Former Knicks Player, Yeshiva U Assistant Coach Mike Sweetney Dies at 43: ‘The Jewish Community Lost an Ally’
Shiryn Ghermezian
Mike Sweeney and his family. Photo: Facebook/India Sweeney
Following the news that former New York Knicks player Mike Sweetney died at age 43, the coach of the Yeshiva University men’s basketball team remembered his support for the Jewish community and impact on YU student athletes as their assistant coach.
“The world lost a giant today. I lost a close friend. The basketball world lost a beloved star. Our Jewish community lost an ally and someone who knew exactly how to show up,” Maccabees head coach Elliot Steinmetz wrote on X. “Mike Sweetney wasn’t just a friend. He was family. When you needed him, he was there. Always. You didn’t even have to ask.”
Sweetney’s wife, India, announced his death in a Facebook post on Thursday. No cause of death was revealed.
The Georgetown men’s basketball alum, who was selected by the Knicks with the No. 9 pick in the 2003 NBA draft, was the assistant coach for the Maccabees for three seasons starting in 2019. He began his coaching career by running a basketball camp in the Poconos started by former Orthodox Jewish NBA veteran Tamir Goodman, whom he had known since high school in Washington. Sweetney also held basketball training sessions at synagogues and was head coach of the girls varsity team at the Ramaz School on the Upper East Side in New York City.
When Sweetney moved with his family to New Jersey in the spring of 2019, Goodman introduced him to Steinmetz. The former NBA player became YU’s assistant coach until 2022, and Goodman and Sweetney developed a friendship that lasted even after the latter stopped coaching at YU.
Steinmetz was in Israel when Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists attacked the Jewish state on Oct. 7, 2023, killed more than 1,200 people, and took 251 hostages. He said the first text message he received after the attack was from Sweetney, who knew the YU coach was in the country and wanted to make sure he was alright. Sweetney contacted Steinmetz again years later when the coach’s son was in Israel during an Iranian missile attack. “He knew my son, Noah, was there and wanted to make sure he was OK,” Steinmetz said.
“When we would run a charity event for troubled teens, Mike would show up,” Steinmetz wrote on X after Sweetney’s death. “He was there for our student-athletes at Yeshiva University day in and day out, regardless of his other responsibilities and jobs. His dedication to mental health awareness and his willingness to share his story for the benefit of others was the work of a selfless human being with a huge heart. Mike – we love you and we will miss you. Thanks for everything.”
Sweetney played two seasons with the Knicks before being traded to the Chicago Bulls. After two seasons in Chicago, he went to play professional basketball overseas before retiring in 2017. Sweetney spoke openly about battling depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. After he left the court, he moved on to coaching but also became a mental health advocate, giving talks at school and conferences.
“That’s my main passion, suicide prevention talks, helping students out, doing public speaking every chance I get,” Sweetney told the New York Post in 2019. “I just share everything I’ve been through and hope I can change some lives. People relate to it. People want to get help. I’ve become a mentor to a lot of people. Now, I’m changing lives and saving lives. It’s awesome. It’s overwhelming. I never would’ve thought the worst point in my life would turn into one of my best points.”
Sweetney told the publication that when Goodman helped him get into coaching, it changed his life.
“My career ended kind of quick. I didn’t know what was next. And that opened so many doors. I started doing clinics, camps, traveling, speaking gigs,” he explained. “Next thing I know, the last few years, everything has been in the Jewish community. And they are just great people.”
During Sweetney’s three seasons as the assistant coach at YU, the team won two conference championships and had a 50-game winning streak from 2019-21. The team reached the Division III Sweet 16 in 2020, but the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19.
“It’s not just about X’s and O’s,” Sweetney told the Post in 2019, describing coaching the YU team. “Sometimes you need to see if a guy is going through something and pick them up. It’s been a great experience. I’m happy here. I’m comfortable here. I’m treated well here. It’s been amazing. To be happy and be at peace, I would’ve been shocked. I wouldn’t have thought it was possible.”
Sweetney is survived by his wife and three children.
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