STARKVILLE — Mississippi State head coach Ben Howland announced the return of Mike Moynihan to the men’s basketball staff as the program’s director of operations on Wednesday.
Moynihan embarks on his second stint with the Bulldogs after he served as video coordinator and director of operations from 2016-18 on Ben Howland’s staff. He was named as one of only 25 people to the Division I Top Staffers List produced by CoachStat.net. His first tenure at Mississippi State was highlighted by a 25-win season and a trip to the 2018 NIT Final Four.
“I feel like I have come home,” Moynihan said. “This university and our program mean so much to me. When the opportunity presented itself, I knew I needed to return. Coach Howland is an elite leader and has been a great mentor to me. I’m looking forward to joining the first-class people in our basketball program and our athletic department. Mississippi State is a special place.”
Moynihan spent the 2018-19 season as an assistant coach at UNC Ashville under Mike Morrell where he was listed among the nation’s top 10 mid-major assistant coaching tandems with R.J. Evans.
As director of operations, Moynihan will be involved in all facets of the program and already owns six years of experience at the Division I level. He worked as director of operations at George Mason under Paul Hewitt in 2014-15 and video coordinator at Troy under Phil Cunningham in 2013-14.
Moynihan’s first assistant coach position was at Young Harris College in Georgia at the Division II level. The Mountain Lions turned in a 17-9 record during the 2012-13 season and captured a second-place finish in their division.
Moynihan began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at North Georgia, his alma mater, in addition to being an assistant coach at Buford High School in Georgia.
The grandson of 2007 College Basketball Hall of Fame and 2018 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Charles “Lefty” Driesell, Moynihan split his collegiate playing career between Georgia State and North Georgia. He came away with a 2010 All-Peach Belt selection during his senior season at North Georgia under Chris Faulkner. Moynihan graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Management in 2010.
Mississippi State posted a 23-11 record last season and secured the program’s 11th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bulldogs have dialed up 48 victories over the last two seasons which is tied for second-most in program history over a two-year span and fourth among SEC schools during that span.
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