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Notre Dame Basketball: John Mooney poised for more consistent season

By Ben Belden

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 16: John Mooney #33 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish shoots over Jack Salt #33 of the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half during a game at John Paul Jones Arena on February 16, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 16: John Mooney #33 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish shoots over Jack Salt #33 of the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half during a game at John Paul Jones Arena on February 16, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /
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Notre Dame basketball star John Mooney had a breakout year during the 2018-2019 season. The Irish big man is poised for an even better senior year.

Not a lot went well for the Notre Dame basketball team last year. Mike Brey’s team was plagued with injuries most of the year. Couple that with the youth and inexperience, and the Irish seemd destined to have a rough year.

While Mooney was a standout scorer for the Irish, his rebounding was perhaps more impressive, as he lead the conference with 11.2 rebounds per game. He was only one of two players in the conference to average double-digit rebounds on the year.

But Mooney wasn’t only a standout on the glass for the Irish. In general, Mooney also was effective scoring the ball, averaging 14.1 points per game while shooting 45.5% from the field and 37.4% from behind the three-point arc.

Unfortunately, a deeper look at Mooney’s scoring numbers tells a different story.

Mooney started the season hot in his first 19 games, scoring 14.4 points per game while shooting 53.4% from the field and 45% from three-point range. Unfortunately, in his last 14 games of the season, Mooney shot only 37% from the field while scoring 13.6 points per game, including shooting only 28% from the field in his team’s final three games.

For Mooney, there could be a few explanations for a scoring dropoff, including the mounting injuries, inexperience of supporting cast, and the overall frustration of losing.

Like it or not, no one–including Notre Dame’s opponents–expected John Mooney to be the one carrying the load for the Notre Dame basketball team. And while Mooney was a pleasant surprise at the beginning of the season, he became the focal point of other teams’ defense as the season went on. He could have used a little more help.

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As the Irish basketball team continues to gel and grow in experience, Mooney will be able to settle into a role on this team, away from being the absolute focal point of other teams’ defenses. if that can happen, the Irish big is poised to have a more consistent year for the Irish with even better numbers.