College of Wooster’s Moore returns to Naismith Hall of Fame ballot

College of Wooster legend Steve Moore — one of the most successful NCAA men's basketball coaches — is back on the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame ballot. Eligible candidates for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026 were announced Dec. 19 on ESPN.

At the time of his retirement in 2020, Moore ranked 12th in NCAA history (all divisions) with 867 wins, posting an 867-253 mark across 39 seasons as head coach, 33 of which were spent at Wooster. NCAA Division III's second-winningest coach guided the Fighting Scots' storied program to a 780-188 record, 28 appearances in the NCAA Div. III Championship and a Div. III record 18 straight NCAA berths.

Wooster was most impressive in the 2000s, winning 82% of Moore-coached games over 20 seasons. The Scots' winning percentage with Moore at the helm was the second-highest of all NCAA men's basketball programs, and Wooster was one of just four teams to win 80% of its games during that stretch. Wooster's success in the 2000s saw the program reach the national semifinals in 2003, 2007 and 2011, with the Scots playing for the national championship in 2011.

Wooster's run of 18 straight NCAA appearances under Moore is the seventh-longest consecutive streak of tournament appearances in NCAA history. Of note, Wooster won 20 or more games in Moore's final 24 seasons. Only the University of Kansas had a longer active streak (31) among NCAA men's programs when Moore retired, and important to note is Wooster accomplished this feat with a 25-game regular season. Under Moore, Wooster reached the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Championship in 22 of his final 24 seasons, winning the crown 14 times. The program won an NCAC-leading 18 regular-season titles under Moore.

Individual honors were headlined by Bryan Nelson's selection as the 2002-03 National Association of Basketball Coaches Div. III Player of the Year. Nelson is one of five Wooster players selected to the NABC's Div. III All-America first team in the 2000s, and the Scots remain the lone Div. III program with five different first-team selections this century. In all, Wooster players earned 11 NABC All-America, 10 D3hoops.com All-America, five NABC District Player of the Year, 29 NABC all-district, 10 NCAC Player of the Year, five NCAC Newcomer of the Year and 111 All-NCAC honors under Moore. He was voted by his peers as the NABC District Coach of the Year five times and the NCAC Coach of the Year nine times.

In 2008 the NABC presented Moore with an NABC Guardian of the Game for education, an honor once bestowed to John Wooden. Moore served a four-year term on the NCAA Rules Committee, was a member of the NABC Congress and served on the NABC Ethics Committee. With Moore helping coordinate, Wooster's program held — and continues to hold — several community service initiatives each year. Included among those are basketball skills clinics for local youth with admission being canned food items for People to People Ministries, a canned food drive during the program's annual Al Van Wie/Wooster Rotary Classic, a coat drive during the E.M. "Mose" Hole/Wooster Kiwanis Classic and the program helping with the Wooster Kiwanis/American Association of University Women used book sale.

Moore is a member of The College of Wooster W Association Hall of Fame, Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame, Wittenberg University Hall of Honor, Wayne County Athletic Hall of Fame and Monroeville High School Hall of Fame. In 2023 Wooster announced the establishment of the Steve Moore Endowment and formally dedicated Steve Moore Court at Timken Gymnasium during the 2023-24 basketball season. He also is a current nominee for the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame.

The finalists for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026 will be announced in February. The induction class will be announced in April.