{"id":13448,"date":"2024-09-13T20:03:12","date_gmt":"2024-09-13T20:03:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moycullenbasketball.com\/?p=13448"},"modified":"2024-09-13T20:03:12","modified_gmt":"2024-09-13T20:03:12","slug":"cunninghams-court-ten-questions-with-departing-coach-john-cunningham","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moycullenbasketball.com\/?p=13448","title":{"rendered":"Cunningham’s Court – Ten Questions with Departing Coach John Cunningham"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After eight incredible years at the helm of the Maigh Cuilinn Senior Men’s Superleague team, Coach John Cunningham is stepping down. A true pillar of the club, John has served Maigh Cuilinn both as one of its standout generational players and most recently as head coach of the club’s flagship team. His tenure was marked by memorable moments, hard-fought games, and a strong sense of camaraderie within the team. We sat down with Coach Cunningham to reflect on his journey, his coaching philosophy, and what\u2019s next for him in the club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
John was Maigh Cuilinn’s longest serving Senior Men’s Head Coach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Reflecting on the Journey<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What are you most proud of from your eight years coaching Superleague?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Cunningham:<\/em>
\u201cI\u2019m proud of how the players always respected who and what they represented every night. Regardless of the strength of the opposition, our standing in the league, or injuries, they gave their all in every game. I never came away from a game feeling the team didn\u2019t try.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is there a particular game, season, or moment that you’ll never forget?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Cunningham:<\/em>
\u201cHonestly, I don\u2019t think there\u2019s one standout. When you\u2019ve been involved for as long as I have, without a major trophy to mark it, games tend to blur. I live in the moment, always focusing on the next game. That said, some of the near misses stand out more. Beating Sligo last season was special, and the National Cup quarter-final wins over Star early in my tenure\u2014those were great battles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
John (standing back right) as coach of the first ever underage Maigh Cuilinn team to enter a national competition – U19 Boys ‘Sprite Cup’ back in 1994<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Coaching Philosophy and Impact<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What has been your coaching philosophy, and how did it shape the team over the years?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Cunningham:<\/em>
\u201cI\u2019d say I\u2019m more of a \u2018defense-first\u2019 coach, but when I took over, I knew we weren\u2019t scoring enough. I focused a lot on shooting and taking more shots, even at the risk of some bad shot selection. I think it worked initially, but we never got our shooting percentages where I would\u2019ve liked them. That was the gap we couldn\u2019t close to become a consistently winning Superleague team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the most memorable piece of advice you received that influenced your coaching career?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Cunningham:<\/em>
\u201cTwo pieces of advice come to mind. First, Brendan Hynes said after we lost an early National League final in the \u201890s, \u2018Win when you can \u2013 you may not be back again.\u2019 Second, Gerry Nihill once told me, \u2018Trust in youth \u2013 they don\u2019t fear what they don\u2019t know.\u2019 Both those ideas have stuck with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farewell and Future Plans<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What will you miss most about coaching Superleague?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Cunningham:<\/em>
\u201cGame day, without a doubt. It brings the same buzz as playing, in a different way. Also, the team environment\u2014there\u2019s always a moment, in every session or game, where you share a laugh, whether it\u2019s something positive or negative.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s your focus now in terms of your role in the club?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Cunningham:<\/em>
\u201cI\u2019m still the Chairperson, so I have plenty to keep me busy. The big focus now is finally getting a home gym built in the parish. It\u2019s a huge challenge, balancing the ongoing costs and commitments of running the club day-to-day, but we\u2019ve made progress with an energetic group of committee members. My goal is to guide the ship and keep everyone motivated and moving in the same direction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any message for the players and the club community as you step away from coaching?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Cunningham:<\/em>
\u201cI\u2019ve always believed in having a \u2018Flagship Team\u2019 that inspires the club and community. While we\u2019re no longer in Superleague, I encourage the players to continue being that flagship\u2014give everything you have to the team, regardless of the circumstances. And to the community, keep supporting the team as you have over the past eight years. Maigh Cuilinn Ab\u00fa!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you could give one piece of parting advice to the new coach, what would it be?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Cunningham:<\/em>
\u201cDon\u2019t stay as long as I did! Just kidding. Paul knows the game well, and he doesn\u2019t need advice from me. My biggest learning has been to communicate regularly with everyone, especially the new players. You don\u2019t have the luxury of years of familiarity with imports or recent recruits, so you need to quickly figure out what makes them tick. The better you know your players, the better you can coach them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Though he\u2019s stepping away from the head coaching role, John\u2019s impact on Maigh Cuilinn continues. He remains Chairperson of the club and is deeply involved in ensuring its continued success. With plans for a home gym in the works and a vibrant community behind him, John will no doubt be cheering on the lads from the sidelines at National League home games this season. His legacy as a player, coach, and leader within the club will endure for years to come. Maigh Cuilinn Ab\u00fa!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
John sets out the stall at training<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After eight incredible years at the helm of the Maigh Cuilinn Senior Men’s Superleague team, Coach John Cunningham is stepping down. A true pillar of the club, John has served Maigh Cuilinn both as one of its standout generational players and most recently as head coach of the club’s flagship team. His tenure was marked by memorable moments, hard-fought games, and a strong sense of camaraderie within the team. We sat down with Coach Cunningham to reflect on his journey, his coaching philosophy, and what\u2019s next for him in the club. Reflecting on the Journey What are you most proud\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13451,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tpgb_global_settings":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":5}},"tpgb_featured_images":{"full":["https:\/\/moycullenbasketball.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/John-Cunningham-Coach.jpeg",600,502,false],"tp-image-grid":["https:\/\/moycullenbasketball.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/John-Cunningham-Coach-700x700.jpeg",700,700,true],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/moycullenbasketball.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/John-Cunningham-Coach-150x150.jpeg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/moycullenbasketball.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/John-Cunningham-Coach-300x251.jpeg",300,251,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/moycullenbasketball.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/John-Cunningham-Coach.jpeg",600,502,false],"large":["https:\/\/moycullenbasketball.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/John-Cunningham-Coach.jpeg",600,502,false],"default":"https:\/\/moycullenbasketball.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/the-plus-addons-for-block-editor\/assets\/images\/tpgb-placeholder.jpg"},"tpgb_post_meta_info":{"get_date":"13\/09\/2024","category_list":{"category":[{"term_id":1,"name":"Uncategorized","slug":"uncategorized","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":7,"filter":"raw"}],"post_tag":false},"author_name":"Moycullen Admin","author_url":"https:\/\/moycullenbasketball.com\/?author=1","author_email":"moycullenbasketball1966@gmail.com","author_website":"http:\/\/moycullenbasketball.com","author_description":"","author_facebook":"","author_twitter":"","author_instagram":"","author_role":["administrator"],"author_avatar":"\"Moycullen","comment_count":67,"post_likes":0,"post_views":0},"tpgb_post_category":{"category":"Uncategorized<\/a> "},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/moycullenbasketball.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13448"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/moycullenbasketball.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/moycullenbasketball.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moycullenbasketball.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moycullenbasketball.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13448"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/moycullenbasketball.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13448\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13452,"href":"https:\/\/moycullenbasketball.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13448\/revisions\/13452"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moycullenbasketball.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/moycullenbasketball.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moycullenbasketball.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moycullenbasketball.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}