Iowa basketball recruit Riley Mulvey is big guy from big program

Jere Quinn is in his 43rd year of coaching boys’ basketball at St. Thomas More School in Oakdale, Conn. He jokingly says he’s starting to give up on his hope of playing for the New York Knicks.

But Quinn has coached over 400 players who went on to college careers and some who advanced to the NBA, like Andre Drummond of the Los Angeles Lakers. He isn’t calling Iowa signee Riley Mulvey a future pro, but he certainly isn’t selling the 6-foot-11 player short.

“First off, he’s a young talent,” Quinn said. “He’s very skilled and comes from a great family. He’s the youngest of four brothers, all athletes, but he’s not the runt of that litter.

“He can knock down the 3. He passes well, attacks the rim well. He’s nicely athletic. By that, I mean he’s athletic enough. With patience, he has a chance to be a really good player.”

Mulvey, from Rotterdam, N.Y., outside of Albany, recently reclassified so he could join the Hawkeyes this summer instead of next year. He has signed a national letter of intent to play at Iowa.

“He was just ready to go to college,” said Quinn. “He’s an older junior, anyway, actually the age of a senior.”

Mulvey averaged 14.2 points, 11.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.9 steals, and 3.9 blocks per game in one of the nation’s premier prep basketball conferences, New England Preparatory School Athletic Council AAA.

Quinn said the league’s eight AAA teams will send a total of 80 players to college basketball next year. He said 35 or 40 St. Thomas More products are currently playing college ball

“Riley really knows how to play,” Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said in a Tuesday news release. “He is a skilled frontcourt player with excellent defensive instincts. He is an excellent shot-blocker and can run the floor. Offensively, he can finish around the basket and score off either shoulder. Riley will be a great addition to our program.”

“Building my relationship with Coach Fran McCaffery over the last two and a half years has inspired my commitment to be a Hawkeye,” Mulvey said in that release.

“I love how the team is connected as a family on and off the court, and the passion of the fans. I am excited to get on the court with my new teammates this summer and see what we can do as a team.”

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