Coach McKiernan’s responsibilities include all aspects of coaching and preparation, including player development, practice and game tactics, and scouting. He assists in recruiting efforts and alumni engagement.
Now in his second season with the Beavers, Seamus McKiernan brings to Pasadena a dynamic and versatile set of experiences in and out of the basketball world. A dual Irish-American citizen from Southern California, he was a standout athlete in basketball (CIF First Team) and volleyball (Volleyball Magazine’s top 50 nationally). McKiernan earned his B.A. from Harvard in political science, with a special citation in Mandarin Chinese, and wrote for the Harvard Political Review. He was captain of Harvard’s volleyball and JV basketball teams.
Combined with his athletic skills, McKiernan brings over a decade of storytelling and sports media experience to the program. After living in Beijing in a job for the NBA in China, he made his way to New York, where he began a career in journalism and digital media that included co-founding The Players’ Tribune, the award-winning digital media platform launched by Derek Jeter in 2014. A founding editor of the site, McKiernan has worked with some of the world’s best athletes to tell captivating stories and challenge one-dimensional understandings of the modern sportsman and sportswoman. Well-known stories include Kevin Love’s groundbreaking essay about mental health (“Everyone Is Going Through Something”) and Kyle Korver’s “Privileged” about race and the NBA. Additionally, McKiernan spent two years as a practice player for the WNBA’s New York Liberty.
Raised in Santa Barbara, he lives in Los Angeles. When he’s not on the court, he’s likely camping in the Eastern Sierras or watching old film of Arvydas Sabonis.
