A ‘most special day’ for Scots basketball and Moore

There have been countless memorable moments in The College of Wooster’s Timken Gymnasium, but the formal dedication of Steve Moore Court following the Fighting Scots’ 87-86 win over DePauw on Jan. 27 will always rank near the top of the list.

In fact, Scots head coach Doug Cline called it the “most special day” in Wooster basketball history as he spoke during the ceremony, with his longtime mentor and friend Moore seated a few feet away.

A crowd of 1,866 watched Wooster’s win over visiting DePauw, and nearly all of the Scots’ faithful stayed for the 51-minute postgame ceremony.

During Moore’s 39-year coaching career, he compiled a record of 867-253 before retiring after the 2019-20 season, and he still ranks No. 2 all-time in Division III wins. Moore had a 780-188 mark in 33 seasons leading the Scots’ program, guiding them to 28 appearances in the NCAA Div. III Tournament and three Final Fours (2011-second, 2003, 2007).

Moore said during his speech that the court dedication is not about him. “It is about our players, and it’s great that so many of them are here today,” he said.

The Scots’ legendary former coach, who’s a member of the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame, spent nearly his entire speech thanking others, from the players to past assistant coaches, administrators, fans, coaches he played for and coached under, and his family and God.

“It still hasn’t sunk in,” Moore said afterward. “This is as big of an honor as I’ve ever received. It’s tremendous. To see a crowd here like this and all the former players who came back, that was really special. It was really nice to see the Scots win the game and stay in first place. It wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun if they hadn’t.”

Cline, who was a standout player and then coached under Moore for 23 seasons, elaborated afterward on why he called it the “most special day” in the Scots’ storied basketball history.

“There’s been a lot of great days in Wooster basketball history, and in my opinion, this is the greatest because we’re honoring a guy who’s so deserving,” Cline said. “Wooster basketball has a great tradition with guys like coach Al Van Wie and Mose Hole. Don’t get me wrong, but Steve Moore is Wooster basketball. For the guys who played for coach Moore and have been around and coached with him, this is a great day for us all. He’s a great coach, but he’s a better man.”

Moore mixed serious messages with humor during his speech, but above all else, he came off as incredibly humble and grateful.

The retired coach joked that his family told him they’d leave if his speech got too long by naming all his former players. Moore managed to find time to specifically name several players and tell stories about other “unnamed” alums, who many in the crowd could identify.

Just as Cline had predicted before introducing him, Moore deflected nearly all of the credit for Wooster’s incredible success to others.

“Any time a coach is honored, it is because of what players have done,” Moore said. “I used to think I was the luckiest coach ever. Better said than that, we were the luckiest basketball program ever, because what I want to say today and the day itself, it is not about me. It is about our players, and it is great that so many of them are here today.

“We were very fortunate that there were some players in the program who were quality men and outstanding leaders, who through their example of hard work and dedication, we were able to establish the culture that we needed to build a successful program.”

Waynedale alum Erich Riebe, who’s now the director of operations for the Southeast Local District, was in Moore’s first recruiting class and is credited with helping to jump-start the historic run.

“Coach Moore always deflects and says ‘it’s all about other parts of the program — coaches and players,’ but it’s a credit to him,” Riebe said. “If you would ask any of these guys here today, the reason we came to The College of Wooster is because of coach Moore and the culture he created and the effect he had on all of us. There’s nobody more deserving of having a court named after him. He’s the most humble guy you’ll ever meet, and I’m so glad it happened.”

According to The COW, the generosity of alumni, parents, friends and fans of the program led to the establishment of the Steve Moore Endowment and made the court dedication possible. For more information on the endowment fund, which will help future student-athletes in all sports, call the office of advancement at 330-263-2697.

Scots peaking at the right time

Wooster improved to 12-8 (8-3) after edging DePauw (11-9, 6-5). The Scots, Denison and Wabash entered the week tied for first, with Wittenberg (13-7, 7-4) one game back.

The Scots’ Ashton Price (20 points), Jaiden Cox-Holloway (17) and Nick Everett (16) led a balanced attack against the Tigers. Eight players scored four points or more.

“Offensively, we were a coach Moore team,” Cline said. “We moved the ball, we shared the ball and we got open shots for one another. Our program has always been about defense and unselfishness. Play together and win as a team. I thought we made a lot of those plays, and our defense at the end held out and won the game.”

With five games left on the regular-season schedule, Cline said the NCAC race is as deep as it’s ever been.

“If we take it one at a time, we can win this,” Cline said.