Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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52 APRIL 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED IRISH IN THE PROS BY TODD D. BURLAGE T he Notre Dame basketball careers of John Mooney and Jack Cooley were separated by a few years. Mooney played for the Irish from 2016-20. Cooley played from 2009-13. Neither were drafted to the NBA, even after terrific college careers. But as fate and circumstance would have it, the two eventually crossed paths half a globe away when these two popular and ter- rific former Notre Dame players both landed on teams in Japan's B.League, the premier professional basketball cir- cuit in the country. And to nobody's surprise, these two gifted post players are feeling right at home more than 6,000 miles away. "It's a different culture and it took me a little bit to get adjusted to it," Mooney, 25, said in an interview on the "Athletes and Assets" podcast. "They have their own set of rules that you have to follow, and they expect you to follow. There's some pros and cons to that. But I'm playing on their turf so I have to learn and abide by those rules." Playing his third season in Japan with the Chiba Jets, Mooney through 38 games as of March 7, ranked sixth in the league in scoring (18.7) and was tied with Cooley for third in the league in rebounding (11.6). Forever a walking double-double, Mooney already had 24 games with double-digit points and rebounds in his first 38 outings this season. After overseas stints in Spain, Ger- many and Italy, Cooley arrived in Japan in 2019 when he signed with the Ryuku Golden Kings, and became one of the most productive players in the league during his five seasons there. Cooley was averaging 14.9 points and 11.6 re- bounds through 33 games this season. Cooley, 32, explained it wasn't the Japanese culture that took some adjust- ing to — he's played all over the world — it was the fact that only two "foreign" players are allowed on B.League rosters. Not surprisingly, most of the "immi- grants" are bigger post players. "It's weird because the level of play overall isn't the highest, but you're al- ways going against other really good big men because of the roster makeup," ex- plained Cooley, who enjoyed brief NBA stints with the Utah Jazz and the Sac- ramento Kings early in his professional career. "It's just a different vibe that took some getting used to, but I'm mak- ing the most of it." ✦ An Unlikely Meeting, Half A World Away Ryukyu Golden Kings center Jack Cooley (left) and Chiba Jets forward John Mooney (right) are both among the leading rebounders in Japan's B.League this season. PHOTO COURTESY B.LEAGUE FIGHTING IRISH HEADLINERS Nikola Djogo (Played at Notre Dame from 2017-21), SG, Hungarian NBIA After a nondescript playing career at Notre Dame, the Ontario, Canada, native is making good on a professional career in the highest level of club basketball in Hungary. The starting point guard for Egis Kormend, Djogo is off to a hot start this season, averaging 10.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists through 22 games. Djogo played four years at Notre Dame before transferring to Northeastern Uni- versity for his graduate year. Becca Huffer (2008-12), Golfer, LPGA After toiling on some secondary professional golf circuits for about the last decade, the former Irish standout earned her LPGA card last season after a top-45 finish in the LPGA Q-Series. The Denver native returned to the top tour Jan. 25-28, when she played in the Drive On Championship in Bradenton, Fla. Huffer shot 5-over-par in her first two rounds at the event and failed to make the cut, but the 2024 LPGA season is just getting started. Kyle Palmieri (2009-10), RW, New York Islanders (NHL) Keeping the Islanders' playoff push alive, the former Irish star recorded a rare first- period hat trick and added an assist in a 5-1 win over the Boston Bruins March 2. It was the first hat trick for the Islanders this season and Palmieri's first in four seasons with the team. The Smithtown, N.Y., native added another goal three nights later in a 4-2 win over St. Louis, bringing his season totals to 19 goals with 19 assists.