STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — When Wagner College’s women’s basketball team squares off against visiting Lafayette College on Thursday, it’ll be a homecoming for Westerleigh native John Hannafin.
The 27-year-old Hannafin is an assistant coach with the Leopards. The Staten Island Academy alum is in his fourth season with the Division I program from Easton, Pa., including the last three as an assistant.
Hannafin was Lafayette’s Director of Basketball Operations before he became an assistant.
A young John Hannafin, right, was a constant presence when his parents, Maureen and John, were coaches at Notre Dame Academy approximately 25 years ago.(Advance/SILive.com)
Before leaving for Lafayette, Hannafin graduated from Springfield College in Massachusetts, then was an assistant coach for the girls’ basketball team at SIA.
He currently resides in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Hannafin’s mom, Maureen, is the proprietor of Moe’s All-Star Camps & Training and prior to leaving for Lafayette, he worked for his mom for approximately 10 years.
Suffice it to say, he encountered numerous campers through the years and since he’s visiting Spiro Sports Center with the Leopards on Thursday (7 p.m. start), his mom wants to give the game-day environment an additional buzz.
Maureen Hannafin, who’s a Wagner College Hall of Famer (1,612 career points, 1988-89 Northeast Conference Player of the Year) and former assistant hoops coach, would like to invite all campers to the game.
Wagner College Hall of Famer Maureen Hannafin, left, was an assistant coach at her alma mater for a number of years. The Westerleigh resident will get to see her son, John (not pictured), coach with Lafayette College when it visits Wagner on Thursday.(Advance/SILive.com)
“He knows a lot of kids who attended our camp,’’ said Maureen.
“A large part of my childhood was spent at Spiro Sports Center watching my mom coach at Wagner,’’ explained John Hannafin. ”Those years gave me a first-hand look at the profession — the grind of recruiting, scouting, player development — and really shaped my desire to get into coaching at the collegiate level.
“To be able to come back home and coach against a school my family has deep ties to is definitely special,’’ he added. ”It will probably feel a little strange during warm-ups, but once the ball is tipped, it’s all about putting our players in the best position to come out with a W.’’
Kids can enter for free via Wagner’s Sammy’s Kids Club and Maureen is planning to purchase 75 tickets for adults who are planning to take their kids to the game.
Maureen said the tickets will be available at the Wagner box office the day of the game.
“It’s all kind of surreal,’’ said Maureen. ”You go back to when I played and coached at Wagner and now I’ll get to watch my son coach when Lafayette visits.’’
The Leopards are 2-3 while the Seahawks are 1-3 overall.
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