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| Steve Moore |
The College of Wooster's Steve Moore will be honored with a Div. III outstanding service award by his peers at this weekend's National Association of Basketball Coaches convention, which coincides with the NCAA Div. I Final Four in Phoenix.
Moore's honor is will be presented during the division's coaches' meeting on Saturday in recognition of his "significant contributions inside and outside the lines of coaching as a distinguished member of the community." Additionally, Moore will be recognized for his 800th career win during Sunday's AT&T Guardians of the Game Awards Show, which serves as the convention's centerpiece.
This will mark the third time Moore's earned a major honor at the NABC annual convention. Most notably, he earned a prestigious "Guardian of the Game" award for education in 2008, an honor also once bestowed to the legendary John Wooden. Then, in 2010, Moore received the NABC Literacy Champion Award, in recognition of the program's emphasis on enhancing literacy in children.
Moore's honor caps an impressive year, as he guided the Fighting Scots to a NCAA Div. III record 15th-consecutive appearance in the national championship tournament after Wooster won its league-leading 16th North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament title with a 76-72 win over Ohio Wesleyan University on Feb. 25. Coincidentally, the win over the Battling Bishops marked the 800th of Moore's career, making him the 18th coach in the history of NCAA men's basketball to reach that milestone.
On Jan. 11, Moore moved into second all-time among Div. III coaches with win No. 787 in a 91-67 triumph at Allegheny College, in what marked Moore's 700th win at Wooster.
Prior to the season starting, Wooster played Div. II Ashland University at Monroeville High School where prior to the game, Moore's alma mater surprised the legendary coach by dedicating the court in his honor.
Outside the lines, Wooster's basketball program's community service initiatives greatly impact the local community. Included among those are basketball skills' clinics for local youth, fundraisers for Coaches vs. Cancer as well as encouraging fans to donate food and clothing for half-price admission at its two annual tournaments, which benefits People-to-People ministry and Goodwill Industries, and participation in the NABC Dream to Read program with local elementary schools.
Moore, a member of the NABC Congress, previously served a four-year term on the prestigious NCAA rules committee, and served on the NABC ethics committee.
Of note, this year's Div. III other outstanding service award honorees are Franklin and Marshall College's Glenn Robinson and Amherst College's David Hixon, and the trio of legends have combined for over 2,500 wins during their careers.