Mary Barbale, then a junior at Christendom College in Front Royal, heard the sound of a bouncing basketball and music coming from the Crusader Gymnasium on a Sunday afternoon.
“I said, ‘Ooh, I love that song.’ I peeked in to see who was there. It was Jeremy. I was like, ‘All right, he must be kind of cool,’ ” she said. “I went in, and we started chatting, and ended up talking for four hours. We basically fell in love in the gym.”
How appropriate. Jeremy and Mary Minick, now married for almost 11 years, are a basketball dynamo for their alma mater. Both former players, Mary heads the women’s team, which has won two straight national championships. Jeremy is the former men’s coach and now helps Mary with the women’s program.
“It’s a collaboration,” Mary said. “That’s what marriage is, right?”
Patrick Quest, athletic director, said hiring them was a no brainer.
“Jeremy was someone who knew Christendom and knew the game,” he said. “With Mary, I just knew her competitiveness. And she’s a great example for our young ladies. That’s a big thing for any of our coaches — to be that example, to be that mentor.”
Mary’s career started reluctantly with Jeremy already juggling coaching, a full-time job and fatherhood.
“I said, ‘Are you crazy?’ My husband is already not around. I just had my second baby. I can’t do it,” Mary said. “(Quest) said, ‘Well I need someone for just one year.’ I looked around. I loved my time here at Christendom. I love what it gave me. I thought, ‘Well if they really don’t have anyone, I’ll step in for the year.’
That was eight years ago.
Early into their careers, the Minicks coordinated schedules and babysitters, which became more challenging.
“As the years went on, it just started getting chaotic,” Mary said. “I would have a newborn with me at my game, with a babysitter. Then another babysitter at home with the other kids.
The breaking point came when the older children took more notice of Dad’s absence. At the end of the 2023-24 regular season, Jeremy’s last as head coach, the men’s team did not qualify for the national tournament, but the women did. Jeremy scouted the opposition and helped devise game plans. The Crusaders, ranked No. 7 in the tournament, pulled upset after upset to win the program’s first national title.
“His expertise was a huge, huge reason why we won that year,” Mary said. “The following year, he was not coaching (the men’s team), and he said, ‘Hey, let’s do this again.’ ”
“I’m basically the analytics person,” Jeremy said. “We talk about the games and what we can improve upon in practice. It’s a lot of fun being able to sit in the backseat.”
Another national championship followed last year. This season, Mary is on the sideline during games, arms folded, pacing, focused on the court. Jeremy can usually be found watching from upstairs, analyzing, ready to offer input.
Mary is a motivator. “Coach pushes us a lot to do your best. Gives you the confidence to take your shot and run the offense,” said junior Libby Kolesar, of Cranberry, Pa.
Kolesar and teammates spoke highly of their coaches, and the opportunities that Christendom provides. Mary Pennefather, a junior from Manassas, remembers visiting the campus while she was still in high school.
“I had a lot of fun. It was the people mainly,” Pennefather said. “I practiced with some of the players. They were so kind, and they were very good at basketball. They loved it here. You have awesome people, and you have a beautiful chapel, it’s very Catholic, with good academics.”
Pennefather leads the team with a 19.2 scoring average. The Crusaders are 8-5 and ranked No. 12 in the USCAA Division 2 poll.
Winning a third straight national championship will be a challenge, Mary Minick admits.
“But I’m not saying it’s impossible,” she said.
Another title would obviously bring cheers. Regardless, the Minicks will be celebrating this summer as the parents of four children, ages 2 to 9, are expecting their fifth child in July.
Thomas is a freelancer in Front Royal.
