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A Short Video By Ferrara Films
WEST CHESTER, PA – Some ideas are way off base. Other ideas are discussed and debated by committees and sub-committees. Then there are the no-brainers. The ideas that just seem like the right thing to do and people ask, "Why did we wait so long?".
This is one of those ideas.
Saturday afternoon, former West Chester men's basketball and women's basketball head coaches, Dick DeLaney and Deirdre Kane were immortalized on the hardwood inside Hollinger Field House when the court was renamed Kane DeLaney Court in their honor during a ceremony.
"It's really unbelievable," DeLaney said when reached at home earlier this week. "It's very touching, and I never could have imagined something like this when I came to West Chester University in 1965."
"West Chester University has been so great to me," Kane added. "It was a fantastic place to spend a career and build lasting relationships."
One relationship cultivated on endless bus trips up and down the Eastern Seaboard and back-and-forth across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was between two iconic coaches fighting to shape their programs into one of the top clubs in the region. It was inevitable really. The two spent more time together during the winter season than they probably did with their spouses.
"We were good friends," DeLaney mentioned. "We drove to league meetings together. I knew some schools where the men's and women's coaches didn't get along at all. That wasn't the case with Deirdre and I."
What did they talk about on those trips?
"We certainly had different coaching philosophies," DeLaney pointed out. "But, one thing we had in common was that we wanted to recruit decent people first."
That is evident in who the two turned the keys over to when they retired – DeLaney in 2008, and Kane in 2014.
"The court-naming is a direct reflection of the impact that two individuals had on sculpting countless lives," current West Chester men's basketball coach, and former player for Delaney,
Damien Blair said. "It speaks to the culture of our WCU basketball community and the importance of relationships and nurturing excellence."
The year was 1987, and West Chester University Director of Athletics, the late Dick Yoder, was looking for a pair of head coaches to lead both the men's and women's basketball programs. He settled on an alum, who was better known for his contributions to the game of soccer and baseball, to take the lead role on the men's side, and he selected an assistant coach at Penn one year removed from head coaching duties at two Division III programs, for the first chair on the women's sideline. Little did Yoder know at the time that he was making perhaps the two best hires of his career and changing the fortunes of West Chester basketball for decades to come.
Kane and DeLaney spent 21 years together in Hollinger Field House, driving vans to games in the beginning, and borrowing the swimming team's warmups for contests. Conditions within both programs were less than ideal. However, determination and perseverance in the face of adversity pulled them through. Now, their destinies and their legacies are forever intertwined; you can't mention one's name without thinking of the other. You also won't see one's name on the court in Hollinger Field House without the other's right next to it.
"I am so overwhelmed and honored by this gesture," Kane continued. "If I make it through my remarks on Saturday without becoming a blubbering mess, I will consider it the greatest victory of my career."
That career included 447 wins, 16 PSAC Tournament appearances and four NCAA Tournament appearances. She was named the PSAC Coach of the Year five times and was a regional coach of the year three times. Her crowning achievement was negotiating inclusion for full-time coaches across all 14 PASSHE schools in the APSCUF union, protecting the rights of athletic head coaches in the state system.
"Coach Kane created a winning culture on and off the court," started current West Chester women's basketball head coach
Kiera Wooden, who played under Kane for four years (1999-2003) and coached alongside her for 10 years after her playing days ended. "She earned numerous coach of the year awards, won championships, and made some NCAA tournaments along the way! More importantly, she established a legacy that is more than just basketball. She created a sisterhood that transcends generations! The legacy that she created is one that cannot be mimicked, imitated, or recreated. Her legacy is built on love, woven together in sisterhood, and draped in togetherness that spans a lifetime! With all that she's done for WCU WBB, it makes perfect sense that we celebrate her in such a meaningful way with the court unveiling," concluded Wooden.
DeLaney stepped aside as men's basketball coach in 2008 after 370 career wins, 18 winning seasons and four PSAC Eastern Division titles to his credit. He reached the PSAC Championship Game twice and qualified for the NCAA Tournament three times. However, DeLaney is most proud of the fact that every one of his basketball players graduated during his 21-year stay at West Chester.
"Having made a significant difference in the lives of many student athletes and alumni, Coach DeLaney's and Coach Kane's contributions remain at the heart of the university's women's and men's basketball programs," said West Chester University President Laurie Bernotsky. "These two extraordinary coaches, who have been exceptional teachers and inspirational mentors, have set an example for all of us to follow as we work to ensure that all of our Golden Rams succeed on and off the court."
More than 300 alumni, former West Chester University athletes, friends, and members of the community filled Hollinger Field House to celebrate the two winningest coaches in WCU's history. On prominent display during the ceremony is a special plaque that has been installed at Kane DeLaney Court to highlight the impact these two individuals have made on WCU's men's and women's basketball programs, as well as on the entire university community.
The men's basketball team opens the home portion of its 2024-25 schedule on Nov. 16 against Wilmington (Del.). The women will take the home floor two days later against Wilmington as well on Nov. 18.
