McGettigan Brings Team USA Experience to CSU
Former student manager now a graduate assistant for Rams
The players never pinned the loss on him. Tempted as they were, Adam Thistlewood said they never played that card, tempted as they were.
But head coach Niko Medved did.
“I blamed him for the exhibition loss,” Colorado State’s head men’s basketball said.
It was all in fun, directed at newly appointed graduate assistant Colin McGettigan, and the loss in reference was the one the Team USA men’s basketball team suffered heading into the Tokyo Olympic Games. See, McGettigan, who had spent his previous three years with Medved’s staff as a student manager, has a long history with USA Basketball as support staff at camps, including this year’s Olympic preparation in Las Vegas.
He persisted his way into the door at CSU under the previous regime, and having connections through former Air Force basketball coach Dave Pilipovich’s son helped open some doors with Team USA. Over the years, McGettigan figures he’s worked about 12 camps from the junior level on up, but this summer was his second time with Team USA.
And as he’s been able to do with the Rams, he’s learned more and more about basketball operations from a front-row seat each and every time.
“I think the coolest thing is that it’s the best players and coaches, and you watch them,” he said. “The intensity and level of play is pretty nuts. The coaches, the way they coach, is super cool to watch.”
It’s not unlike what he has done in the past with Colorado State, though he’s getting to do more and more in his new role. He’s an active member of each practice and most definitely behind the scenes. He’s the first guy to offer to run to the locker room for a stray item, and he’s quick to raise his hand to try something new.
One can tell the players and coaches alike respect what he does – and what he’ll do in his expanded role – by the way they interact with him. They treat him like he’s one of the group, a sure sign of respect.
Thistlewood calls him an important member of the team, someone who has definitely earned his expanded profile.
“Colin does just about everything for us. He does a lot of film, he rebounds for us, he’s got a great attitude in everything he does,” Thistlewood said. “He’ll step out there if we need someone to help out in a drill. He just does about everything for us.
“I was super excited when I heard he was coming back. He’s one of those guys who is so easy to get along with and talk to. He’s got that Team USA experience, and he has those stories. He’s always fun to be around.”
Admittedly, McGettigan’s first experience with Team USA left his a bit awestruck, which is natural. In a moment’s notice, he’s helping some of the best players in the world go about refining their craft and watching some of the best minds in the game help them accomplish their goals.
He’s been amazed by how effortless Kevin Durant makes the game look at his size, moving like a guard in a big man’s body. He watched in amazement as Luis Scola, at 41 years old, went up against younger players from Argentina in practice and made them look silly.
He watches the coaching staff, too, with a full appreciation for Gregg Popovich. He provided McGettigan with his most memorable experience at this camp.
I think the coolest thing is that it’s the best players and coaches, and you watch them. The intensity and level of play is pretty nuts. The coaches, the way they coach, is super cool to watch.Colin McGettigan
“It was when all the coaches ran suicide lines. I think Pop got mad at them for having four guys on the floor instead of five, so they all ran,” he said. “That was cool to see. The greatest coaches in the NBA and college were running suicides. Pop was pretty quick. He ran with them.”
Most days, McGettigan was on the run, too. With Las Vegas serving as a training site for multiple teams heading into the Tokyo Games, communications with other countries was crucial, as well as taking care of the day-to-day needs of Team USA.
The camps are normally hectic, but doing so inside a virtual bubble due to the ongoing pandemic added another layer to everything they did.
“This was a lot more on the operations side. We were talking with foreign teams, because they were all in Vegas as well,” McGettigan said. “Argentina, Spain and Nigeria were there, so just working with those teams too and helping set up the gyms. With COVID, we were making sure everything was sanitized. We helped with equipment, fits and then shoe companies were sending tons and tons of boxes.
“The days were pretty busy. You usually start at 8 a.m. and get COVID tested, then finish around 10 pm or midnight. You’re making sure people are where they need to be, gyms are set up, things are cleaned and organized. You make sure the coaches and players have everything they need.”
Which made it not so different from what he does with Colorado State. He’s been a go-to guy for years for the Rams, be it at home or on the road. That type of work will never go unrecognized by Medved, which made it easy for him to add him as a graduate assistant.
This is a career path McGettigan would like to follow now, though it wasn’t on his radar pre-college. But the idea of staying in basketball, on the international or pro level even, has piqued his interest. Which is why he loves when Medved and the staff give him more responsibility.
“He’s been with us since we’ve got here, and I understand a guy like him, all the things he does behind the scenes to make your program go smooth,” Medved said. “All the little things they do every day that go unnoticed … It’s been fun watching him transition into a graduate assistant’s role, and then the experience he’s getting with USA Basketball, and to be able to do that is really invaluable. I think he has a really bright future.
“The wealth of experience that you can have working with an organization like USA Basketball and the people you get to meet and the things you get to do is great. He was also in the NBA bubble. For a guy at his age to have those experiences, I think is great. You draw on all of those to make yourself better. It’s fun he’s still here helping us out here as a graduate assistant.”
Working with Team USA has been a thrill for him, not only as a fan of the game, but a student of what it takes to make an organization successful. Everyone has a role, and that includes the support staff. He’ll never make a shot or snare a rebound, but he can help the behind-the-scenes work run like clockwork.
Now, he take the brunt of a joke about an exhibition loss, but he was able to dodge his greatest fear heading to camp.
“The first time you’re there, and we’re all together all the time, but with COVID, you have to stay six feet apart and have masks on all the time,” he said. “You try to keep your distance from players, because if you pop positive, that would be the worst thing in my position if you created a breakout.”
And for the record, after a couple of early losses, Team USA is still on track with the gold-medal game approaching Friday.