Assistant coaches Larry Mangino and Mike McKee are jockeying for the lead in a race to become the next men’s basketball coach at the Air Force Academy.
Their future at Air Force abruptly changed Thursday when Chris Mooney surprised the academy’s athletic department by resigning as head coach to take the coaching job at Richmond.
Mangino noted his goal has been to become a head coach in Division I. An Air Force assistant for five seasons, Mangino has nine years of head coaching experience at smaller universities.
“My desire is to be the head coach here for a long time,” Mangino said. “This is a wonderful place to coach; we have good players, and we’re in a position to be successful on a regular basis.”
“I would consider it an unbelievable opportunity for me,” McKee, an Air Force assistant the past four seasons, said in verifying he’s a candidate. “This was very surprising to all of us. We knew Richmond had contacted Chris, but otherwise everything happened quickly.”
Air Force players were in shock Thursday when they learned Mooney was leaving. It was just a little more than a year ago the Air Force men’s basketball family was split up when Joe Scott left for Princeton.
Scott had led the Falcons to their best season, finishing 22-7 with the Mountain West Conference championship and an NCAA Tournament berth as bonuses.
A month after Air Force competed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 42 years, Scott left for his alma mater and Mooney quickly was elevated from assistant coach to head coach amid expressions of approval from Air Force fans and players.
For sophomore Jacob Burtschi, the loss of his coach for the second time in a year left him with a problem tougher than any he would face in the classroom.
“It didn’t add up for us when we were told of the decision, but we weren’t in his shoes,” the forward said. “In some ways we feel as if we’re orphans again. We were in shock for a while. I think both coaches Mangino and McKee are qualified.”
Burtschi noted Mooney left with the Falcons looking at another good season next year. After their landmark 2003-04 season, the Falcons went 18-12 last season.
“We have a lot of experience coming back,” Burt- schi said. “The system we have used here over the last few years works for us.”
Burtschi faces a decision on whether to remain at the academy. Cadets can leave before their junior year without a military commitment.
“I feel pretty committed here because of the promising team we have coming back,” Burtschi said. “Our season ended last year on a bad note and we’d like to reverse that. Right now, we’re just trying to keep the team together and focused on next season.”
Burtschi said Mooney told the team he was taking the Richmond job because of family issues and geography. Mooney is from Philadelphia.
“I can shoot right up I-95 and be in Philadelphia,” Mooney said Saturday from Richmond. “But this is a great opportunity for me. I couldn’t pass it up.”
There were indications in April that Mooney was disappointed in the Air Force administration’s efforts in promoting the Falcons for a possible invitation to the National Invitation Tournament. Many members of the academy’s staff believed 18 wins by a service academy team surely would gain admittance to the NIT.
“I think everyone was disappointed in the way the NIT situation turned out,” Mooney said. “I think the academy is committed to having good programs in every sport. In basketball they will have good players in every class from freshman to senior. But the commitment here at Richmond is special.”
Mike Saks, senior associate athletic director, said: “Chris’ departure was a surprise for all of us. Nobody expected it. We owe it to our players to do what is best for the program. There obviously are some candidates on the coaching staff and it is a positive to know we have that option. However, we will look for the best candidate for the long haul for our players.”
Irv Moss can be reached at 303 820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
