Coaching milestones, Mike Reilly gets No. 200, McNish wins No. 100

While the HCIAA playoffs represented a chance for some up-and-coming coaches to get a chance to bask in the local limelight, two other local staples of the Hudson County basketball coaching fraternity enjoyed impressive milestones recently.

Long-time McNair Academic boys' basketball coach Mike Reilly secured the 200th win of his coaching career, leading the Cougars once again to the NJSIAA Group I state playoffs. Reilly, in his 17th year, has been a solid coach and a credit to the small school. He has produced his fair share of winners and has always been a helpful soul in many worthy local causes over the years.

And Weehawken coach Jake McNish enjoyed the 100th win of his coaching career with the Indians recently. McNish has also helped to maintain the basketball excellence that Weehawken has enjoyed as a Group I school over the years.

Incredibly, the two coaches with the recent milestones met in the first round of the state tournament, in a game won by Weehawken on Monday. The loss ended McNair Academic's season and enabled the Indians to move on in the tournament.

That's the way the state tournament operates. One team wins and the other goes home for good.

However, both Reilly and McNish deserve credit for a job well done this season and congratulations for reaching the coaching milestones...

The New Jersey Athletic Conference certainly had a Hudson County flavor this past season, especially when you talk about men's basketball. Three of the NJAC's other schools besides New Jersey City University had head coaches with local ties. Namely Ramapo's Chuck McBreen, who used to be the head coach at Union Hill; Montclair State's Ted Fiore, who used to be the head coach at St. Peter's College; and Rutgers-Newark's Chris Casey, who was Fiore and Rodger Blind's assistant at SPC.