth transition from previous Head Coach Darrell Glenn to McNeilly.
“Having coached at several levels of basketball, we feel as though Jay brings excellent technical knowledge of the game and great connections throughout the community that will assist in Seneca attracting top student-athletes.”
Glenn recently accepted a position as Head Coach of the Men’s Basketball team at his alma mater, the University of Prince Edward Island.
Men’s Basketball tryouts will commence the second week of September. The OCAA regular season begins the third week of October.