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Bishop Luddens’ boys’ basketball team needed someone to take charge as its head coach. Head coach Pat Donnelly was sidelined due to prostate cancer surgery, while assistant coach Len Rauch was hospitalized because of heart issues.

So, Athletic Director Gallagher Driscoll — a former Bishop Ludden star — stepped up. Drawing on 20 years of coaching experience, he led the Gaelic Knights to a 54-52 win over Christian Brothers Academy on Feb. 14, 2016.

“I just told them what was at stake, and we needed to perform,” Driscoll said. “While we’re not professionals, we maintain a professional mindset, ensuring we put ourselves in a position to win, and then we move forward from there.”

Donnelly re-claimed his role following the game, but the Greater Syracuse Hall of Fame member approached Driscoll to become his successor while considering retirement after the season. When Donnelly retired, Driscoll was tabbed to lead his alma mater ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.

Driscoll is now in his seventh season at the helm, leading Bishop Ludden to a 15-3 record in the latest stop of his storied basketball career. Before coaching at Bishop Ludden, Driscoll’s career started by leading the Gaelic Knights to three sectional championships before graduating in 1988. Driscoll then carried his high-school success to The College of Saint Rose.

There, he turned the program into a Division II powerhouse, leading it to two NAIA District 31 Championships and one National Catholic Basketball Championship. He also set school records in assists (878) and steals (359). This led to his coaching career, where Driscoll made stops at West Genesee High School (1992-95), Le Moyne (1995-97, 2005-11), UAlbany (1997-2000, 2002-05), Henninger High School (2014-16) and Onondaga Community College (2016-18).

Prior to his coaching career, Gallagher Driscoll starred at Bishop Ludden High School, leading the Gaelic Knights to three straight sectional championships. Courtesy of Gallagher Driscoll

Growing up in Syracuse, Driscoll’s passion for basketball was ignited by his father. With Burnet Park and the Hamilton Street Boys & Girls Club just around the corner, he honed his basketball skills alongside his siblings.

This sparked his stardom as Bishop Ludden’s point guard, thriving alongside Rauch. Saint Rose’s then-head coach, Brian Beaury, was trying to recruit Rauch when they were seniors in high school but quickly turned his attention to Driscoll. Despite blundering his recruiting pitch to Driscoll’s mother, Beaury landed his commitment.

“I called her ‘Mrs. Gallagher’ for two hours,” Beaury, now an assistant on Gerry McNamara’s Siena men’s basketball staff, said of his pitch. “I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I messed this up.’ I needed a player I could trust to lead our team, and that was Gallagher.”

Driscoll was exactly that, leading to his induction into Saint Rose’s Hall of Fame in 2007. Beaury said Driscoll had elite knowledge and became a second coach on the floor. Even at 17, Beaury said Driscoll already had a coaching mindset, and he never needed to coach him.

“Gallagher is the best passer I’ve ever played with. He had the field vision of a Tom Brady,” said Beaury, who held the program’s all-time assist record before Driscoll surpassed him.

From Beaury’s perspective, Driscoll’s path toward coaching seemed natural. Driscoll first considered coaching during his final college years and got his first job after graduating from Saint Rose.

In 1992, he returned to Syracuse as the junior varsity coach at West Genesee, working under his former high school coach Jerry Wilcox. Since then, Driscoll has remained deeply involved in Syracuse’s basketball scene over the past three decades.

Driscoll said his journey from player to coach significantly influenced his coaching philosophy. He adopted concise preparation techniques from Beaury, which impressed former Henninger and OCC head coach Erik Saroney. As a result, Saroney persuaded Driscoll to become a coach at Henninger in 2014 after Driscoll had taken a three-year break from basketball.

“(Driscoll’s) breakdown of our opponents and his scouting is second-to-none, and not just second-to-none within our staff. I’m talking second to none within the country,” Saroney said. “He gives a 20-minute dissertation on everything (opponents) do. The players, names, numbers, tendencies, left hand, right hand … just off the top of his head. He would recall a play that they ran in another school 15 years ago.”

Following two seasons at Henninger, Driscoll followed Saroney to OCC for the 2016-17 season. There, Driscoll contributed to the Lazers’ 28-5 record while helping maintain their top-10 national ranking. OCC eventually became the NJCAA Region III runner-up after losing 65-55 to Herkimer County Community College in the final.

“I took a lot of accidental things from him. He helped me grow as a coach and helped us win a lot of games with his X’s and O’s,” Saroney said.

Driscoll then became Bishop Ludden’s athletic director before replacing Donnelly as the boys’ basketball head coach. Despite early success, which included an 18-6 2019-20 campaign, the Gaelic Knights won 16 games from 2020-23. In 2023-24, Driscoll led a resurgent season, as Bishop Ludden went 13-7.

Now, with increased depth and star power, Bishop Ludden has emerged as one of the premiere teams in its division. Behind the scenes, it was Driscoll who learned from previous losses and brought the team back.

“We set small goals,” Driscoll said. “So our biggest thing right now (is to) win the league and see where we end up in the sectionals. Be very competitive. Hopefully we can take it from there and have some success.”

The season has been full-circle for Driscoll. Bishop Ludden is where his storied basketball career began. Now, nearly 40 years later, he’s writing another impressive chapter to an illustrious book as the program’s head coach.

“I think I put a lot of undue pressure on myself to succeed,” Driscoll said. “It’s an honor and privilege to be the basketball coach at a wonderful place.”

Published on February 12, 2025 at 11:09 pm

Contact Kevin: jlu124@syr.edu | @kevlu0288