SLIPPERY ROCK — Bobby McGraw considers himself fortunate.

The 1990 Mars graduate did not get into basketball coaching until 18 years after he graduated.

Five years later, he has a full-time Division II college assistant position. McGraw was recently named Tanya Longo’s assistant with the Slippery Rock University women’s basketball team.

“I can’t thank Coach Longo enough for this opportunity,” McGraw said. “She’s taking a chance on me and I appreciate it.”

McGraw served as a volunteer assistant under Kevin Reynolds with the SRU men’s team last year. Before that, he spent three years as an assistant with the Division III La Roche College men’s team.

“Working with the men’s team, Bobby was always hanging around the basketball offices,” Longo said. “When my assistant’s job came open, I talked to him about it, asked if he’d be interested ... and here we are.

“I’ve got myself a very good assistant coach. Bobby’s a natural fit for our program. He’s got the right personality and a basketball mind.”

McGraw was a teammate of the late Scott Lang at Mars and Clarion University. After assisting high school coaches Gene Rodgers at Freeport and Chris Bellis at Karns City, he joined Lang’s coaching staff at La Roche.

La Roche won 44 of 56 games during McGraw’s time there.

“Scott was my best friend growing up,” McGraw said. “We were together for a year at Butler County Community College, too.”

As a player, McGraw played on some struggling Mars teams “that won maybe five or six games a year” before getting stuck behind prominent players on the depth chart in college.

He was behind Eric Bovaird — the eventual No. 2 all-time scoring leader at West Liberty State College — at BC3 and Kwame Morton, the PSAC’s all-time leading scorer, at Clarion.

“I didn’t have much luck that way,” McGraw said of getting playing time.

But when it comes to coaching? Different story.

McGraw served four years of active duty in the Marines before working as a Pennsylvania state police officer from 2000-2011. He now works in the compliance department with Kids Count II in Butler.

“I always wanted to coach basketball in college,” McGraw said. “It was a passion I shared with Scott and he got me started there.

“I’m still shocked that he’s gone. It’s still hard for me to even talk about it.”

Longo is entering her fourth year as head women’s coach at SRU. Her teams have lost 65 of 78 games.

This will be McGraw’s first experience coaching female basketball players.

“Basketball is basketball,” he said. “If a player is motivated and wants to learn, that player can be effectively coached. The gender makes no difference.

“This is the most players Coach Longo has had back since she’s been here. She’s had to build this program and she has it moving in the right direction.”

Longo has no problem with McGraw’s lack of experience coaching women’s basketball.

“Absolutely none,” she said. “Bobby has grown as a coach through his life’s experiences, not just what he’s done on the court.

“His work on the police force has helped his skills in understanding people, working with people, reading people ... All of that is key in coaching.”

McGraw’s brother-in-law is former BC3 teammate Tony Grenek, now the head women’s coach at Point Park University.

“Tony is my best friend in the world,” McGraw said. “We’ve talked about maybe one day coaching together someplace.

“Maybe this move is one step closer to seeing that happen.”