Coach John Leahy and his players celebrate his milestone. (Photo courtesy of Middle Township High School)
Middle Township High School girls basketball coach John Leahy has enjoyed many personal and professional highlights in his 39-year basketball career, but his latest achievement is a major milestone.
In his 21st season as a Panther, Leahy became the 13th South Jersey high school girls basketball coach to reach 400 career wins and the fourth in Cape-Atlantic League history.
The milestone came Jan. 9 in a 46-36 victory over Absegami High School. Junior Reagen Powell scored 13 points in the win and junior Abbey Cappelletti contributed 12.
“400 wins is definitely special because I’m able to share it with the people I care about the most – my family, my assistant coaches, the administration and staff at Middle, and the players are all part of this accomplishment as well as part of building a program that everyone can be proud of,” Leahy said in a news release.
“The goal is to build and strengthen our program and be competitive every year. We want our players to improve on and off the floor and enjoy the experience of being part of a championship program. This achievement reflects the hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence that our program offers. It’s about creating a memorable legacy of success here at Middle,” Leahy added.
Middle Township Public Schools athletic director Josh McCarty called the 400-win milestone “a testament to the program that Coach Leahy and his staff have built.”
“The program's continued success is a product of the immense time and effort he and his staff put in year after year on behalf of our student-athletes,” McCarthy said.
Leahy grew up in Wildwood Crest and moved to Cape May Court House when he was 16. A 1990 MTHS graduate, he was an All-State selection his senior year and scored over 2,000 points in his high school basketball career.
In the early 1990s, Leahy was a member of a Seton Hall University squad that won a pair of Big East regular season and Big East Conference titles. Before graduating in 1994, his Pirates made the NCAA Tournament in three of his four seasons.
Leahy’s basketball skills took him all over the world. He played professionally in Ireland, England and Germany over a span of nine years, and played one season in Australia.
He met his wife, Cathy, while playing basketball in Ireland. They have been married for 25 years.
Leahy teaches the Community-Based Instruction Program at Middle Township High School and is the assistant coach for girls’ tennis in the fall and boys’ tennis in the spring.
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