UPDATED: RI’s McClanaghan - Coach to Curry and Other NBA Stars - Arrested on Rape & Drugging Charges
Sunday, November 20, 2022
Rhode Islander Rob McClanaghan has had a storied career. The former Bishop Hendricken basketball star attended Syracuse University.
He became a walk-on to the top-tier Syracuse team and transformed his effort and learning into a career as a top trainer and shooting coach to many of the NBA’s biggest stars.
Now, McClanaghan is facing rape and drugging charges for an incident that allegedly took place in a hotel in Boston.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTJust five months ago, he was hugging NBA superstar and client Steph Curry after he won the NBA championship against the Boston Celtics. Curry was named the MVP.
And, Curry wrote the forward to McClanaghan’s book Net Work -Training the NBA's Best and Finding the Keys to Greatness.
Facing Charges
Boston police said 43-year-old McClanaghan, of Warwick, was arrested Friday in East Greenwich on charges of rape and drugging for intercourse. McClanaghan was wanted on a warrant that was issued Thursday in Boston Municipal Court.
"Boston police said McClanaghan's arrest was the result of an investigation conducted by the Boston Police Sexual Assault Unit and the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office," according to WCVB.
McClanaghan was transported by the BPD Fugitive Unit in coordination with Warwick police for booking at Warwick Police Department. He will be arraigned Monday the Third District Court in Rhode Island's Kent County, where he will be charged as a fugitive from justice.
Author, Corporate Speaker
In Net Work, McClanaghan—referred to by many as “RobMac”—“brings to the page what he brings to each of his training sessions: the same grit and spirit that got him into the college game.”
In his book, He calls it “the grind,” and he knows that without it, even the most talented players will come up short. “McClanaghan pushes his clients hard; he does whatever he can to drive his players to the edge and to simulate fourth quarter, at-the-buzzer adrenaline and fatigue,” according to one promotion statement for the book.
Suicide, Mental Health
In December of 2021, he published a first-person story about his own mental health.
"My name is Rob McClanaghan, and not too long ago, I almost took my own life. You wouldn’t have seen any headlines about it. No articles. Before today, not even my closest friends and family knew. And, truth be told, unless you grew up in Rhode Island or are an obsessive-level NBA fan, you’ve probably never even heard of me," he wrote in a column published in The Player's Tribune.
Now, he faces felony charges. It is a long way from being the guru to Curry and the NBA life.
