AOP Spotlight Series: Chris Mooney, Class Of 1990 - Archbishop Ryan
A new feature to the website, the Spotlight Series will include interviews with former AOP student-athletes who continued their athletic participation in one form or another after high school.
Chris Mooney, Archbishop Ryan (
Class of 1990)
- Two-time All-Catholic selection in boys' basketball
Princeton University (
Class of 1994)
* Two-time All-Ivy League selection, including first-team honoree in 1993
* Scored 1,071 career points
Lansdale Cathlic - Varsity Boys' Basletball Coach (Three seasons)
University of Richmond Men's Basketball Head Coach (2005-current)
* School-record 274 victories
* Guided the Spiders to the NCAA Tournament in both 2010 & 2011
* The UR program is actively involved with Special Olympics, Arthritis Foundation, Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, the ASK Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research, and helping the homeless.
What made Archbishop Ryan such a special place during your time as a student there?
"My senior year [1989-90] was the first year of co-ed, but the years prior the schools were right next to each other. That created an interesting dynamic. There was a separate gym for the girls and the boys, separate cafeteria. But we were basically sharing the same building and campus. What I think made it really special was the teachers, the students, the administration all shared a good, fun sense of the school. There were friendships between boys and girls, even when we were in different schools, between older and younger students, between faculty and students. I just think the teachers really cared and were very supportive of what you were doing. There were tons of clubs and activities after school, and the teachers were very involved in the students’ lives. And that wasn’t easy to do at a school that was so large at the time.”
Your fond memories of coaching at Lansdale Catholic:
“I had an incredible experience. To be so young and just out of college…and the most important reason was the athletic director who hired me, Frank Giovonizzi, was an incredible mentor and really looked out for me in a lot of ways. He made it possible for us to have a good basketball program, for me to coach in the way that I wanted to, and helped look out for me with mistakes I was bound to make from being so young. Lansdale is a terrific community, and the boys that were on the team came from great families. Their parents were terrific, but the boys were very independent. We were able to do well and be successful mainly because they were talented kids who really worked hard and were totally supported by their families. That combination, along with Frank and Father Cioppi, it was a great situation that allowed a young coach to be successful."
On seeing Archbishop Ryan compete locally this past December at the Benedictine Capital City Classic:
"Ryan has a really good team and a great coach, and they played in the Benedictine Tournament, which is a big honor to be involved in. Coach Zeglinski brought his guys down and stayed in Richmond. We were able to go over and see them play. It was great. I see high school players all the time there with recruiting, but to have guys from my high school there was pretty neat. Just to talk to them, see how they interact with one another, was very special for me.”
How much does playing basketball in the PCL prepare student-athletes for competing at a high level in college?
"I think the Catholic League is the best conference in America. One - the level of talent and ability of the players that are in the Philadelphia area who are in the Catholic League is extraordinary. The level of competiveness, the level of interest from fans and the community is extremely high. The coaching is excellent. So you have great athletic teams who can also play a very disciplined style because that’s what’s necessary to win in the league. You can’t just be more athletic, you can’t just be more disciplined. You have to have this great range of ability, and you have always had to."
On the importance of the Richmond program being involved in the local community and developing as individuals:
“That’s something that we’ve stressed since we’ve gotten here. I’ve always talked about when we’re putting these things together, trying not to be anything that’s for show or for Instagram. We want it to mean something…when we’ve done things, we tried to be consistent, so naturally you take more ownership when you get to know who you’re interacting with. And when you do it that way, I think the players start to take it and do it their way. Beyond just appearances and in a much more consistent, daily way. Rather than do things just to promote it on the website or on social media, we trying to help our guys have an impact in a consistent, more meaningful way. And we’re lucky. We’re able to get some good players who are good kids and are attracted to that side of things. I’m proud of how we’ve done that and more importantly, how they guys have done that.”
Outlook for this coming season coming off a year when your team won 24 games:
"We return our five starters, and four already have scored a 1,000 points in college. We’re being very aggressive in who we schedule and give ourselves the best chance for success as possible. We were very confident that we would be really good this past season, but I think it’s more known or expected this coming season. So hopefully we’ll get back soon on campus, and then work really hard and give ourselves a great schedule and the best opportunity to be successful. We’re ok with expectations and setting high goals, so we just need to get back so we can start working toward them."