"I was desperately trying not to let anyone know what was going on. Later, the school nurse said my blood pressure was off the charts."
The nurse and others recommended that Fenerty be taken to the hospital for testing. With an Inter-Ac League hoops game scheduled to be played at Malvern Prep that day, the 32d-year coach did not go quietly.
"I was refusing to go to the hospital," he said. "[Associate athletic director] Ginny Hoffman said, "We're calling Kurt [Ruch, Malvern Prep's AD], canceling the game, and we're going to the hospital."
Put on hold was Fenerty's crack at earning the 500th victory of his career. "My timing was real good, wasn't it?" he cracked.
Tests have revealed that the 61-year-old has Polycythemia vera, a bone marrow disease that leads to an abnormal increase in the number of blood cells.
"They had to remove some blood from my system," Fenerty said. "I'll be fine, but I'll need some time to rest. I was actually lucky that they found it when they did."
According to Mayoclinic.com, one can have Polycythemia vera "for years without noticing signs or symptoms. With proper medical care, many people experience few problems related to this disease."
Fenerty, who previously coached at Conwell-Egan and has a career record of 499-322, said Thursday that he did not expect to coach in Friday night's Inter-Ac matchup with visiting Haverford School.
His likely return to the sideline, he said, is Saturday. As part of GA's senior day, the Patriots will host Peddie School (N.J.) at 2 p.m.
No. 900. Like Fenerty, William "Speedy" Morris is on the cusp of a milestone. The St. Joseph's Prep boss will go for career win No. 900 (high school and college) Friday when his Hawks host Roman Catholic in a 3:45 p.m. Catholic League showdown.
Coincidentally, his start was at Roman, where the Big Five Hall of Fame member won 347 games from 1967 to 1981.
