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Mom's Death Doesn't Stop Rayshaun McGrew From Inspirational Trip to NCAAs

By Justin Breen | March 16, 2016 5:46am | Updated on March 16, 2016 4:43pm
 Rayshaun McGrew's mother, Ineater, died of cancer during the season. McGrew is heading to the NCAA tournament with Stony Brook.
Rayshaun McGrew's mother, Ineater, died of cancer during the season. McGrew is heading to the NCAA tournament with Stony Brook.
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CHICAGO — One of Rayshaun McGrew's biggest fans, Peter Hooley, knows exactly what he's going through.

McGrew, of Altgeld Gardens and a Chicago Vocational graduate, helped lead Stony Brook to its first NCAA tournament this season while dealing with the death of his mom, Ineater, who died from breast cancer during the season.

Last year, Hooley became one of the stories of the year after he hit the winning 3-point shot to send Albany to the NCAAs just weeks after the death of his mother from colon cancer. Hooley and McGrew, who play against each other in the America East Conference, were friends before their mothers died, and the deaths bonded them further.

"It's the same situation," said McGrew, whose 13th-seeded Stony Brook squad (26-6) plays No. 4 seed Kentucky on Thursday. "It's made us better friends."

 Rayshaun McGrew of the Stony Brook Seawolves attempts a shot over Landon Atterberry of the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Rayshaun McGrew of the Stony Brook Seawolves attempts a shot over Landon Atterberry of the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
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Said Hooley: "Really, I just wanted to be there for him as best I could. Having been through the similar thing, I thought I could be there for him to lean on if he needed and to make sure he was doing OK, as well as making sure he knew how much of an inspiration he was to not only those around him but to the wider community."

McGrew missed Stony Brook's Nov. 14 season opener to spend time with his mom for her 46th birthday. After a four-year battle with cancer, she died on Dec. 5, shortly before McGrew and Stony Brook played Princeton. McGrew told no one, scored 18 points in a victory, then called a team meeting to share the news.

"I didn't want to distract my team or have me on their minds," McGrew said. "I knew my team needed me to get a win."

McGrew attended his mom's funeral and didn't miss a game. The 6-foot-7 senior forward has started the 31 games in which he's played, averaging 10.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. That includes a six-point, three-rebound effort in the Seawolves' 80-74 win over Vermont in the America East tournament title game, which advanced Stony Brook to its first NCAA tournament.

"After the horn went off, I was relieved from all the pressures and all the hard work and dedication, and it started getting to me," McGrew said. "I wished my mom was here with me to enjoy the moment, and it started getting emotional at that point."

CVS coach Chris Pickett said he was worried during McGrew's mom's last days because McGrew "has a huge heart."

"But he dealt with it the way she would have wanted him to, like a strong young man," said Pickett, of Hyde Park.

McGrew said he talked to his mom two times every day because she hated texting. Her death, McGrew said, has taught him to "enjoy every moment of life."

"It just has taught me to have faith," he said.

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