Texas Tech’s point guard Matt Mooney scored a career-high 22 points against Michigan State in the national semifinal. The redshirt senior is playing his best basketball on the biggest stage of his life and will further his Red Raiders legend should he lead his team past Virginia.
Here are four things to know about him.
He was not heavily recruited
Mooney attended Notre Dame Prep in Wauconda, IL. One would be hard-pressed to even find a recruiting page for him, as he was a zero-star prospect.
He’s transferred twice
Mooney began his collegiate career at the Air Force Academy, where he alleges he was bullied. He then moved to South Dakota and put up 18.6 and 18.7 points/game in his sophomore and junior years respectively. Mooney then came to Texas Tech for his final year of eligibility.
He’s improving his draft stock
Mooney has played himself into the public consciousness. He’s not currently projected to be selected, but could play internationally. At 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, he has the size to be a bulky point guard or combo guard. He can create his own shot. His ceiling at this point is probably an end-of-bench guy, but who knows.
He’s a graduate student
Mooney completed his undergraduate work at South Dakota and is pursuing a graduate degree at Texas Tech.
