A true family affair in the basketball programs at Wildwood High

Posted: January 16th 2024

By DAVID WEINBERG

For CapeAtlanticLive.com

It’s a family affair … It’s a family affair…” Sly and the Family Stone.

WILDWOOD - Wildwood High School girls basketball coach Teresa Cunniff paced the sideline during a Saturday afternoon game against Hightstown earlier this month, calling out plays for junior forward Macie McCracken and the Lady Warriors.

Macie’s father, Wildwood boys coach Scott McCracken, leaned against a brick wall behind the baseline, clapping and nodding while watching his daughter in action.

An hour later, the roles were reversed.

Scott McCracken took over on the sideline, shouting instructions to junior forward Brian Cunniff and the rest of the Wildwood boys team.

Teresa switched from coach to parent/fan, standing with husband Brian against that same wall to root for her son.

“I think it’s great that we’re both able to coach and also watch our kids play,” Scott McCracken said. “Usually, the boys team is away and the girls team is home and vice versa, so I don’t get this opportunity too often. I think we only have eight or 10 girls-boys doubleheaders in a season, so this is very exciting.”

It’s a unique and challenging situation for both the coaches and their kids.

Being both a coach and a parent can be difficult. Scott McCracken and Teresa Cunniff have to navigate coaching the other’s children and rooting for their own. Separating the roles is a difficult task that both handle very well.

“Brian and I watch his games on film together and I’ll offer my input,” Teresa said. “But you’ll never find me standing on the sideline and telling him how to play. He’s 16. He’s a big boy. He figures it out.”

Both Macie and Brian face their own pressure.

The McCracken name is royalty in Wildwood basketball.

The late Bernie McCracken (no relation to Scott or Macie) registered a 256-88 career record as the Warriors’ boys coach in the 1960s-70s.

Macie’s older sisters, Mackenzie and Maddie, were outstanding players for the girls team. Mackenzie, a 2017 Wildwood graduate, scored 1,896 points for the Warriors before playing at Holy Family and Widener.

Maddie, a 2019 grad, is the program’s second-leading scorer with 2,001 points. She played college basketball at Stockton University and now leads The Step Back Foundation charitable organization.

Mackenzie wore No. 1 for the Warriors, Maddie had No. 2 and now Macie sports No. 3.

“I know I have a lot to live up to,” Macie said. “But my sisters are always behind me and so is my dad. We work out together all the time.”

She’s had no trouble living up to the legacy.

Macie entered this week averaging 24.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.5 steals and 3.1 assists for the season. She’s already a member of the school’s 1,000-point club with 1,373 career points and recently made her 200th career three-pointer.

Brian gets reminded of his expectations every time he walks into Wildwood’s gym.

Among the banners that hang on the walls is one that features his mom. Teresa Polini was a terrific basketball, softball and tennis player for the Warriors. She scored 1,305 career points for the basketball team and is a member of the Al Carino South Jersey Basketball Hall of Fame.

Her No. 23 is among the numbers that have been retired by the girls basketball program.

Brian also wears No. 23. He did not request the jersey number but instead was given it by the boys coaching staff when he was a freshman.

“It’s definitely a lot of pressure,” he said. “Every time I walk in here, I see her name. People are always saying stuff about it, but I don’t let it get to me. It just makes me play harder.

“There is really is no comparison. I’m not the scorer she was, but I try to do my part to help the team.”

He has played a key role in helping the Warriors this season.

He’s third on the team in scoring (11.0 points per game) after matching his career high with 19 points in last weekend’s overtime loss to Lower Cape May. He also averages 4.8 rebounds per game. 

Mom is thrilled.

“I don’t think he wanted to wear 23 at first,” Teresa said. “He thought, ‘If I wear it, everybody’s going to compare me to you.’ I said, ‘Don’t look at it that way. Just think about how proud I am watching you out there wearing my number. And it’s true. I’m very proud of him.”