Marty Gordon
NRVsports@mainstreetnewspapers.com
Mike McGuire is in his 13th year as head women’s basketball coach at Radford University. He recently became the winningest coach in program history when he passed Pat Barrett (1971-1984), who had previously held the mark with 193 wins. McGuire is currently still going at 195 wins and counting.
This past week, he looked back on this significant mark.
“It really wasn’t on my radar until someone pointed it out,” he said.
According to McGuire, it’s hard to put into words what reaching the milestone means.
“It’s a testament to the quality of people I work with,” he said. “It takes a lot of people to do this job, and it’s a credit to the support system especially my family and not just about me.”
Among active coaches in the Big South, McGuire leads the conference in overall wins, conference wins, tournament wins and Coach of the Year awards. He currently ranks among all-time Big South coaches sixth for overall wins, tied for sixth in tournament wins and fifth for conference wins.
McGuire calls it a privilege to be a Division I basketball coach and has told his players that several times this season. Under his tenure, Radford has earned bids to four WNIT postseason appearances as well as an NCAA Tournament berth in 2019. McGuire has been recognized three times as the Big South Coach of the Year (2015, 2018, 2019), making him the first coach in program history to achieve the feat just on of four in Big South history to have three or more.
The Highlanders most recently completed a 2024-25 campaign that continued the trend of winning with Radford’s third straight season with a winning conference record and their most conference wins since 2019-20.
Prior to his time at Radford, McGuire served as an assistant women’s basketball coach at Richmond. He helped lead the Spiders to WNIT appearances in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 and nearly guided the squad to an Atlantic 10 title in 2009. He was also a member of the Roanoke College men’s basketball coaching staff in 2001-02.
McGuire said he aggressively wanted the job at Radford University.
“(Athletic Director) Robert Lineburg interviewed me at the 2013 Final Four and later called for an in-person on-campus interview,” he said.
Everything must have gone well with both of those, and McGuire now roams the sidelines of the Big South school.
His experience in the high school basketball ranks is extensive as well. McGuire spent time as the William Byrd High School girls’ basketball head coach from 2002-06 before heading to Hidden Valley High School to assume the same role. It was there that he made a name for himself, leading his teams to VHSL Group AA State Championships in 2007 and 2008. He was named Coach of the Year both years.
McGuire was always curious about the next level, so when a player from one of his high school teams was being recruited by the University of Richmond, he was given the opportunity to coach at the next level.
“I am a teacher at heart and love working with youngsters, and I think that by coaching in high school, I am a much better leader and coach because of it.”
At 48 years old, McGuire isn’t thinking about the finish line and the dreaded “R” word -retirement.
“I hope I can be coaching for a long, long time.”
Radford University hopes that’s true.
In the meantime, the city of Radford recently asked him to serve as the Grand Marshal of this week’s Christmas parade. So, for now he has one more gig to add to his resume – college basketball coach and grand marshal.
