When it comes to coaching the girls’ basketball program at Archbishop Molloy H.S., Briarwood, the old adage rings true: The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Father’s Day weekend is the perfect time to celebrate the bond between the Stanners’ father/daughter coaching duo. Joe Harnischfeger is the head girls’ varsity hoops coach, while his daughter, Christine Harnischfeger-LoCascio, leads the junior varsity (JV) team.
Though their coaching styles may differ slightly, they both fully embody the CHSAA’s values and have done an excellent job in passing on their knowledge of the game to their student-athletes.
Joe grew up in Woodside and played Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) basketball for Corpus Christi Parish starting in the sixth grade. He then played a few seasons at both Mater Christi H.S. in Astoria and Lehman College in the Bronx.
“I enjoyed the game so much and admired the people who coached me that it became a natural thing for me to want to give back and coach,” said Joe, a retired FDNY firefighter who just finished his seventh season at the helm of Molloy’s varsity girls team after an eight-year stint as JV head coach.
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He and his wife, Nancy, have four children: three sons — Joseph, Andrew, and Brian — and a daughter — Christine. In addition to his time as CYO parish athletic representative, Joe coached all three of his sons throughout their CYO years at Corpus Christi, but he never actually coached Christine, who also played CYO hoops at the parish. Still, he was a major influence as Christine carved out her own hoops path.
“I was at the gym from birth,” said Christine, who starred as a point guard at Molloy before continuing her hoops career at Queens College, Flushing. “My dad would bring me there often, and he taught me how to shoot.”
“She (Christine) was a very smart player, very good ball-handler, very unselfish, and developed into a very good shooter,” said Joe, who then hired his daughter as Molloy’s JV head coach after she spent six seasons as a varsity assistant under previous head coach Scott Lagas.
Right away, Christine led her JV squad to back-to-back city championships. She established her own style — somewhat similar to her dad’s but with an individual touch. Christine, who was a sharpshooter, emphasizes the importance of strong shooting ability in her players while trying to weave in some of her dad’s style.
“One thing I always try to emulate that he (Joe) does is staying calm and even-keeled,” Christine said. “I haven’t mastered that yet; I’m a little bit more excitable. He always reminds me to take a deep breath before I make any decisions. It’s something that he’s great at.”
“She (Christine) has her own philosophy,” Joe said. “From the minute that she started coaching, I trusted what she did. She was her own person and had her own system, different than mine.”
In 2021, at 31 years old, Christine was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer. Luckily, it was caught early, which increases the recovery rate among breast cancer patients.
Throughout her cancer journey, her father was by her side, driving her to chemo appointments, calling frequently to check in on her, and just being a constant source of support. At the same time, Joe was also a supportive rock for his wife, who was going through her second bout with breast cancer. His even-keeled nature as a coach certainly came in handy as he kept both Nancy and Christine hopeful and smiling despite their situations.
Soon after wrapping up her treatments, Christine was right back on the sidelines, and once again led her team to a city championship title. She barely missed any time, which displays the true strength of her character — something she undoubtedly inherited from her parents.
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“She (Christine) never missed a beat,” Joe said. “I don’t know if she missed many practices, if any. I was very grateful that she was able to overcome it. I saw her toughness and determination with everything that was going on.”
Christine is now in remission, having been cancer-free for five years. She and her husband, Michael LoCascio Jr. — son of the rival St. John’s Prep, Astoria, girls’ varsity basketball coach Mike LoCascio — just welcomed their first child, a baby boy named Brandon, who completes the starting five lineup of Harnischfeger grandchildren.
The ultimate Father’s Day gift for Joe has been seeing Christine and all of his children living healthy lives pursuing their passions and becoming better people each day. For the upcoming season, Christine stepped down as girls’ JV coach to become Molloy’s varsity assistant coach — right next to her dad on the bench.
“He (Joe) should know how appreciative I am,” Christine said. “Everything he does, nothing goes unnoticed. He’s there for everybody. It’s something that I wish everybody could experience: How he’s always there whenever we need him.”
As far as upholding the values of the Catholic League and producing student-athletes who become productive citizens who give back to their school and community, Molloy is among the gold standards in this diocese.
It’s in their coaches’ DNA, after all.