ROB CARMODY MARS •
Rob Carmody makes his living as part owner of a small electroplating manufacturing company in Glenshaw. But even in his moonlighting job, Carmody has become pretty good at manufacturing things. At Mars High School, the product that has come off the assembly line lately are wins. Lots of them. Carmody is the boys basketball coach at Mars. Under his direction, there has never been life at Mars like there has been the past eight seasons, when the Planets averaged 20 wins. This year, Carmody guided Mars to a one-of-a-kind season, winning a WPIAL boys basketball championship for the first time at the school and making it to the PIAA title game for the second time in three years. For his efforts, Carmody is the Post-Gazette Boys Coach of the Year. The award takes into consideration all coaches in the WPIAL and City League. Mars finished 25-5 and was led by Carmody’s son. A senior point guard, Robby Carmody is the Post-Gazette’s Player of the Year. But this Mars team also had some other key players including Mike Carmody, a 6-foot-6 sophomore and Robby’s younger brother. Rob and his wife, Steph, also have an eighth-grade daughter (Mackenzie). Rob Carmody took over Mars’ program in 1998 when he was 26. He took over a team that had been to the WPIAL playoffs only four times and won one section title. In the past six seasons alone, Mars won five sections and made it at least to the WPIAL semifinals four times. Carmody’s record in 20 seasons is 298-195. Carmody, 46, is a former player at North Catholic and Westminster College.
Was there pressure to win the WPIAL this
year after coming so close? Yes, but not from anybody outside the program. No one said, ‘You have to win this.’ But there was pressure because I knew how badly these kids wanted to win it and I wanted them to experience it. From the end of last season, it’s all they talked about. Was there any ingredient that this team
had and the others didn’t? I’d say a collective toughness. One of the advantages we had as a public-school program is that just about every one of these kids grew up playing sports together. Catholic or private schools don’t get that. Our kids knew each other since kindergarten. They experienced some tough things over the years. Kids lost parents and some other things happened. Not this year, but a lot of them suffered some and I think they developed this collective toughness. Honestly, did having your sons on this team make things even a little more special? There is nothing like it. People might read into that and say he’s selfish or that’s why he coached. But I coached long before I had children. To share something that my whole family was passionate about … There are certain moments I look back on and say, ‘I can’t believe I got to experience that with my children.’ People might be surprised to know … ? Probably the funniest thing is I actually played in a band for a little while, maybe eight or nine years ago. Some friends of mine put this band together and I said I’m going to learn how to play guitar. I did and we actually played a couple block parties or four or five shows. I’m not saying I was ever any good, but I did actually play in a band.