Since joining the Northeastern staff as assistant coach in 2006, Jim McCarthy has distinguished himself as a dedicated recruiter and on-court coach.
One of his primary duties is off- and on-campus recruiting. He is also heavily involved with scouting report preparations for NU’s opponents as well as video breakdowns of games and practices for current NU players.
On the practice floor, he works closely with the team’s perimeter players and aided two-time All-CAA first-team selection, Collegehoops.net Mid-Major All-America honorable mention and CAA Player of the Year runner-up Chaisson Allen, as well as Matt Janning who left Northeastern as one of its all-time greats, including back-to-back All-CAA first-team awards. Under McCarthy's watch, NU guard Jonathan Lee earned All-CAA third-team honors in 2011-12 and was named to the preseason All-CAA first team in 2012-13.
In his tenure off the court, McCarthy has served as a liaison for Student-Athlete Academic Support Services, scheduled non-conference games and worked on NCAA compliance.
Before NU, McCarthy spent three years as an assistant coach at Yale, where he was active in recruiting, scouting and game preparation and was responsible for the development of the team’s perimeter players, two of whom were named All-Ivy.
Before Yale, McCarthy spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Williams College, helping lead the team to the 2002-03 NCAA Div. III national title. During those two years, the Williams staff produced an All-America player, a Final Four Most Outstanding Player and three All- Conference performers, while posting a combined record of 53-7. The team won consecutive NESCAC championships and was the first NESCAC and New England school to win a Div. III national title.
Professionally, McCarthy is the CAA representative for the NABC’s Assistant Coaches Committee. In addition, for the past three years, he has participated in the prestigious Villa 7 Consortium for assistant coaches across the nation.
A 2001 graduate of Hamilton College, McCarthy played under fellow Northeastern staffer Tom Murphy and was an All-UCAA selection in 2000. He earned the school’s Ned Doyle Award for leadership, athletic success and academic achievement. He and his wife, Katie, reside in Somerville with their son, Nathan, born Oct. 23, 2010, and daughter, Hannah, born July 24, 2012.
