When Tori Mooneyham was a young college student deciding what to do with her life, something bothered her.
“When I decided to be a coach, I was nervous that I wouldn’t get to coach at Republic. That was the only thing that mattered to me. I couldn’t imagine coaching against Republic, and it just happened to work out,” she said.
It’s worked out for 25 years as an assistant, and now, at last, she will lead the Lady Tigers basketball program. The Republic School District has hired Mooneyham to replace Kris Flood, who recently retired, as head coach.
Although many basketball observers assumed she was next in line for the top job at Republic, Mooneyham said she took nothing for granted.
“I did not for one second think that it was just a given. I went through the whole process and interviewed. It was stressful. Very overwhelming. But looking back on it now, I’m glad I went through that process. I think it’s really helped me zero in on what I want the program to look like and what I want to do moving forward,” she said.
Mooneyham said she expects to make “some tweaks here and there to get the kids excited,” but she doesn’t anticipate wholesale changes to a program with so much tradition and success, especially since it’s a program she’s been a part of already. “Anytime you bring in a new coach…you want to bring new things to the program, and you want kids to get excited to play for you. But my vision is to carry on the tradition of Lady Tiger basketball,” she said.
Mooneyham steps into the top job as the Lady Tigers graduate seven players, including all five starters. But there’s a silver lining to that turnover, because Mooneyham’s successful JV team from last season will essentially be intact as it steps up to varsity alongside Lanney Strong, who played on the varsity team this past season.
“Several of the girls I’ve coached for multiple years. This junior group, I even had some of them as freshmen, so this will be the fourth year that I will get to coach them,” said Mooneyham. “The positive there is that… they’re used to playing under me and my expectations and the things that I ask of them. I think a lot of that will already be established.”
The new role brings new opportunities and new responsibilities for Mooneyham. She said other coaches have told her the new position will change her relationship with her players.
“I don’t think I agree with that. I’m still going to be me. I’m still going to do the same job that I’ve always done, and that is develop kids and get them ready, whether it’s for JV or for varsity,” she said. “I don’t plan on my relationship with my athletes changing. Obviously, you can’t make everyone happy, and we all know that. It’s still the same game, I’m just going to be coaching a different level.”
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Mooneyham’s entire coaching career has been as an assistant to Flood. That partnership is part of what Mooneyham said has prepared her for this next step.
“I’ve loved working with Coach Flood. I felt like we were a good team. I learned a lot from him, and he really helped me there in the beginning get started, and taught me how to be a successful coach,” Mooneyham said.
In addition to Flood, Mooneyham said her father Randy has been an important part of her career. She credits postgame phone calls with him throughout her career with helping her to improve as a coach.
“The most influential person to me is my dad. I’ve been very blessed to have him in my corner,” she said. “He knows the game better than anyone I know. Luckily, as the years went by, he didn’t have to tell me as much as he did at the beginning.”
With a JV record of 449-62, Mooneyham has already established a record of coaching success. And over the past 25 years, she said she’s had opportunities to step into head coaching roles before, but never considered them.
“I took a lot of pride in being the JV coach and getting to prepare those girls for the next level,” she said. “I felt like I played a huge part in the program, so to leave and possibly go somewhere just to be a head coach and not be happy was never worth it to me.”
After 25 seasons as an assistant coach, Mooneyham will now join all of her former JV players in stepping up to the next level, and she said she’s ready for the challenge.
“I am looking forward to this opportunity. To get to continue to be a part of this program in a different role is very exciting. And to get to work with this particular group of girls, because I’ve coached them so long, is special to me.
“I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve these blessings. As a player, to be a part of those teams that started the tradition…I think that kind of set the foundation for me on what it takes to have that success and made me hungry as a coach. Then to be blessed to be able to come in as an assistant and to be a part of what Coach Flood was able to do.
I really do have a lot of pride to be a part of this community, to be a part of this district, to be a part of this school. To get to be in this position is truly an honor.”