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Ethan and Mason Conroy did not have the traditional childhood when it came to playing sports.
Sure, the two played just about everything there was to play, but they did so without their father being around much.
Their dad, Joe, was a member of the Northern Illinois women’s basketball coaching staff throughout most of their childhood.
But after recently being named head coach of the boys basketball team at Kaneland, Joe Conroy decided to bring both Ethan and Mason to Kaneland, from DeKalb, to play basketball for him this season.
“It really was a family decision,” Joe Conroy said. “When they were young, I really wasn’t around much with me coaching collegiately, so I really didn’t get to spend too much time with them. To be able to be on the court, in the gym every day doing something we all love to do has been really special.”
Ethan, now a senior at Kaneland, played on the varsity team during all three years at DeKalb.
He was called up during the Chuck Dayton Holiday Tournament and postseason as a freshman and was a full-time member of the varsity team as both a sophomore and junior.
It wasn’t exactly the easiest transition for Ethan and Mason, a junior, to switch schools.
But Ethan said once he knew they could make it happen, the decision almost made itself.
“I definitely wanted to come with,” said Ethan Conroy, the Knights’ starting point guard. “You always wish to play for your dad when you’re a little kid. I wasn’t sure if it was a possibility, but once it was, there was no doubt that I wanted to come play for my dad my last year.”
Although Joe Conroy did not coach his kids at a younger age, what did help the transition was the fact that he coached both Ethan and Mason, along with current Knights Ryan David, Jake Gomes and Jake Hed, as part of the DeKalb-based DC Hoops AAU team.
Joe Conroy knows that adding two new members to a high school basketball team, especially the coach’s children, isn’t always smoothest transition, either, but he did speak to how well it has gone up to this point.
“I’ve had coaches come up to me and say you can’t tell Ethan and Mason are new to the team,” Joe Conroy said. “That speaks volumes about the character of the kids at Kaneland High School. It’s the reason that I wanted them there with me.”
Joe Conroy admitted it can be difficult at times to not correct his sons a bit more than others at times, but said he has never been a coach to treat players differently. Mason Conroy could attest to that.
“He’s actually pretty equal on how he treats guys,” Mason Conroy said. “It’s pretty equal across the board. Sure, maybe he knows how to push Ethan and I a little because he’s our dad, but he’s been really good about that.”
Mason Conroy, also a guard, has come off the bench this season. He’s had to adjust to the difference in minutes from game to game, but has loved having his father as his coach.
“I’ve liked it a lot,” Mason Conroy said. “He knows how to push me, knows how I play and can put me in the lineup how he wants. It’s been a lot of fun, to be honest.”
Then comes the aftermath. While all three Conroys agreed that it’s just about impossible to completely escape basketball at home, they all feel things get handled in a much less intense manner.
However, when asked if the critiques about their individual game gets brought home, Joe Conroy knows fairly early how the boys feel he’s going to react.
“They usually choose to ride home with their mother,” Joe Conroy said with a laugh. “So that’s the separation. But when I get home, they want to know. ... They want to know how they did, what they can improve on. We watch film a lot. It’s not just Ethan and Mason, though. Every kid on this team in invested.”
Even though he’s gotten chances throughout his coaching career to reach the collegiate level, Joe Conroy hinted that his first year at Kaneland might be one of his more rewarding gigs yet.
“Not one kid on this team isn’t willing to sacrifice himself for what we’re trying to accomplish as a team,” Joe Conroy said. “It’s a special team I’ve gotten the chance to coach. Between that and having my kids to go every step of the way with me, it has been awesome.”
Ethan and Mason Conroy did not have the traditional childhood when it came to playing sports.
Sure, the two played just about everything there was to play, but they did so without their father being around much.
Their dad, Joe, was a member of the Northern Illinois women’s basketball coaching staff throughout most of their childhood.
But after recently being named head coach of the boys basketball team at Kaneland, Joe Conroy decided to bring both Ethan and Mason to Kaneland, from DeKalb, to play basketball for him this season.
“It really was a family decision,” Joe Conroy said. “When they were young, I really wasn’t around much with me coaching collegiately, so I really didn’t get to spend too much time with them. To be able to be on the court, in the gym every day doing something we all love to do has been really special.”
Ethan, now a senior at Kaneland, played on the varsity team during all three years at DeKalb.
He was called up during the Chuck Dayton Holiday Tournament and postseason as a freshman and was a full-time member of the varsity team as both a sophomore and junior.
It wasn’t exactly the easiest transition for Ethan and Mason, a junior, to switch schools.
But Ethan said once he knew they could make it happen, the decision almost made itself.
“I definitely wanted to come with,” said Ethan Conroy, the Knights’ starting point guard. “You always wish to play for your dad when you’re a little kid. I wasn’t sure if it was a possibility, but once it was, there was no doubt that I wanted to come play for my dad my last year.”
Although Joe Conroy did not coach his kids at a younger age, what did help the transition was the fact that he coached both Ethan and Mason, along with current Knights Ryan David, Jake Gomes and Jake Hed, as part of the DeKalb-based DC Hoops AAU team.
Joe Conroy knows that adding two new members to a high school basketball team, especially the coach’s children, isn’t always smoothest transition, either, but he did speak to how well it has gone up to this point.
“I’ve had coaches come up to me and say you can’t tell Ethan and Mason are new to the team,” Joe Conroy said. “That speaks volumes about the character of the kids at Kaneland High School. It’s the reason that I wanted them there with me.”
Joe Conroy admitted it can be difficult at times to not correct his sons a bit more than others at times, but said he has never been a coach to treat players differently. Mason Conroy could attest to that.
“He’s actually pretty equal on how he treats guys,” Mason Conroy said. “It’s pretty equal across the board. Sure, maybe he knows how to push Ethan and I a little because he’s our dad, but he’s been really good about that.”
Mason Conroy, also a guard, has come off the bench this season. He’s had to adjust to the difference in minutes from game to game, but has loved having his father as his coach.
“I’ve liked it a lot,” Mason Conroy said. “He knows how to push me, knows how I play and can put me in the lineup how he wants. It’s been a lot of fun, to be honest.”
Then comes the aftermath. While all three Conroys agreed that it’s just about impossible to completely escape basketball at home, they all feel things get handled in a much less intense manner.
However, when asked if the critiques about their individual game gets brought home, Joe Conroy knows fairly early how the boys feel he’s going to react.
“They usually choose to ride home with their mother,” Joe Conroy said with a laugh. “So that’s the separation. But when I get home, they want to know. ... They want to know how they did, what they can improve on. We watch film a lot. It’s not just Ethan and Mason, though. Every kid on this team in invested.”
Even though he’s gotten chances throughout his coaching career to reach the collegiate level, Joe Conroy hinted that his first year at Kaneland might be one of his more rewarding gigs yet.
“Not one kid on this team isn’t willing to sacrifice himself for what we’re trying to accomplish as a team,” Joe Conroy said. “It’s a special team I’ve gotten the chance to coach. Between that and having my kids to go every step of the way with me, it has been awesome.”