Dad and daughter coaches fought against one another in a college basketball matchup. It is the first to happen in history.
Coach Dave Magarity, who leads the Army women's basketball team, fought with his daughter coach, Maureen Magarity, who leads Holy Cross University. The dad coach said, "TODAY" that he has used the term "surreal" over the past five or six days for a few times already upon learning of his and his daughter's situation.
It was a surreal experience
He explained that it has been on his mind, but he felt it was a weird experience from what he had over the last 45 years of coaching. Maureen also told the outlet that she thought it was a special and unique experience and felt surreal.
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Maureen won over her dad in both games. Holy Cross won 80-46 on Saturday at Army in West Point, New York. On Sunday, the daughter's team also won 70-61 at Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Dave explained that what they had was a "really weird weekend." He said that the only consolation between battling with his daughter was that, at least when he loses, he will lose to his daughter rather than anybody else.
With adjusted schedules for the season, both schools competed in the Patriot League due to the pandemic. Because of that, the schools fought on consecutive days.
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“We're waving to each other at the end of the game, and I'm giving a thumbs up, like, ‘Hey, you just kicked my butt,’” Dave Magarity joked. Posted by Today Show on Monday, January 11, 2021
Long basketball history between the two
The dad and daughter coaches have a long history in basketball together. Dave was Maureen's coach at Marist College, and then she served as his top assistant for four years at Army. In 2010, Maureen left to become a head coach at the University of New Hampshire. Now, she is in the inaugural campaign with Holy Cross.
Apart from being in her first season on the job, Maureen said that facing her dad added to her nervousness. After dropping the two games earlier in the week, she had yet to notch her first win.
Maureen said that she did not sleep a wink because of that. After their first matchup, she got struck by the magnitude of the moment. She explained it only hit her until after the first game. The daughter coach shared that she and her dad were a little emotional after the games.
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No shaking of hands after the game
The teams could not shake hands after each game due to the virus. The father and daughter took some time to exchange pleasantries because of that. The duo only waved hands, and Dave gave his daughter a thumbs up for "kicking his butt."
Maureen's two daughters, Charlotte and Caroline, got into the spirit between their mom and grandpa's competition. Dave's two granddaughters were proud of him, and everyone in the family felt it was a special week for them.
On February 6 and 7, the whole family will watch another matchup between Dave and Maureen again.
