Bronxville News

Bronco Point Guard Sean McGrath is Not Throwing Away His Shot

#4 has 11 points going into the start of the second quarter. He is only one point away from making a varsity career, record-making 1000th point. He goes for the shot!  And he’s fouled at just under four minutes in the second quarter on the clock!  He gets two free throws. He steps up to the line. His heart is beating, and fast. The sights and sounds fade away from his periphery as he locks eyes with his dad in the stands. His dad smiles at him and laughs. #4 can’t help but do the same. This could be the defining moment of his Bronxville basketball career. There’s no time for thinking, but he knows that he has two options: succumb to the pressure or take it in stride. With the ball in the palm of his hands, he looks up at the hoop, takes a deep breath, extends, and shoots. Swish.

Turns out LeBron James wasn’t the only one smashing records this week. On Tuesday night, Bronxville senior and Bronco hoopster #4, Sean McGrath scored his 1000th point during the Senior Night game against the Barack Obama School for Social Justice Lightening team. An amazing feat in and of itself, but also made legendary by the fact that he was playing with a broken nose injury suffered from a previous game two weeks prior. With surgery scheduled the day after the Senior Night game, he wasn’t sure if his recovery period would allow for him to play another game for Bronxville this season, which is also his last. Reaching the 1000th point came down to this pivotal game. And with grace under pressure, Sean made it happen. “There was definitely a part of me that was nervous, but going into the game my teammates were so encouraging and the energy was magnetic. Having my family there for Senior Night was also incredibly supportive. My brother came down from college to be there for me,” said Sean.

According to Sean, basketball is the McGrath family sport. Growing up, Sean’s dad was a basketball coach and his two brothers were his teammates. In fact, when he joined the Bronxville varsity basketball team in eighth grade, he was on the team with his older brother, who was a senior at the time. “Being a part of a team is an awesome experience. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity as a younger player to have upperclassmen as mentors and friends, and obviously it was really special to me to be on the team with my older brother. Sports have been a big part of my life and personal development. Being an athlete has been a very influential, positive, and meaningful experience for me,” said Sean. 

On Tuesday night, Sean scored a total of 22 points against the Lightning, racking up a five year varsity career total of 1012 points. Although the Broncos lost the nail biter by 3 points, Sean was lauded for the amazing accomplishment- including a call out from Lightning coach Sean Stahn on Twitter. As for his coaches, Sean has much respect for the leadership and keeping the team cohesive and focused. “Coach Pritchett has been amazing. He always ties everything together, and makes it clear that working together as a team is a priority and always worth striving for,” said Sean. Coach Brian Pritchett has a mutual admiration for his player. “Cohesiveness and respect is a “two way” street. As coaches, we have instilled core values of hard work, trusting the system and being a good teammate to create platforms of cohesiveness and respect that go beyond the basketball court. Sean has been an exemplary part of our philosophies and principles. He has been able to illuminate our vision for the program through his play, his voice, and his pride for Bronxville HS. Sean is a “Coach” on/ off the floor. His leadership speaks to his passion for basketball and his attention to detail,” said Coach Pritchett.

Speaking of teams, Sean’s accomplishment has placed him on a team with only four others in the history of Bronxville boys varsity basketball who reached the 1000th mark: Pat Dowd (1982), Tom Priore (1987), Alston Terry (2018), and Chris Kelty (2022).