BY MARK ZIMMARO
SPRINGFIELD, PA—Cardinal O’ Hara High School’s Pearse McGuinn chose the road less traveled.
His father, Dan McGuinn, was one of the best to row at Temple University, captaining the Owls and continuing their long tradition of winning the prestigious Dad Vail Regatta during his time there in the 1990s.
His uncles Kevin, Joe, Steve and Jim McGuinn also rowed the murky waters of the Schuylkill River for Father Judge High School at various times under longtime coach Phil Roche.
But Pearse took a hard pivot and chose basketball.
“My parents probably didn’t think I’d be as tall as I am but I probably got it from my grandpa (Steve Litz),” said Pearse, who is listed at 6-foot-7. “He played basketball at Duke (University) in college. He taught me how to play basketball growing up and I’d shoot around with him. Rowing was always a thought in the back of my mind if basketball didn’t work out. But basketball is doing well for me so far so I’m going to stick with it.”
It appears he made the right call.
McGuinn, a junior, has quickly become one of the best post players in the Philadelphia Catholic League as O’Hara’s big man. But his game isn’t limited to grabbing tough rebounds in the paint. McGuinn has a smooth release from beyond the arc and can distribute to his teammates just as well. He fits in perfectly with a talented group that’s starting to make some waves.
CARDINAL O'HARA JUNIOR PEARSE MCGUINN IN GAME VS. CONWELL-EGAN. PHOTO/ MARK ZIMMARO FOR PSD
Cardinal O'Hara vs. Conwell-Egan - PSD Highlights by Mark Zimmaro
“We’re a team that always feeds off each other,” McGuinn said. “We don’t ever want to take selfish shots. And even though that happens sometimes, it doesn’t matter. It’s on to the next play. I’ll always be the type of guy to say to my teammates to get me the ball and I’ll get the ball to them. It’s all trust.”
His signature performance came in a 79-60 victory over Bonner-Prendie last week as McGuinn shot 9-for-11 from the floor including 3-for-3 from beyond the 3-point line. He also went 7-for-7 from the free-throw line for a game-high 28 points in addition to 10 boards. He sandwiched that PCL effort with 14 points against Conwell-Egan and 16 points against West Catholic. He’s been getting looks from high level schools.
“It’s crazy,” McGuinn said. “As a kid, I never thought it would become this. I just wanted to play basketball for fun. And then I hit my growth spurt and people started telling me I could do something with this. So now I’ve put a lot of work into it. I never thought I’d get where I am now, but I just keep going up.”
The ultimate high school goal is to cut down the nets at the Palestra on Feb. 27. If they go all the way, Pearse would match his sister Bridget McGuinn in PCL championships as she led the Lions to the top last year in volleyball. Bridget, the 2021 Catholic League volleyball MVP, ironically found a spot rowing on La Salle University’s crew team this year as a freshman.
“Yeah, my sister was the PCL MVP but didn’t go to college for volleyball,” Pearse said. “But my dad had some connections with rowing coaches and they decided to check her out. They put her on the river and said, ‘yeah, we’ll take her’ and now she’s on a full scholarship. She’s tall and muscular so it worked out. She always said that if basketball doesn’t work out for me, the men’s team could always use me.”
It’s always been a thought, McGuinn admits. Having an ergometer in his basement proved positive when basketball workouts were shut down during his freshman year due to the pandemic.
“I’ve gone on the river with my dad and I’ve used a rowing machine,” McGuinn said. “Freshman year we were quarantined because the team got COVID. I would always use the rowing machine as a form of workout in my basement. Those things are tough but they kept me in shape. When we came back (from COVID) and everyone was dying out (on the court). I was OK.”
MCGUINN'S SISTER VOLLEYBALL STANDOUT & PCL MVP BRIDGET MCQUINN IN 2021 VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. PSD PHOTO BY JAMES WILLIAMSON.
O'HARA 'S PEARSE MCQUINN IN GAME VS. CONWELL-EGAN. PHOTO/ MARK ZIMMARO FOR PSD.
But right now, it’s all basketball all the time and McGuinn is hyper focused on his team making a run. The Lions were 5-4 in PCL play and 12-6 overall through Jan. 30th. He wants O’Hara to play deep into the PCL Playoffs.
“The goal is to get to the Palestra,” he said. “We’ve had that dream since last year. There’s a lot of good teams this year but we have the talent and we have the team so we think we can take it far.”