AOP Spotlight Series: Mike McLaughlin, Father Judge - Class of 1984
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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.
Mike McLaughlin, Father Judge (
Class of 1984)
- Father Judge compiled a 27-5 record in PCL Boys' Basketball during his junior and senior seasons
- The Crusaders advanced to the PCL Finals in both 1982 & 1983
Holy Family Playing Career
- Compiled 1,710 points and 755 assists for his career
- Earned first-team All-District in 1987-88 and second-team honors in 1988-89
- Graduated in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice
- Played three seasons for the Washington Generals/Harlem Globetrotters
Women's Basketball Head Coaching Career (606-184)
- 407-61 in 14 seasons at Holy Family
- Led the program to six CCAC Tournament Championships
- The Tigers went 32-1 in 2007-08 and advanced to the NCAA Division II Northeast Regional Finals
- Seven-time CCAC Coach of the Year; inducted into the CCAC Hall of Fame
- Has guided Penn since 2009-10, leading the Quakers to 4 Ivy League titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances
- Four-time Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year
- Penn has won 20 or more games in each of the past seven seasons
What makes Father Judge such a special place?
“I went to Catholic grade school. All of my friends at the time, we all went to Father Judge. Everyone went to Catholic high school. It was a community thing. I think at the time we drew from the eight local Catholic grade schools. It was just people that you knew growing up, playing sports against. And then you transition to the high school and they all become your classmates. It was just something we all looked forward to. And some of the people at Judge that I didn’t know until I got into high school became your best friends in life. And we were surrounded by tremendous people.”
Your fondest memories as a student at Father Judge?
There were so many really good people around. I think by doing this you can see how proud people are to be a Father Judge alum. We’re one of the strongest high schools still in terms of alumni base and health of the school. It’s a pride thing. Some of my fondest memories were just the people I met, obviously competing in sports, the comradery and the competition.”
How much does playing girls’ basketball in the PCL prepare student-athletes for competing at a high level in college?
“It’s that competition. I think the level of play in the Catholic League could vary from people’s opinions. Was it really good in one era and not in another. But what was consistent were the rivalries. Players have played in bigger games…at The Palestra…it’s still a very big thing and has happened for so many years. I think it prepares them because of the rivalries and the competition. Then they get on to play in college, and many times they are playing in front of less people than in some of their high school games. But I always find anyone coming from the Catholic League has competed, and has shown that they’re prepared to play college basketball.”
On the uniqueness of four of the five current Philadelphia Big 5 coaches being alums of AOP high schools:
“That’s interesting. Obviously I’m very friendly with all of them. I never even thought about that. Time goes on and we see each other differently now. I never gave it thought. I do a lot of traveling at Penn, do a lot of recruiting nationally. We get around trying to explain to some of these families and parents the way it was in Philadelphia playing [basketball]. It’s very very unique.”
How student-athletes at Penn balance academics and athletics:
“The discipline is a common thread with Penn kids. They are competitive athletically. They are competitive in the classroom. You’ll see that they’re organized. You’ll see they’re extremely balanced. They aspire to be really really good in whatever they do. I don’t think they are any different. They want to play basketball at the highest level. They want to compete at the highest level. And they are academically capable. They create a balance for themselves, both academically and athletically, and that social piece as well. They extremely competitive in all phases.”
Your outlook for the Penn Women's Basketball team this season:
"This is a really great senior class I have. We have talent. We have experience. We have maturity. We’re positioned really well with our five seniors. They’ve won before. They know what it takes to win and lose at the college level. Really excited where we start with them. We have some pieces in the junior class that really go well with the seniors. And then we’ll have an exceptional rising sophomore [Kayla Padilla] who was Ivy League Rookie of the Year who can score the ball at all different levels and all different phases of the game. It’s always interesting how the freshmen will transition in. But I really like this group because I think our leadership is really strong, and the talent is there. So we’ll see how this plays out.”
Previous AOP Spotlights
Ryan Quigley, Lansdale Catholic (Class of 2016)
Denise Dillon, Cardinal O'Hara (Class of 1992)
Chris Mooney, Archbishop Ryan (Class of 1990)
Marc Jackson, Roman (Class of 1993)
Cindy Anderson Griffin, Bishop McDevitt (Class of 1987)
Ryan McNulty, Bishop Shanahan (Class of 2016)
Bill Zwaan, Archbishop Carroll (Class of 1972)
Lynn Henderson-Ford, St. Hubert's (Class of 1983)
Christine Jenkinson, John W. Hallahan (Class of 1990)