Randy McCoy, a longtime basketball coach who spent more than 45 years shaping young athletes at every level, died April 22. He was 69.
McCoy, who moved from Eastern Kentucky to Cape Coral more than five years ago, found a second home coaching at Island Coast High School.
“It just seemed like a place that I would like to work at and would like to live and be a part of,” McCoy said about relocating to Southwest Florida in a January 2025 interview with Gulf Coast News.
Known for his booming voice, colorful sayings and deep knowledge of the game, McCoy quickly became a fixture in local basketball.
“When he's serious, he's also full of energy and gets the team hyped up,” said senior guard SirJoshua Anderson.
Teammate Izaiah Bacchus agreed: “I think he’s one of the best coaches out here. I think his knowledge is what’s good.”
McCoy’s coaching career stretched from high school gyms in Kentucky to college arenas. He started as a manager at Pikeville College and later became an assistant coach under Wayne Martin. He followed Martin to Morehead State University, where he served as an assistant for nearly a decade.
His career highlights included winning the 15th Region championship in 1993 at Elkhorn City High School, leading Pikeville College to an NAIA Final Four appearance in 2001, winning the All "A" Classic title with University Heights High School in 2008, and capturing the 15th Region All "A" championship in 2017.
Even after undergoing triple bypass surgery, McCoy remained passionate about coaching and mentoring players.
“It was always a matter of getting healthy again,” he said. “And then we just felt like it was time to maybe step away... but that time it wasn't.”
Players at Island Coast often marveled at McCoy’s toughness and dedication.
“It just shows us him stepping up every day, coming to practice, coming to school, coming to games, even when he's not feeling good,” Anderson said. “That just gives us motivation to keep going.”
Even amid health struggles, McCoy’s love for the game and his players never wavered.
McCoy is survived by his wife, Cherri Brickey McCoy, two half-sisters, one half-brother, and several nieces, nephews, family members and friends. He and his wife did not have children but considered the hundreds of players he coached over 46 years as family.
“My wife and I, we don't have any kids, wasn’t blessed,” McCoy said. “But I guess I've got seven or eight hundred that I've coached over 46 years. They know I care about them too, and that's the most important thing.”
Services will be held Tuesday, April 29, with visitation from 6 to 9 p.m. at Lucas & Son Funeral Home, including a short church service at 7 p.m. The funeral will take place Wednesday, April 30, at noon at the Upike College Gym, with Aaron Butler officiating. Burial will follow at Powell Valley Memorial Garden in Big Stone Gap, Virginia.