John Mooney Focused On Setting A Daily Tone
Notre Dame forward John Mooney made the junior jump as many big men have made under Mike Brey last season.
As a junior, the Orlando native averaged 14.1 points and 11.2 rebounds per game and it came out of nowhere to most people not named John Mooney.
“It was just consistency,” stated Mooney. “My sophomore year, I had some good games and some games where I wasn’t playing at a high level. All that aside, we want to win and that’s the bottom line. We didn’t do that last year.”
Mooney finished a criminal third-team All-ACC and while he was named first-team preseason All-ACC to start 2019-20, the 6-foot-9 senior is on a mission this year.
“I’m really just focusing on all aspects of my game,” said Mooney. “I want to kind of get better on the defensive end and move laterally quickly and better. I want to keep a frame so I can bang around in the post.
“I played last year at 240 and I’m around 235 right now.”
Head coach Mike Brey isn’t worried about Mooney’s production this season, but he’d love to see his star start to become more assertive with his confidence.
“I still wish he would walk around more daily as one of the best players in the league,” explained Brey. “He’s still a bit unselfish sometimes. As far as if he 28-30 minutes, he’s going to have a double-double. It’s almost machine-like. He has a lot of respect from the league.
“When you go to Media Day, you know how much respect your guys have. He carries a lot of clout with the other coaches. We might take him for granted as he rolls out of bed and goes 15-12 like it’s nothing.”
Mooney echoed Brey’s statements as he knows the team goes as he goes.
“That’s something Coach has been talking with me about how I carry myself,” Mooney stated. “Not cocky, but a little more confident. I’m always confident in my game, but he’s been stressing the more confident I am, the more confident the rest of the team will be.
“I have to set the tone each day and I’ve embraced that role. It’s a team game and I want to win.”
Notre Dame will count on Mooney to potentially have a bigger year than last year and Mooney is not only up for the challenge, but he wants to lead the Irish back to the Big Dance.
“When you play well and see your game improve, your confidence goes up naturally,” said Mooney. “It’s only going to improve even more. I’m excited for it.
“Our one goal and my goal is to get back to the NCAA Tournament.”