‘A big honor.’ Coach Wes Moore elevated NC State women’s basketball to national spotlight
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The News & Observer Tar Heel of the Month
The News & Observer’s Tar Heel of the Month honors residents who have made significant contributions to the Triangle, North Carolina and beyond. At the end of the year, a Tar Heel of the Year is named. Do you want to nominate someone? Email metroeds@newsobserver.com.
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Wes Moore acknowledges he sometimes struggles to make a decision.
So one day years ago, while trying to make up his mind about his future, Moore drove around endlessly weighing his options. Little did he know during that summer day in Tennessee, his choice of a destination would shape the road to his current level of success.
Being a coach has brought Moore, 65, from a small school in Tennessee to the highest pinnacle of women’s college basketball, winning three ACC tournament titles at N.C. State.
In between starting as an assistant at Johnson Bible College to becoming the leader of the Wolfpack, Moore has won 780 games, with 222 of those since he started at N.C. State in 2013.
At the conclusion of last season, he was named the ACC Coach of The Year. After leading N.C. State to a third straight conference tournament crown, he took the women’s team to the Elite 8 for the first time since 1998.
He has put N.C. State women’s basketball back on the map.
For his success on the court and his impact off of it, Moore is The News & Observer’s Tar Heel of the Month, which honors people who have made significant contributions to North Carolina and beyond.
Life-altering choice
When Moore looks around his office, surrounded by rings and memorabilia from his career in Raleigh, he can’t help but reflect on his humble beginnings at Division III Maryville College in Tennessee. Moore won 131 games in six seasons at Maryville, including five post-season appearances.
“Even when I was at Chattanooga, I didn’t dream of being here,” Moore said. “But I was happy, I loved what I was doing.”
While he loved being close to the game — he left a job in sales to get back into coaching — Moore’s inability to come to a decision might have led him right to Raleigh.
Since Maryville was a Division III school and didn’t offer scholarships, Moore usually didn’t bother going to AAU tournaments during the summer. As it turned out, AAU nationals were being played at 12 different sites across Chattanooga. Moore noticed a Tennessee team and a North Carolina team were each playing in the same time slot.
That could be useful. He had an upcoming interview at Catawba College in Salisbury, just outside of Charlotte. He figured he could watch players from North Carolina. Or, he could look at players from Tennessee, since that’s where he was currently coaching. He couldn’t decide.
“I get in my car, literally drive around in a circle because I can’t make decisions,” Moore said. “Then I thought, ‘I might get the Catawba job. Let me go watch the North Carolina team.’”
It turned out to be a life-altering choice.
Moore walked into the gym at tiny Tennessee Temple and took a seat. A few minutes later, legendary N.C. State women’s basketball coach Kay Yow walked in and sat near Moore. The two struck up a conversation.
“At the end of the game she goes, ‘Listen, I’ve got 200 resumes on my desk, would you be interested in interviewing in an assistant position?’ Moore recalled.
As Moore walked away, Yow asked him how old he was. He was 36. Later on, Yow would tell him she wasn’t going to hire anyone under 35. It all came together perfectly.
“Pretty unbelievable,” Moore said. “First of all, first time I had never gone to AAU. Second of all, I could have gone to any number of gyms. Third of all, she came down and sat near me. It’s just a miracle.”
Moore got the job as an assistant, but wanted to be a head coach again, taking over as the head coach at Francis Marion after two seasons as an assistant under Yow. He won at Francis Marion and at Chattanooga (358 games), which ultimately led him back to Raleigh.
He took over the N.C. State program in 2013 and has led the Pack to the NCAA tournament six times in nine seasons. In the same neighborhood with Blue Blood programs like Duke and UNC, with Hall of Fame coaches to boot, Moore has carved out a niche for himself in the Triangle.
The wins and titles mean a lot to him. But what means more is the impact his players have on the community. Moore tells a story from the last NCAA tournament run that brings him to tears.
Even though N.C. State hosted here in Raleigh, Moore wanted to still treat it like a road game. So his team stayed at the Renaissance Hotel in North Hills and went out for a team dinner at J. Alexander’s near Crabtree Valley Mall.
The team enjoyed a meal, and as they exited the restaurant, people dining inside the restaurant gave N.C. State a standing ovation.
“I get emotional,” Moore said. “It’s been awesome, man. I think it’s hard here because you have Carolina and Duke 30 minutes away. But, it makes it fun.”
Moore spoke with The News & Observer about his life and the lessons he has learned along the way.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
“I probably wanted to be a professional baseball player or something, or basketball. A pro athlete, let’s put it that way. When you’re a kid, you play everyday, that’s what you dream of. But I loved being around it.
“My wife and I got married and I was in sales and I looked forward to lunch so I could read the sports page and 5 o’clock so I could play basketball or softball or whatever. I finally decided I had to go back to school so I could get my degree and coach.
“I worry about that with our student-athletes; it’s tough deciding what you want to do and I want them to do something they love and they are passionate about. I get to go to work everyday instead of ‘got to go to work.’ I feel very blessed that I was able to find something that I would be passionate about.”
What is the achievement you’re most proud of?
“Probably being the head coach at N.C. State. A big honor. I was around Kay Yow, and just to look around at all the great coaches we had here at N.C. State, it’s an honor. And our fans are unbelievable, and then to work with the best players in the country, it’s an honor.”
Who is your role model or inspiration?
“I’ve had several. I’ve been very fortunate. I was around (late University of Tennessee women’s basketball head coach) Pat Summitt a lot, being there in the Knoxville area. My first coaching job right out of college was at a Division III college, and the men’s coach was Randy Lambert, longtime coach. I learned so much from him at an early age.
“Then being here with Kay Yow for a couple of years, another legend. Not to mention all the coaches I played for and learned from and admired. That probably inspired me to want to get into coaching because of them.”
What is a turning point in your life that helped define where you are today?
“I think it was my wife and I, we both had good jobs in Eastern North Carolina, and making a decision to give all that up and go back to school to get my degree. My other one is deciding to go from Dallas, Texas, to Johnson University in Tennessee to go to school and play basketball. That was a big decision, too.
“Otherwise I probably would have stayed out there (Texas). Making that decision (to go to college) that was a big decision.”
Get to know Wes Moore
What was the last book you read? “Chop Wood, Carry Water: How to Fall in Love with the Process of Becoming Great,” by Joshua Medcalf
What’s your favorite game that you’ve been a part of as coach or player? “When I was at Chattanooga, beating Tennessee (2012) was a big deal, obviously. Here, winning the conference tournament for the first time, that was pretty special. I wanted that so much for the fans, and also we ended that season with a win (COVID struck a week later) so you don’t do that very often, so that was nice.”
Which famous person, living or dead, would you invite to dinner and why? “Growing up, I loved the Dallas Cowboys, so let me have Roger Staubach and Drew Pearson and let’s talk about the original hail Mary. Those two, it would be fun to sit down with them.”
Favorite quote: “You have to dance with the one who brung ya.” I stole that from Darrell Royal (former coach at Texas). I do believe in that, sometimes to a fault. I’m sometimes too loyal, but that’s a good one.”
What do you remember most about your childhood? “I had a great one. We didn’t have much money. My mom got married so young she didn’t graduate from high school, but she somehow raised me and my two sisters by herself. I just played ball all day, everyday. Lived in the suburbs of Dallas, and if I wasn’t watching sports on TV I was playing it.
“Growing up in Texas, I was kind of pulling for Phi Slama Jama (The nickname for the University of Houston team who played and lost to N.C. State in the 1983 National Championship game). Now it’s funny how things worked. Now I’m really glad N.C. State won. I had a great childhood playing ball all the time.”
What were you like in high school? “Small. Until really my senior year, I finally started growing. Just playing sports and I was at a big high school, 3,600 students, so I sat on the bench. Again, great time, we had a big church, so I played for the school team and played for the church team on weekends and stuff, so, again, playing ball.”
A perfect day: “First you have to have a nice, long lunch. Maybe a round of golf with friends. That’s a pretty good day.”
This story was originally published April 22, 2022 at 5:45 AM.
