'An incredibly passionate guy': Former South Salem star Mike McShane leads McNary girls basketball
For some, coaching high school basketball can be an easy way to make some extra cash. For others, it's a serious game.
Mike McShane knew he wanted to be a head coach while playing at South Salem under Barry Adams — one of the winningest coaches in state history. Together, they led the Saxons to its first-ever boys state basketball championship in 1996. McShane was inducted into South Salem's Hall of Fame last fall.
More than 25 years later, McShane is making that dream a reality as the new head coach for McNary High School's girls basketball team.
"I saw it as an opportunity to keep his (Adams) philosophy and legacy alive," McShane said. "He did such a good job at teaching it, so I have the good fortune of passing that basketball knowledge on."
Even with the wealth of knowledge, he still leaned on several close friends for advice prior to the start of the season.
None of this would have been possible without one friend in particular — Ryan Kirch, the boys head basketball coach at McNary.
McShane and Kirch grew up playing basketball. They reunited at the Cascade Sports Camp and worked briefly as coaches, while McShane moved to the role as camp director for the next 13 years until the complex was burned down in the Beachie Creek Fire.
McShane worked as a physical education teacher for the last eight years in Tulsa, Oklahoma, before moving back to Salem. Early last spring, Kirch approached him with a new opportunity after a teaching and coaching position became available.
"Mike is an incredibly passionate guy," Kirch said. "I always knew he'd be a great, coachable program when he had the opportunity."
Reflecting on the season, McShane said it has exceeded his expectations.
The Celtics are 16-7 overall and 8-2 in league as of Saturday.
"I think it's a very respectable record and I think it reflects the hard work that we've put in," he said. "We've worked really hard this season. The girls have had a really good attitude."
But like anything in life, coaching is a constant learning process.
"They are learning to trust me as a first-year head coach, and all of those things have been a really positive experience for me," McShane said.
Edith Noriega is a sports reporter for the Statesman Journal. You may reach her at ENoriega@salem.gannett.com and follow her on Twitter at @Noriega_Edith
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Mike McShane returns to Mid-Valley as McNary girls basketball coach
