Moylan Retiring as Pearl River Coach, Remaining as High School Teacher

Lorraine Moylan earned the reputation for expecting intensity and energy from her players during 20 years coaching Pearl River High School's girls basketball program.

She said she found herself unable to give that level of energy, which led her to retire from coaching last week after the Pirates' season.

"If I can’t give 150 percent like ask kids to give all the time, it’s not really fair to them. I would be cheating them if not being able to do that," Moylan said. "My dad taught me the right way. If you are going to do something, do it the right way. Doing it the right way takes a bunch of energy. I can’t give energy needed the whole time."

Moylan, 54, showed how well her way works for 30 years, the first 10 at Albertus Magnus. The Falcons won four consecutive championships in her final four seasons, twice earning state championships, before she moved on to Pearl River in 1993. She led Pearl River to section championships in 2008 and 2012. She was inducted into the Basketball Coaches Association of New York Hall of Fame in 2011, then became the first Rockland County basketball coach to go over 500 victories last season. 

Moylan met with her players Friday to tell them about her decision. 

"It was a pretty emotional meeting," Moylan said. "I've had two meetings that were very difficult for myself. That was the second one. Leaving Albertus and the other day."

Moylan, who was a standout point guard herself at Pearl River, said she was blessed to coach there.

"Pearl River the best place. It’s home," Moylan said. "It’s where great kids are and great things happen. I've been blessed to be in a great school district and a great community that the parents, kids and everybody supports and loves. We try to take care of it. It's a great place to be.

"For me, I can't ask the players any more. I'm very proud of all they have accomplished. I'm proud of the way these young ladies present themselves and act as they move forward in their lives."

News of Moylan's retirement brought messages of well wishing and gratitude in the responses to this article on Patch.