EDINA, Minn. — Walt McGrory, the all-time leading scorer for the Edina High School boys basketball team, has died at the age of 24 after a two-year battle with cancer.
Edina posted about McGrory's passing on social media, attaching a video of the former Hornets star breaking the school's scoring record.
"The Edina (basketball) community is deeply saddened by the passing of Walt McGrory, he was 24," the post reads. "Walt thrived in our parks & gyms growing his basketball skills. Walt set the school record with 2,126 points. #FlyHigh."
"He hated the limelight... he hated the fact that we had to call him out in front of a huge crowd like that," said Joe Burger, former head coach for Edina High School's boys basketball team. "He was making sure that we didn't mess with the game ball because we still had a game to play and that was just him. He hated the attention."
"He probably assisted me on over half of the points I ever scored in high school basketball," said friend and former teammate, Derek Graf.
Graf met McGrory as a teenager and they remained close friends after high school.
"He's the kind of person that if he wants to be good at something, he's going to be good at it. He did that for a few things throughout his life," Graf said.
Will Moreton grew up in southwest Minneapolis with McGrory. They were not only childhood friends but teammates.
"I was a year older than him and I looked up to him. I didn't want to play against Walt because he was too good, because he was too strong, because he worked too hard. A lot of that carried over into how I tried to carry myself," Moreton said.
After a standout high school career with the Hornets, McGrory walked on at the University of Wisconsin in 2017 and spent four seasons with the Badgers, helping them to a Big Ten title in 2020.
"Our hearts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Walt McGrory," said Wisconsin coach Greg Gard in a statement. "The courage and fight that Walt demonstrated throughout his two-year battle with cancer was an inspiration to us all. Walt never quit. Instead, he chose to fight every day and made the most of his circumstances by sharing his journey and inspiring others. Walt was a beloved member of our team and the Badger family, and we will miss him dearly."
In 2021, McGrory was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare pediatric bone cancer. Back in May of this year, KARE 11's Randy Shaver caught up with McGrory about his battle, which included four types of chemotherapy, two failed limb salvage surgeries and, ultimately, a partial leg amputation surgery in April.
Shaver reported McGrory's passing on KARE 11 News at 5 Monday, obviously emotional about the loss.
"Cancer sucks," Randy said simply.
Burger said while McGrory did not like the attention on him, the cancer diagnosis led to McGrory opening up and sharing his story with others.
"Him being a keynote speaker at Fairview Pediatrics... if you'd have asked me if Walt could stand behind a podium and deliver a message to 500 people, I would've doubted you in high school. But he used this as an opportunity to tell his story and he knew he had a story to tell. This transformed him and gave him a purpose," Burger said.
Moreton added, "I think what was so incredible about him is that it was all so genuine. Everything he would post on social media was the same stuff he would say behind a closed door."
Graf agreed, saying about how McGrory handled life after his diagnosis, "It's the most inspirational thing that I've ever seen in my life. He had a lot of good times during his battle. So he made the most of every second he had."
Reggie Lynch, a former teammate, told KARE 11: I remember that Walt was always one of the last people to leave the gym after practice was over. Even though I was a senior and he was our only 8th grader on the team playing up for varsity minutes he had more basketball professionalism at such a young age than any of the older guys. He inspired me to want to take my game more serious when I was watching the way he conducted himself, even though he was 4 grades under me. He would always go into the ice bath and the training room and take take of his body with stretches and rehabilitation, just goes to show how mature he was. But beyond his maturity he also had an amazingly fun and inviting personality. Walt would always have fun song suggestions for our Bluetooth speaker to play in the locker room, that I would DJ for our team. Walt would break out into fun dances, tell funny jokes, and we would always talk about whether his older sister MC would beat him in basketball which he always contested. My younger brother Maxwell being closer to his age was also on the team and they would be goofing around together on the basketball court. I’m grateful that Max got to spend more time with him as Walt grew to become the Edina Hornets starting point guard after my 2013 class went off to college. Walt going to Wisconsin to play basketball as I had also played for the fellow B1G 10 school Minnesota, was amazing to see, but at the same time wasn’t a surprise in the slightest. Looking back to see how professional and mature he was as an 8th grader when I was a senior was more than enough of a hint for his trajectory into amazing new heights as a player and a person. I stayed in touch with Walt mostly through social media. Since we were 4 years apart in age I’m saddened that we never got to play against each other in college or really see much of each other after college. But one of my greatest joys while playing professional basketball overseas has been watching Walt McGrory grow into the absolute epitome of a stellar person and his journey as he took on the world. I will miss Walt so much.
On McGrory's Instagram, his family posted, in part, "He is still providing inspiration, love, and fight to those who need it. But now he is doing it with the whole power of the universe behind him. Whenever you need more strength in your life, open your heart and Walt will be there."
The Hornets boys basketball team will honor McGrory at Tuesday's game at Edina High School.
BELOW: KARE 11's Randy Shaver caught up with Walt McGrory back in May to talk about the former Edina High School standout's battle.
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