Clancy resigns at Wheeling

John Clancy was working toward building a successful boys basketball program at Wheeling High School.

But staff reductions led to Clancy’s full-time physical education position being cut for next year. The uncertainty led Clancy to resign as the Wildcats’ head coach after two seasons.

“I put my heart and soul into this thing the last two years and I definitely wanted to see it through,” said Clancy, who was nontenured in his third year as a teacher at Wheeling. “I think brighter things are on the horizon. But without a teaching position I had to look at another route.”

Clancy was 9-45 overall at Wheeling and this year’s team finished 2-25 with a pair of sophomore starting guards in Jeremy Stephani and Chris Pierro. Both teams finished 1-9 in the Mid-Suburban East.

But Wheeling assistant principal for student activities Steve May believed Clancy had the program headed in the right direction.

“I thought it was a positive year from the fact the work the kids put in and the expectations and the way they carried themselves,” May said. “I thought they played hard the entire year.

“I told John we’d do everything to help him. I think he’s going to be a great coach for a long time but it’s unfortunate here that all the other factors came into play.”

Clancy credited his high school staff which included Don Rowley Sr. and Don Rowley Jr., Brian Mucha and Mike O’Keeffe and those involved in the Wheeling feeder program — B.J. Jordan, Brett Gerken, Eric Swanson and O’Keeffe — for their help.

“Obviously we took some lumps and it wasn’t the year we were hoping for,” Clancy said. “I love the kids at Wheeling. I had taken a vested interest in it and put in the time and we started to see change at the feeder levels.

“I was really excited about what was going on and moving forward but it wasn’t in the cards.”

May said the job opening would be posted this week and he’s hopeful to have a new coach later this month.

Clancy, who was a Daily Herald All-Area guard and led Buffalo Grove to an MSL East title in 2003, said the experience taught him a lot about how to run a program. He said he hasn’t lost any of his passion for teaching and coaching and he’s exploring other opportunities at the high school and collegiate levels.

“I told the guys this year it’s not always easy and you don’t know why things happen but you have to keep working hard,” Clancy said. “If you work hard and try to do the right things, things are going to work out.

“The Wheeling community deserves a winner in boys basketball. Hopefully whoever gets it can build on the foundation we tried to get going.”