Will Falkirk basketball fans get to see Fury’s Return of the Mak?

But the likeable and engaging fan favourite says he has unfinished business not just with Fury but with Falkirk High.

McInnis was a player, a coach with the club’s Junior and Cadet Men’s second teams and part of Fury’s Basketball Academy at FHS. The plug was pulled on competition before Fury could compete in the play-offs – and before his FHS Girls team could contest the Scottish Cup Final.

The coronavirus pandemic forced him to leave and head home to the USA – but he has looked back on his Scottish season fondly, after being put up by former Fury player Jordan Ferguson’s parents.

He said: “When I had the opportunity to go to Scotland, I prayed about it and within a day or two, I said, ‘This is what I’ve been wanting for years, It’s an opportunity I’ve got to take.”

“I can’t thank JB and my hosts Gerry and Bev enough and everyone at the club, the players, fans and at FHS - Anne Smith and all the staff - they made me so welcome and it was an amazing experience and I am now a ‘ Scottish Champion’!

“ On the court I found the style of basketball in Scotland features more 3-point shooting and less full-court offense than found in the U.S. In the States, it’s more up and down, up and down.”

McInnis came to John Bunyan’s attention through ex-Fury player and now pro Glasgow Rock Fraser Malcolm who told him of McInnis’ interest in travelling to play basketball.

Standing six foot two, McInnis graduated from Olympic in 2015 as a three-sport (basketball, American football and football) athlete.

After playing basketball for two seasons at Pierce College in Tacoma, he transferred to Black Hills State University, a Division II programme in Spearfish, South Dakota where he met fellow Yellow Jacket Malcolm and graduated with a degree in business administration.

Over the summer of 2019 after several calls and emails between coach Bunyan and McInnis,to put in place a programme that would see McInnis work with not just Fury’s players, but the Falkirk HS Academy players while playing.

The US star was immediately in action less than 24 hours after landing, hitting 19points in a pre-season Fury win of 74-55 against Inverness City, with coach Bunyan liking what he saw from the US player.

McInnis also joined Fury head coach Bunyan and PE head Anne Smith in working with the schools’s basketball academy programme that boasted just under 100 players. McInnis ‘s likeable manner and personality, as well as his obvious basketball nous made him an instant hit, not just with the school basketball team but all pupils and staff.

Makaleb lit up the court and team throughout the winning season - especially with a huge 41 points to defeat champions Dunfermline Reign but off it he had guided his Junior Men 2 team to the Play-Offs where they narrowly lost out in the quarter-finals.

As part of FHS coaching team - he helped lead FHS S1 Girls to the Scottish Schools A Cup Final, but this was alas not played before lockdown. Makaleb had also coached in some of Falkirk’s Primary Schools, officiated the club’s Falkirk Jump2it programme and the Falkirk and Scotland JrNBA.

After three cancelled flights he got home, but missed out in saying goodbye properly to all his new friends on and off court.

He added: “It was a process, getting home. I flew from Edinburgh to Amsterdam to New York to Jacksonville. I had my temperature taken in the airport after arriving on my final two flights.

“I am glad I took my first shot at following my dream to be a pro player, albeit, Fury were an amateur side - they were the top team in Scotland with lots great players, a number who had been ex-pros, so I learned a lot.”

Bunyan added: “It’s great to see Makaleb returned home safely. He proved to be not just a great player, but a great individual who worked with our teams above and beyond at Falkirk HS.

“Mak was influential in our Senior Men taking the Championship this season and was a great team-mate to all the squad. He had a fantastic attitude and had time for everyone at our games and all the players in various teams.

“I wish him every success for the future and as he had some unfinished business here, who knows we may see ‘the return of the Mak at Fury!”