Married to game and each other

Terry and Mary Beth McNichol share many interests in their marriage. When it comes to coaching basketball, though, the McNichols often guide their teams differently.

As the Haverford High boys' coach, Terry likes to run a motion-style, Princeton-type offense. Mary Beth, who leads the Notre Dame Academy girls, prefers a more deliberate and structured scheme.

Clearly, the couple share a passion for the game and coaching their respective programs. Terry McNichol just finished his 12th season as the Fords' coach; Mary Beth has been at Notre Dame for 17 years.

How often is basketball the focal point of discussions at the McNichol household?

"It gets talked about quite a bit, but nothing to the point of obsession," Terry McNichol said. "There isn't a white board set up in our living room or anything like that."

Maybe not, but the interest in drawing up X's and O's has been passed on to their 22-year-old twin girls, Kacy and Kylynn. After playing for their mother at Notre Dame, the twins now help her coach the Irish. Kacy is the head coach of the junior varsity team. Both also coach the Comets' 15-and-under AAU squad, with Kylynn as the boss.

"We're really enjoying it, so far," said Kylynn, flanked by Kacy at Notre Dame's new Aimee Willard Gymnasium. "Over the years, we've learned a lot from watching our mom. She preaches hustle, expects a lot of effort and dedication from her players."

Mary Beth McNichol is glad to have them."They're really into it, and the players love them."

There one day could be a fifth McNichol on the bench. Shane, a 6-foot junior, plays for his father at Haverford.

Mary Beth McNichol starred at Archbishop Prendergast and Villanova. Thirty years ago, during a La Salle-Villanova doubleheader at the Palestra, the Wildcats' guard met her husband-to-be. Terry McNichol, then a freshman at Villanova, was there to watch his sister, Mary Ann, a teammate of Mary Beth's.

The McNichols have been married 23 years. Terry works as a financial planner in Plymouth Meeting. Mary Beth, who was inducted into Villanova's Hall of Fame in 1997, is an associate business manager at Notre Dame.

Like the McNichols, other area couples blend marriage with coaching basketball. One is a husband-wife team. In two other relationships, husband and wife cope with the dinner-time tension that comes with coaching against each other.

At Pennridge, Brooke and Dave Martin, married for seven years, coach the girls together. Brooke is the head coach and Dave is the top assistant.

"I consider us to be co-coaches," Brooke said. "He makes suggestions, I make suggestions. We pretty much consult with each other about everything."

Brooke and Dave met at Beaver College (now Arcadia University), where both were volunteer assistants for the women's program. Brooke, a Pennridge graduate, was a 5-foot-4 point guard for Beaver and also played college softball. Dave excelled as a 6-6 soccer goalie at Archbishop Wood and Beaver.

"Dave focuses primarily on coaching the bigger players, and I focus on the guards," said Brooke, now eight months pregnant.

The new baby will be the Martins' third child. Alyssa, 6, plays basketball in a co-ed league at Deep Run Valley Sports Association in Hilltown Township. Ryan, 3, no doubt will soon hit the hardwood.

At least twice every season, Eric and Heather Glemser (nee Weindorfer) plot against each other in girls' hoops. Eric has been at Hatboro-Horsham for five seasons, Heather at Central Bucks West for three.

The Hatters and Bucks are members of the Suburban One League Continental Conference. In six league meetings, Heather has a 4-2 advantage on Eric. The Bucks swept this season's series, posting a one-point road win in the process.

"During the week leading up to the game, we don't talk too much about basketball," said Eric, a fifth-grade math teacher at Hallowell Elementary School. "It's pretty intense. We both want to win, but I'm the one that really can't stand losing."

Heather, the all-time leading scorer at Lower Moreland (2,342 career points) and the University of Hartford (1,780), agreed.

"He's a sore loser," she said. "He loves the spotlight."

The couple were married in October 2006. They have coached AAU ball together for nearly a decade.

"When we see the girls we've coached move on and become successful, that's what's really satisfying," Heather said.

Chris Genther has assisted Cardinal O'Hara girls' coach, Linus McGinty, for 13 seasons. His wife, Linda, has spent the same number of seasons at Notre Dame, working under Mary Beth McNichol.

The couple have 5-year-old twin boys, Zach and Eric. In the days leading up to last month's O'Hara-Notre Dame matchup in the Scholastic Play-by-Play Classic, Zach several times switched allegiances.

"One night, he would say the Fighting Irish," Linda said. "The next night, he would say Missy Downey [a senior point guard] and Cardinal O'Hara."

In the teams' first meeting in several seasons, the Lions recovered from an early deficit and easily beat the Irish, 47-30.

For the sake of his marriage, did Chris Genther tell Linus to take it easy on the injury-depleted Irish?

"No, Linus is pretty good that way," Chris Genther said. "He doesn't run it up on teams."

For the Delaware County-based Comets, which last year had one of the country's best AAU 16-and-under squads, Chris does the coaching, and Linda, the club's director, handles the administrative duties.

"It's not about the wins and losses for us," Linda said. "It's our way of giving back. We've both had great CYO and high school coaches."

Husbands and wives square off on the court as their basketball teams face each other. See the photos at http://go.philly.com/spouseEndText