The 2026-27 season will be the first for John McGinty as the Foresters' head coach and the 14th coaching at the collegiate level.
McGinty came to Lake Forest after five seasons as the head coach at the University of St. Francis, where he is the program's career leader in victories. The Saints were 110-45 overall and 75-27 in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference during that span. In addition to advancing to a pair of CCAC Tournament finals and winning the event in 2022, McGinty's teams made three appearances in the NAIA National Tournament and reached the second round twice.
Under McGinty's direction, St. Francis players earned 14 All-CCAC honors, two CCAC Player of the Year distinctions, and three NAIA All-America accolades. Three members of the program were also named to the CCAC All-Freshman Team. McGinty has been recognized for his success as well with three Illinois Basketball Coaches Association NAIA Coach of the Year honors.
Prior to his time at St. Francis, McGinty spent a combined eight years as an assistant coach at Lewis University, Northern Illinois University, and Loyola University Chicago and as a head coach at the University of Northwestern Ohio. Those teams combined for a record of 141-100 with McGinty on staff. Additional accomplishments during his time with those programs include Lewis posting the highest single-season victory total in school history and being the top-ranked team in the nation, Northern Illinois and Loyola making their first postseason appearances in decades, and Northwestern Ohio setting a team record for three-pointers made in a season.
McGinty graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in health and sport studies and earned a master's in organizational leadership from Lewis University.
