Senior forward John Mooney finished his Notre Dame career as one of the top players in the Mike Brey era and perhaps all of program history. The phrase “double-double machine” has been used to describe Mooney ad nauseam, but that’s only because it’s true. When you lead the country with 25 double-doubles while averaging team highs of 16.2 points and 12.7 rebounds a game, you deserve to have that label follow you around everywhere.
The offense ran through Mooney, who made and attempted more field goals than any other Irish player. He scored a career-high 28 points three times this past season. Standing 6-foot-9 and weighing 245 pounds, the rebounds came naturally to him. There was no question who opponents had to plan for whenever they played Notre Dame because both his abilities and his physical stature made him impossible to ignore.
All of this makes it unfortunate that Mooney is not on anyone’s list as far as NBA prospects. Maybe it’s because many seniors don’t get to that level these days, or maybe they don’t think he has the speed the NBA requires. Whatever the reason, it would be remiss for Mooney not to take his talents overseas or see if the G-League will take a chance on him. His collegiate career was too good for his life as a basketball player to end here.