Photo by Chris Rupert
Wes Moore stands on the court at Reynolds Coliseum where he will be coaching his first games at State later this year. Wes Moore is the new women's basketball coach, replacing Kelly Harper. Moore was given a five-year contract.
With the Wolfpack women going through a rough few years, it was time for a change. Athletic Director Debbie Yow’s refusal to accept the status quo landed a former Wolfpack women’s basketball assistant to lead the team back to where her late sister, Kay Yow, once had it.
That man is Wes Moore. Moore, who served as an assistant under Kay Yow from 1993-95, returns to Raleigh after spending the last 15 seasons as the boss at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. In the 2012-2013 season, Moore led the Lady Mocs to a 29-4 overall record, 19-1 in the Southern Conference, and an NCAA Tournament bid.
In his 15 seasons at Chattanooga, Moore posted an overall record of 358-113, appeared in the NCAA Tournament nine times, and won the SoCon Coach of the Year Award six times, including in his most recent campaign.
“Chattanooga was a great place,” Moore said. “I coached some unbelievable young ladies, and I loved the city, so it was hard to leave.”
“I have the opportunity to compete in the ACC, which I think is the toughest conference in the nation for women’s basketball. Every now and then you need a new challenge.”
Moore is a native of Dallas, Texas, but his wife of nearly 33 years hails from eastern North Carolina. He said that factored into his decision as well.
“It’s an opportunity to get [my wife] back home closer to her family.” Moore said. “She sees them on a fairly regular basis.”
In addition to Chattanooga, Moore has also coached at Division III Maryville College and Division II Francis Marion College. He led both schools to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances for their respective divisions, making him the only coach in NCAA history to lead a team to postseason play in each division.
Perhaps equally as impressive as the performance of Moore’s teams on the court is their performance off of it. In his final four years at Chattanooga, the Lady Mocs recorded perfect 1000 Academic Progress Rates on three occasions. Moore promises to make every effort to ensure that continues during his time at State.
“I want to be proud of these young ladies in the classroom, I want to be proud of them on the court, and I want to be proud of them in the community,” Moore said. “I’m worried about not just the four years that they’re here, but also the 40 years after they leave with a degree from here.”
Moore takes over a program that finished 17-17 last season and lost in the second round of the WNIT to James Madison. The Pack has not qualified for the NCAA Tournament since 2010. Moore is no stranger to quickly turning programs in the right direction.
“My first year at Chattanooga, we won 10 games,” Moore said. “My second year, we won 26. But it wasn’t me getting a whole lot smarter. We went out and got some real good players.”
The Wolfpack will return several key components of last year’s team. Senior guard Kody Burke, senior center Markeisha Gatling and junior guard Krystal Barrett are expected to lead the way for State this season. Although the schedule has yet to be released, Moore is eager to get the season started.
“I enjoy a challenge,” Moore said. “I like to say that it’s more fun to be the engineer than the maintenance man. This is an opportunity to build something new.”