View source for Kevin Mackey

{{Short description|American basketball coach (born 1946)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Kevin Mackey
| image = Kevin Mackey 1988.jpg
| alt = 
| caption = Mackey in 1988
| current_title = 
| current_team = 
| current_conference = 
| current_record = 
| contract = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1946|08|21}}
| birth_place = [[Boston, Massachusetts]], U.S.
| death_date = 
| death_place = 
| alma_mater = 
| player_years1 = 1964–1967
| player_team1 = [[Saint Anselm College|Saint Anselm]]
<!-- Template:Infobox college coach conversion error: coach_teams and coach_years are not of equal length. -->
| coach_years1 = 1977–1983
| coach_team1  = [[Boston College Eagles men's basketball|Boston College]] (assistant)
| coach_years2 = 1983–1990
| coach_team2  = [[Cleveland State Vikings men's basketball|Cleveland State]]
| coach_years3 = 1991
| coach_team3  = Miami Tropics
| coach_years4 = 1997–1999
| coach_team4  = [[Atlantic City Seagulls (basketball)|Atlantic City Seagulls]]
| coach_years5 = 1999–2000
| coach_team5  =  [[Mansfield Hawks]]
| overall_record = 142–69 (.673)
| bowl_record = 
| tournament_record = 
| championships = 2 [[The Summit League|AMCU-8]] regular season (1985, 1986)<br />[[Summit League men's basketball tournament|AMCU-8 tournament]] ([[1986 AMCU-8 men's basketball tournament|1986]])<br />3 [[United States Basketball League|USBL]] (1997–1999)<br />[[International Basketball Association|IBA]] (1999)
| awards = [[The Summit League|AMCU-8]] Coach of the Year (1985, 1986)<br />[[United States Basketball League|USBL]] Coach of the Year (1997, 1999)<br />[[International Basketball Association|IBA]] Coach of the Year (1999)
| coaching_records = 
}}
'''Kevin Mackey''' (born August 21, 1946) is a former head coach of men's [[basketball]] at [[Cleveland State University]].  His [[Cleveland State Vikings|CSU Vikings]] upset the [[Indiana Hoosiers]] and the [[Saint Joseph's Hawks]] to make the Sweet 16 in the [[1986 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament]].  He is also known for recruiting future [[NBA]] player [[Manute Bol]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.si.com/college/2017/07/11/bol-bol-manute-son-recruiting | title=Bol Bol eyes potential to exceed father Manute's legacy }}</ref>

==Early coaching career==
Mackey was a successful high school coach at the former [[Don Bosco Technical High School (Boston)|Don Bosco Technical High School]] in Boston, winning the 1976 state championship and three consecutive Class A Catholic championships.  From 1977 to 1983, he served as an assistant coach at [[Boston College]] under [[Tom Davis (basketball coach)|Tom Davis]] and [[Gary Williams]] in the early days of the [[Big East Conference]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://20secondtimeout.blogspot.com/2008/12/catching-up-withkevin-mackey.html |title=20 Second Timeout: Catching Up With....Kevin Mackey |publisher=20secondtimeout.blogspot.com |date=2008-12-01 |accessdate=2010-07-11}}</ref>  He was well known as a top recruiter, and was well known for landing inner-city prospects.<ref name=DoubleLife/>

==Collegiate and pro career==

===Cleveland State===
Mackey coached at Cleveland State University from 1983 to 1990 and posted a record of 144 wins and 67 losses. His teams made one NCAA and two [[National Invitation Tournament]] appearances and averaged more than 20 wins per season.  His best team was the 1985-86 unit, which won a school-record 29 games and advanced all the way to the Sweet 16—becoming the first #14 seed to advance that far.  It was also the first postseason bid of any sort in the program's 57-year history.  Before his first-round game against [[Indiana Hoosiers|Indiana]], he went up to [[Bobby Knight]] saying, "Take it easy on me, big guy."  Knight exploded, knowing Cleveland State would likely give the Hoosiers all they could handle<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/sports/ncaabasketball/07vecsey.html?ref=sports | work=The New York Times | first=George | last=Vecsey | title=A 96-Team Tournament? Now That's Madness | date=2010-03-06}}</ref> with its "run n' stun" style.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cleveland.com/sports/csu/index.ssf/2009/03/making_new_memories_cleveland.html |title=Making new memories: Cleveland State's 1986 heroes pulling hard for Vikings' NCAA success |publisher=[[The Plain Dealer]] |date= 20 March 2009|accessdate=2010-07-11}}</ref>  He became a celebrity in [[Northeast Ohio]], with the local press dubbing him "the King of Cleveland."<ref name="USAToday"/>  Cleveland State used the money from the 1986 NCAA run to build what is now the [[Wolstein Center]].<ref name=Healing>Bishop, Greg. [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/13/sports/ncaabasketball/13cleveland.html Cleveland State’s Healing Begins With an N.C.A.A. Bid]. [[New York Times]], 2009-03-12.</ref>

Earlier in 1985, Mackey invited Manute Bol to Cleveland after seeing him in action with a Sudanese team that was touring the United States.  However, Bol didn't speak or write English very well at the time.  Despite spending months at ELS Language Centers on the [[Case Western Reserve University]] campus, Bol was unable to improve his English well enough to enroll at Cleveland State. Five years later, Cleveland State was placed on two years' probation for providing improper financial assistance to Bol and two other African players.<ref>[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE6D9173AF931A15757C0A96E948260 Penalties Upheld for Cleveland State, New York Times, April 22, 1988]</ref>  They were also banned from [[The Summit League|Mid-Continent]] conference play for the duration of the probation.

Even with the probation, Mackey still reckoned as a rising star in the collegiate ranks.  Cleveland State knew this, and signed him to a two-year, $300,000 contract in July 1990 (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|300000|1990}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}).  However, on July 13—only a few days after he signed his contract—Cleveland police, acting on a tip,  pulled him over after he drove left of center.<ref name="USAToday"/>  He was arrested for [[driving under the influence]] and having an [[United States open-container laws|open container]].  It subsequently emerged that he'd sprayed his mouth with a breath spray before taking a [[Breathalyzer]] test at the police station.  Since breath spray can alter the results of Breathalyzer tests, police took a urine sample, which revealed traces of [[cocaine]].<ref name=DoubleLife>Dell'Apa, Frank. [https://web.archive.org/web/20121104212017/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8183337.html Mackey faces ouster; college official cites 'double life'].  [[The Boston Globe]], 1990-07-17</ref>

The Wednesday after his arrest, Mackey held a press conference in which he acknowledged a long-running problem with substance abuse.  He also announced that he planned to go into [[drug rehabilitation|rehab]], and his lawyer asked Cleveland State to let him go on a leave of absence so he could complete it.<ref name=DoubleLife/><ref name=STabuse>Kropko, M.A. [https://web.archive.org/web/20121104211907/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4008049.html Mackey admits drug, alcohol abuse]. [[Chicago Sun-Times]], 1990-07-18.</ref>  However, Cleveland State refused to do so and fired him, with the school president saying Mackey had effectively "fired himself."<ref>Dell'Apa, Frank. [https://web.archive.org/web/20121104211917/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8183648.html Mackey gets fired]. [[The Boston Globe]], 1990-07-20.</ref>   Mackey subsequently pleaded [[nolo contendere|no contest]] and in lieu of prosecution, he was ordered confined to a rehabilitation center for 60 days.<ref name="USAToday"/>

In 2009, Mackey told the ''[[New York Times]]'' that at the time of his arrest, he'd been an alcoholic for many years and had begun using cocaine shortly after the 1986 NCAA Tournament.  He said that he thought he was able to control it, and didn't realize how serious the problem was until his arrest.  However, he has remained sober for over 20 years.  Many of Mackey's former players later said that they learned from Mackey's experience and how it humbled him.  He remains very much in the good graces of Cleveland State fans.  During the 20-year reunion of the 1986 Cinderella run, Mackey received a standing ovation.<ref name=Healing/>

===Pro career===
Mackey spent 60 days at a rehab center run by [[John Lucas II|John Lucas]], and then went on to a successful career in minor league basketball.  In 1991, he was a mid-season replacement coach for the [[Miami Tropics]] of the [[United States Basketball League]] and led the team to the title game. In 1996, he coached the Portland (Maine) Mountain Cats to the Final Four of the USBL.  Following his stint with the Mountain Cats, Mackey captured three consecutive USBL Championships from 1997 to 1999, with the Atlantic City Seagulls, something no other coach in the USBL has done.

He also coached Trenton New Jersey of the I.B.C., Jacksonville of the USBL and was National Director of Scouting for Hoops Global and Director of Player Personnel for Pro Basketball USA. In 1999, he again surfaced as a head coach, this time in professional basketball where he led the [[Mansfield Hawks]] to the [[International Basketball Association]] championship in his only season.

In 2004, Mackey was hired as a scout for the [[Indiana Pacers]] of the [[NBA]].  Pacers basketball operations president [[Larry Bird]], whose early days with the [[Boston Celtics]] coincided with Mackey's tenure at Boston College, had long admired Mackey.  He'd originally gotten in touch with Mackey in 2002 during his abortive bid for what became the [[Charlotte Bobcats]].<ref name="USAToday">{{cite news|last=Brady |first=Erik |url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/2004-01-21-mackey-resurrection_x.htm |title=Kevin Mackey gets back on track |publisher=[[USA Today]]|date=2004-01-22 |accessdate=2010-07-11}}</ref>  Mackey retired at age 74 following the 2020-21 [[NBA]] season after working for 18 years as a Pacers scout.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.kevinmcsports.com/podcasts/the-401-podcast-with-kevin-mcnamara-former-ncaa-coach-nba-scout-kevin-mackey/ | title=401 Podcast: Former NCAA Cinderella coach & NBA Scout Kevin Mackey | date=15 March 2021 }}</ref>

==Head coaching record==
{{CBB Yearly Record Start
|type=coach
|conference=
|postseason=
|poll=no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
|name=[[Cleveland State Vikings|Cleveland State]]
|startyear=1983
|conference=[[The Summit League|AMCU-8]]
|endyear=1990
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1983–84 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1983–84]]
 | name         = Cleveland State
 | overall      = 14–16
 | conference   = 4–10
 | confstanding = 7th
 | postseason   = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = conference
 | season       = [[1984–85 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1984–85]]
 | name         = Cleveland State
 | overall      = 21–8
 | conference   = 11–3
 | confstanding = 1st
 | postseason   = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = confboth
 | season       = [[1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1985–86]]
 | name         = [[1985–86 Cleveland State Vikings men's basketball team|Cleveland State]]
 | overall      = 29–4
 | conference   = 13–1
 | confstanding = 1st
 | postseason   = [[1986 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA, Sweet Sixteen]]
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1986–87 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1986–87]]
 | name         = Cleveland State
 | overall      = 25–8
 | conference   = 10–4
 | confstanding = 2nd
 | postseason   = [[1987 National Invitation Tournament|NIT, Second round]]
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1987–88 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1987–88]]
 | name         = Cleveland State
 | overall      = 22–8
 | conference   = 11–3
 | confstanding = 2nd
 | postseason   = [[1988 National Invitation Tournament|NIT, Second round]]
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1988–89 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1988–89]]
 | name         = Cleveland State
 | overall      = 16–12
 | conference   = N/A
 | confstanding = N/A
 | postseason   = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1989–90 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1989–90]]
 | name         = Cleveland State
 | overall      = 15–13
 | conference   = N/A
 | confstanding = N/A
 | postseason   = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
 | name       = Cleveland State
 | overall    = 142–69
 | confrecord = 49–21
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record End
|overall=142–69
|poll=no
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140327071019/http://coachkevinmackey.com/ Coach Kevin Mackey's Official Site]
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021014123213/http://mansfieldhawks.com/Pages/Team.html |date=October 14, 2002 |title=Mackey profile from MansfieldHawks.com }}
* [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2DB173DF93AA1575BC0A966958260 Option for Ex-Coach]

{{Cleveland State Vikings men's basketball coach navbox}}
{{Summit League Men's Basketball Coach of the Year navbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mackey, Kevin}}
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American basketball scouts]]
[[Category:American men's basketball coaches]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Basketball coaches from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Boston]]
[[Category:Boston College Eagles men's basketball coaches]]
[[Category:Cleveland State Vikings men's basketball coaches]]
[[Category:College men's basketball head coaches in the United States]]
[[Category:Continental Basketball Association coaches]]
[[Category:High school basketball coaches in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Indiana Pacers scouts]]
[[Category:International Basketball League (1999–2001) coaches]]
[[Category:Saint Anselm Hawks men's basketball players]]
[[Category:United States Basketball League coaches]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]