Controlling the court

Cardinal Mooney senior point and shooting guard Ryan McMahon expected his team to get off to a fast start this season, but even he is surprised by the Cougars’ early success. Cardinal Mooney is off to a 6-0 start thanks in large part to McMahon, who is averaging 26.7 points per game.

“I expected (us) to be good, but this (could be) the start of a big season,” McMahon says. “I’ll just roll with it.”

McMahon, who spent the summer playing against the nation’s top talent, is shooting 64% from the floor, including 57% from behind the arc and 85% from the charity stripe. He scored a season-high 34 points in Cardinal Mooney’s season opener Nov. 18 and has scored at least 30 points in three of the Cougars’ first six games.

McMahon’s lowest point total (14) came in Cardinal Mooney’s 68-25 victory over Bayshore Dec. 9.

“We have a really good system that fits my game and my style and structure of play,” McMahon says.

As a sophomore, McMahon was given the task of coming off the bench and providing a spark of defensive energy. It was a position McMahon hadn’t been accustomed to, but it’s one that helped him transition into an all-around player.

“It’s been an ongoing thing,” coach Stefan Gates says. “He has a high basketball IQ, and he’s improved himself on and off the floor. I knew he had the game to play a significant role on this team. He’s worked really hard to get to this point.”

McMahon spent the summer playing in the Adidas Gauntlet with Florida Elite’s 17U travel team.

McMahon, who is the only area player on the team, traveled across the country to face the nation’s top competition.

The eye-opening experience not only helped elevate McMahon’s game, but it furthered his desire to continue to get better when he returned to the Cougars’ gym three months ago.

“It was a wild ride,” McMahon says. “The level of competition was just insane. Just to be able to have that experience and see what’s out there makes it (easier) when you get in the gym because you don’t want to settle. You want to be better than those kids.”

After scoring more than 30 points in Cardinal Mooney’s first three games, McMahon wasn’t quite sure how his teammates would react. After all, it was a position McMahon hadn’t been in before.

“I didn’t want it to be the Ryan show,” McMahon says.

McMahon’s initial apprehension eventually went away after he was reminded of something a college coach told him over the summer.

“He told me, ‘If you pass up a shot that would be selfish of you. It’s your role to shoot and make that,’” McMahon says. “It was like, Whoa. My role is to score and to be a leader.”

But McMahon knows his success is dependent on his teammates. Following every game, McMahon sends out text messages to all of his teammates congratulating them on the game and recognizing their contribution and effort.

Cardinal Mooney is celebrating its best start to a season in recent years. The Cougars won the Class 3A-District 10 title last season before falling to Shorecrest Prep in the regional semifinals.

Cardinal Mooney advanced to the regional finals when McMahon was a sophomore, but the team has never advanced to the Final Four — a feat McMahon is hoping to change this season.

“Being able to lead the team to a regional championship, that would be a successful season for me,”

McMahon says. “This team is the most similar to a family that I’ve ever been on. We all have one goal, and that’s to be successful and win basketball games. That’s all we’re worried about.”

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].