Link to the Small College Basketball HOF Announcement
FORT MYERS, Fla. - - Former Wilmington College men's basketball coach John McCarthy has been selected as a part of the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026. The National Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Friday, November 6th, inside the Polk Theatre in Lakeland, Florida.
John McCarthy was the head men's basketball coach of the Wildcats for four seasons, starting with the 1995-96 season. McCarthy led the Wildcats to a 19-11 record in his fourth and final season during the 1998-99 campaign. Prior to being the head coach, McCarthy also served as an assistant coach for the Wildcats.
"Wilmington College is where I got my start in collegiate athletics, and I'm grateful that Kevin Newsome took a chance and hired me as an assistant coach while I was still a student. I owe my career to then Athletic Director Craig Wolfe who named me as the Head Men's Basketball Coach at Wilmington College just a few years later. In hindsight, my time at Wilmington was pivotal and impactful, not only in my career, but in my life. It's hard to express my gratitude enough."
From Wilmington, McCarthy moved on to Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, another institution founded by former Wilmington President Dr. Ronald Ross. He was first an assistant coach for the Knights before serving as the Director of Athletic Development and Director of the Blue & White Club. He then served as Lynn's fifth Director of Athletics from 2002-06, leading the department during a period of continued growth while also making significant contributions to NCAA Division II athletics on the conference and national levels.
McCarthy also founded the Collegiate Basketball Invitational, which brought together the top small college players in the country for a large-scale national event. During his time in Kansas City, McCarthy led the initiative to brand Kansas City as the College Basketball Capital of America.
In 2015, McCarthy founded Small College Basketball, which has morphed into a major national initiative that now includes the Hall of Fame, the Hall of Fame Classic, the Small College Basketball Association, the Small College Basketball Foundation, six National Awards, the National Awards Show and several robust social media platforms.
This year's Hall of Fame Class marks the 10th class inducted into the Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame. The class includes players Joe Behling (Belmont), Dominez Burnett (Davenport), Jeff Gibbs (Otterbein), Kyle Mangas (Indiana Wesleyan), Pete Metzelaars (Wabash), Andrew Olson (Amherst), Justin Pitts (Northwest Missouri), Kyle Steigenga (Cornerstone), Michael Thomas (North Park), Aaron Walton-Moss (Cabrini), coach Steve Moore (Wooster and Muhlenberg), and contributor John McCarthy (Small College Basketball).