It was early May and it was expected to be your typical school day for Weehawken boys’ head basketball coach Jake McNish.
McNish, who has been the head coach of the Indians for the last 24 years, is also a physical education teacher at the high school. On this particular spring morning, McNish arrived to find that the bleachers were still out, which kept McNish from performing his duties as a gym teacher.
“To get class started, I had to get the remote to close the bleachers,” McNish said.
Nothing is done by hand anymore. Everything is all electrical. You don’t close bleachers one-by-one by hand, pushing the bleachers in until they’re safe, secured and out of the way. It’s all done by electricity and a switch.
Or so one would think.
“I got the remote to close the bleachers and began to bring them in, when I honestly don’t know what happened next,” McNish said. “I really don’t remember.”
From eyewitness accounts, McNish (a hulking man who stands about 6-foot-5 and weighs 275 pounds) was somehow lifted off the ground and thrown into a wall about 40 feet away.
Plain and simple, McNish was electrocuted.
“They got me up to sit in a chair and I saw nothing but white spots before my eyes,” McNish said.
The Weehawken Volunteer First Aid Squad, situated just up the block from Weehawken High School, arrived on the scene to administer McNish with emergency care.
“They took my blood pressure and it was 260/220,” McNish said.
If anyone is not aware, those numbers are dangerously high.
“They got me into the ambulance and took me to Hoboken Hospital,” McNish said. “I really don’t remember much. I remember speaking with Steve Spinosa [the Weehawken High School principal], but I was completely out of it.”
By the time McNish arrived in Hoboken, it was obvious he had an irregular heartbeat.
“They admitted me,” McNish said. “The doctors told me that if I wasn’t as big of a guy as I was, I’d be dead.”
But McNish had some lingering problems after the accident. His right hand had limited mobility. He couldn’t use his thumb. He couldn’t turn his neck or lift his head, which made driving impossible.
“They did surgery on my right hand to try to get feeling in my fingers, but that didn’t work,” McNish said. “I constantly had pain in my wrists. I had constant headaches. It was unbelievable.”
McNish said that he started to get relief from the headaches after a doctor prescribed Botox as a possible cure. Botox, which is generally known to help those who want to look younger in their face and neck, has also now been found to relieve migraines and headaches.
“I would get the first injection and be headache-free for three or four days, but then they would come back,” McNish said. “The first couple of months, I had some real dark days. I couldn’t do anything, like read the paper or read a book. I would go into a quiet, dark room to try to get relief, because the medications didn’t work.”
At that point, McNish started to ponder his future.
“I really didn’t know if I was going to be able to make it back,” McNish said. “I couldn’t drive. I had the headaches, which were horrible. I couldn’t use my hand much. I didn’t know what was going on.”
Soon after, McNish had a meeting with Weehawken athletic director Zach Naszimento and McNish’s assistant coaches Brian Fisher and Ben Ricciardi.
“It was the middle of October when I had the meeting,” McNish said. “I was going crazy not knowing. Benny Ricciardi did such a great job with the kids over the summer and [former Weehawken standout and Hudson Reporter Male Athlete of the Year Damian Corredor offered to help out, which he did. But to be honest, I really wanted to get back and coach. I really wanted to get back for the kids. But I also wanted to do it for myself. I knew that this was going to be somewhat of a tough year for us with an inexperienced team.
Added McNish, “I wanted to coach this team. It’s been my life for 24 years. I would do anything I could to get back to coaching.”
On Nov. 16, McNish received the medical clearance to return to work. A week later, basketball season began with tryouts and practices.
“I really didn’t know if I was going to have the strength to run a two-hour practice,” McNish said. “Benny, Brian and Damian did a great job. Damian [who is still going to Kean University and playing football there] has been a God-send. He’s helping as a volunteer. I can’t sing his praises enough.”
The Indians have had their bright moments, like a buzzer-beating win over Dumont with Donato Cieri hitting the game-winning shot. The team owns a 9-10 record and did not enter the recent Hudson County Tournament.
“It’s a little disappointing, our record,” McNish said. “We started out good with Cieri hitting that shot. We stole that one. The whole season has been a learning experience. You always tell your kids that they can overcome anything. Well, I had to do as I say. I wanted to get back to coach these kids. It’s my program and I wanted to be here for these kids if I could be.”
Some days are longer than others.
“It’s exhausting,” said McNish. “I’m beat up at the end of the day. But there’s something in my heart and something in my head that keeps me going. I’m not looking for a pity party. I don’t want people to feel sorry for me. I’m just telling my story. What would I have done if I stayed home? I probably would have lost my mind. My wife had to make sure I came here.”
McNish likes the makeup of his young team, especially 6-foot-6 junior Max Singh, who has shown tremendous progress.
Senior Cieri and juniors Alessandro Romano and Bryan Pedron give the Indians a team that can press and trap at anytime.
“I tell you what,” McNish said. “They bust their tails every game. They go hard for as long as they can. We have a young team that plays hard. I just hope they’re learning along the way.”
And McNish, throughout the entire grueling ordeal, kept one thing in mind: His love of basketball. He had to get back to coaching the game he loved.
“I feel lucky every day,” McNish said. “I have to look at it like that. I’m blessed. I thank God now I’m stronger than I was eight months ago. I’m fortunate to know they could have given this job away. I thank God for the strength to coach this team.”And Weehawken is fortunate to have McNish back in whatever capacity he’s in. He’s a gem in Hudson County sports, a true lifer. He’s the inspiration why we all should keep going.
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.
You can also read Jim’s blog at www.jimhaguesports.blogspot.com.