Friends and fans invited to Mike McConathy Court dedication Feb. 15

NATCHITOCHES - Friends, athletes and Demon fans are invited to join the Northwestern State University family in honoring Mike McConathy during a court dedication ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 15.

The playing surface at Prather Coliseum will be named the Mike McConathy Court in honor of the state's leader in college basketball coaching victories. The formal recognition will be during halftime of the Southland Conference men's basketball game against Stephen F. Austin. The double header will begin at 1 p.m. with the Lady Demons, followed by the men's game at approximately 3:30 p.m. The recognition will take place about 4:30 p.m.

"Coach McConathy has been a positive role model and mentor to young people for decades," said Jill Bankston, NSU's director of Alumni and Development. "We are excited to honor him for all that he has done for Northwestern State, the Natchitoches community and throughout the northwest Louisiana region."

A special general admission ticket rate of $5 per person for those over age 12 will be available for the doubleheader. Kids under 12 will be admitted free of charge.

A tribute lunch will be served between the men's and women's games. Friends who plan to attend the lunch should RSVP by Feb. 10.

For more information and to RSVP, visit www.nsu.la/mcconathy. Through this page, friends can also submit photos of McConathy to share in a slideshow.

The Feb. 15 ceremony also will mark the launch of the Mike McConathy Scholarship Fund to support Northwestern student-athletes who have exhausted their NCAA eligibility before completing their degrees. A link to give can also be found at www.nsu.la/mcconathy.

McConathy compiled 330 of his state-record victories while coaching at Northwestern, the alma mater of his father, two uncles, both of his sons and two of his nephews.

During his 23-season run as the Demons' head coach, McConathy led Northwestern to its first three NCAA Tournament appearances, including the first two NCAA Tournament victories in school history. The 2005-06 "Demons of Destiny" squad lives on in NCAA Tournament lore after Jermaine Wallace's last-gasp 3-pointer lifted Northwestern to a stunning upset of No. 3-seeded Iowa - a play that was named the Pontiac Game Changing Performance that landed Northwestern a $100,000 scholarship.

McConathy's teams were a constant presence at the top of the Southland Conference standings, winning the first two Southland titles in program history, reaching four SLC Tournament title games and winning three of them.

McConathy's teams were also standouts in the classroom, landing numerous National Association of Basketball Coaches Team Academic Excellence Awards and holding a graduation rate of around 90 percent.

Away from the bench, McConathy's career, which also included the starting and building of Bossier Parish Community College's program into a national tournament participant, landed him the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches Association's Mr. Basketball Award in 2023. He is a member of the N-Club Hall of Fame and Northwestern's Hall of Distinguished Educators.

Fans can keep up to date with Northwestern State basketball on X and Instagram at @NSUDemonsMBB and on Facebook (NSUDemonsBasketball).