Absent Fenerty gets victory No. 500

Jim Fenerty earned his 500th career victory as a high school basketball coach on Friday night. And he wasn't even there.

The Germantown Academy coach spent more than 32 seasons racking up 499 wins. But earlier this week, on the eve of his latest century mark, Fenerty fell ill while teaching an early-morning civil liberties class to GA seniors.

His right side went numb. Some feared he was having a stroke. He was admitted to Abington Memorial Hospital, where he was diagnosed with Polycythemia vera, a bone marrow disease that leads to an abnormal increase in blood cell count.

He was released Thursday night, but wasn't feeling well enough to coach Friday. So with associate head coach and longtime partner Mike Hannigan taking over the Patriots' sideline, GA earned a nail-biting, 60-59 win against visiting Inter-Ac League foe Haverford School.

Though Fenerty was absent, he still was credited with the victory because he is the head coach, putting his record at 500-322 over 32 years.

"Well, it was quite a way to do it, that's for sure," Fenerty said by phone after the game. "I'm thrilled beyond belief. I'm so proud of the guys. I'm dying here. I wish I could be there."

If anything, Fenerty would have been proud of his team's resolve. The Patriots (17-6 overall, 6-2 league) saw a six-point halftime lead evaporate early in the third, when Haverford (15-8, 5-3) used a 10-2 run in opening three minutes to go ahead. GA was outscored, 19-9, for the quarter and trailed by four entering the fourth.

"The kids really played hard, and they knew we were down a man - and that's Coach," said Hannigan, Fenerty's assistant for 28 seasons. "I think [the players] got a little insecure for a while on the floor looking for Jim, and I'm standing there."

The Patriots, though, kept their poise. They opened the fourth on a 5-2 run, reclaiming the lead on James Drury's three-point play with 6 minutes, 7 seconds remaining. Haverford tied the score three times in the final six minutes, but never retook the lead.

Point guard Nick Linder's six fourth-quarter free throws helped seal the win.

"It means so much to give back to [Fenerty] when he's given so much to us," said Lindner, who finished with a team-high 20 points and eight assists.

GA forward Greg Dotson added 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Tao Xu, Haverford's 7-foot center, was suspended for the game because of a double technical foul he received in the Fords' previous game. Haverford forward Semaj Reed was a force inside, posting a game-high 23 points (9-for-14 shooting) and 14 boards.

Fenerty wasn't afforded the chance to witness any of it, though his name will go down with the victory.

"This is his win. This is his team," Hannigan said.

After going 61-138 at soon-to-be-closed Conwell-Egan from 1982-89, Fenerty has spent the last 23-plus seasons at GA, where he is also the athletic director. Friday was only his third missed game.

The Patriots will take a five-game win streak into Saturday's nonleague matchup with Peddie School (N.J.) at 2 p.m.

"After going through this tonight, sitting around here and getting updates," said Fenerty, who received updates via text message from his son, Jim Jr., throughout the game, "I'm coming and I'm coaching [Saturday]. I don't have to get any therapy or treatment [Saturday] morning, so I'm going to sleep in and then come in and coach my team."

Haverford School   12 12 19 16 – 59

Germantown Academy   19 11 9 21 – 60

HS: Ray Hollman 4, Semaj Reed 23, Eric Anderson 2, Sam Foreman 15, Shawn Alston 9, Zach Thomas 6.

GA: Nick Lindner 20, Cameron Retif 4, Greg Dotson 16, Julian Moore 10, Connor Crump 2, James Drury 8.