Reynoldsburg coach shifted from his NCAA Division I dream to an OHSAA dream season | Arace
Andrew Moore played for a legendary high school basketball coach – his father, Dan – at Mount Vernon in the 1980s. Moore went on to a standout college career at Muskingum University, where he was an All-American and is enshrined in the school's athletics Hall of Fame. Throughout his playing days, Moore had one goal – to be the head coach of a Division I college basketball program.
Moore got after it. He started as a freshman coach under his father. He was an assistant at Kenyon College, California of Pennsylvania, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan (twice), Michigan and Virginia Tech. There was a one-year stint as a head coach in there, an interim-ish thing, and a couple of “director of basketball operations” titles. He spent his last six years in the college ranks as an assistant at the Air Force Academy.
He came to a realization.
“You’re 50 years old and you’ve been an assistant for 25 years and you haven’t been a Division I head coach yet,” Moore said. “You’ve got a wife and three kids and, you know, maybe it’s time to readjust your goals a little bit. Maybe it’s time to stop being so selfish that it’s all about my career and what I want to do.”
In the spring of 2020, Moore came home. He took a Division I job – a Division I high school job at Reynoldsburg, with the added duties of athletic director.
Saturday night, in what will be the first-ever meeting of Columbus-area schools in an OHSAA basketball state title game, Moore’s Reynoldsburg Raiders (26-1) will face Olentangy Orange (25-2) at University of Dayton Arena. Tipoff is 8:30 p.m. It'll be the last game of a seven-game state championship card in the storied building.
Moore’s father had some excellent teams over his 20 years at Mount Vernon, where he won nine league and three district titles. But he never got this close to winning the last game. Moore the younger, who was a conference player of the year in college and an assistant all over the map, has one (somewhat) significant trophy: He was on Michigan’s staff when the Wolverines won the 2004 NIT (aka the NCAA consolation prize).
“I know people might think that’s funny,” Moore said, “but it was Madison Square Garden. That was probably the one time you feel you’re playing for something really important.”
Moore said that one of the things he took from his father, who died, at age 77, as Moore was packing up his family to move back to Ohio in 2020, is to be true to oneself. It was a lesson the elder Moore learned after he was fired from a small-town job early in his career. He vowed to do it his way the next time, and that was at Mount Vernon, where he compiled a record of 244-95.
Moore said another thing he took from his father was a series of lessons on the alchemy of winning with an overmatched roster. This is where benevolent dictatorship is combined with hard work, unselfishness, a team-first mentality, all that stuff. Phoniness doesn’t work.
“My dad was as good as a lot of people – he was as good as just about anybody I’ve seen – at winning with less talent,” Moore said. “Now, if you can get talented guys to do these things, you have a chance to be special. In Reynoldsburg, we’re blessed to have talent.”
Senior Toby Nwokolo, who has committed to Toledo, and classmate Jordan Fisher, an Ohio University commit, are the leaders. They are flanked by juniors Jordie Bowens and Xavier McKinney, both of whom seem aimed at OU.
McKinney made the game-winning layup as time expired in Reynoldsburg’s 64-63 victory over West Chester Lakota West in the semifinals. McKinney was the second option on the inbound play.
“All of these guys have been through a lot together – not liking me, big games against a lot of big teams, disappointment, growth,” Moore said. “You know, coaching high school, my dad loved it. He loved every minute of it. This has really worked out for me the last five years. I’m very fortunate.”
On to Dayton.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: It's an Ohio Capital Conference clash for the OHSAA Division I crown
Topics
-
Xavier McKinney's buzzer-beater sends Reynoldsburg boys basketball to OHSAA state final
Junior guard Xavier McKinney's last-second layup Sunday sent Reynoldsburg's boys basketball team to its first OHSAA state final.Yahoo Sports - 3d -
'We'll be back, I promise:' Lakota West falls at buzzer in Division I state semifinal
Lakota West plays Reynoldsburg in the OHSAA boys basketball Division I state semifinals at Wright State University's Nutter CenterYahoo Sports - 3d -
Ohio high school basketball tournament scores | OHSAA state semifinals
The 2025 OHSAA boys basketball tournament continues this week. Here's a look at the Ohio high school state semifinal scores from across the state.Yahoo Sports - 4d -
Columbus Academy boys basketball advances to first OHSAA state final since 1981
The Columbus Academy boys basketball team is one win away from its first OHSAA state championship.Yahoo Sports - 5d -
OHSAA basketball scores I Glenville vs. Hawken, high school state semifinal live updates
The Cleveland Glenville and Gates Mills Hawken high school basketball teams meet in an OHSAA state semifinal. Get live score updates and more here.Yahoo Sports - 4d -
OHSAA basketball scores I St. Ignatius vs. Orange, high school state semifinal updates
The Cleveland St. Ignatius and Olentangy Orange high school basketball teams meet in an OHsAA state semifinal. Get live score updates here.Yahoo Sports - 3d -
OHSAA basketball scores I Louisville vs. Garfield Heights, high school state semifinal live updates
The Louisville and Garfield Heights high school basketball teams meet in an OHSAA state semifinal. Get live score updates and analysis here.Yahoo Sports - 3d -
Illinois high school boys basketball all-state teams: Coaches pick top IHSA players
The Illinois Basketball Coaches Association announced its all-state teams for the 2024-25 IHSA boys basketball season.Yahoo Sports - 5d -
OHSAA basketball tournament: Live updates from Pickerington Central girls DI state final
Pickerington Central's girls basketball team goes for an eighth OHSAA state championship Saturday night. Follow along for live coverage.Yahoo Sports - 4d
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Wild's Marco Rossi Exits Seattle Game With Lower-Body Injury
ST. PAUL - Well, the injuries just keep coming for the Minnesota Wild. They entered Wednesday's game without Marcus Foligno for the second consecutive game and also did not have Marcus Johansson ...Yahoo Sports - 24m -
Pacers rally past Mavs
Yahoo Sports - 26m -
Jaylin Williams' triple-double helps short-handed Thunder cruise past 76ers 133-100
Yahoo Sports - 30m -
Mamukelashvili's career-high 34 points, 7 3-pointers fuel Spurs past Knicks 120-105
Sandro Mamukelashvili was 13 of 14 from the field, including 7 for 7 on 3-pointers, for a career-high 34 points and the San Antonio Spurs upended the New York Knicks 120-105 on Wednesday night. ...Yahoo Sports - 30m -
Nets' Cam Johnson (rest) out Thursday at Pacers
Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Johnson is out for Thursday's game at the Indiana Pacers due to rest, the team announced on Wednesday.Yahoo Sports - 31m
More in Sports
-
Wild's Marco Rossi Exits Seattle Game With Lower-Body Injury
ST. PAUL - Well, the injuries just keep coming for the Minnesota Wild. They entered Wednesday's game without Marcus Foligno for the second consecutive game and also did not have Marcus Johansson ...Yahoo Sports - 24m -
Pacers rally past Mavs
Yahoo Sports - 26m -
Follow live: Texas, Xavier square off in First Four matchup
nullESPN - 29m -
Jaylin Williams' triple-double helps short-handed Thunder cruise past 76ers 133-100
Yahoo Sports - 30m -
Mamukelashvili's career-high 34 points, 7 3-pointers fuel Spurs past Knicks 120-105
Sandro Mamukelashvili was 13 of 14 from the field, including 7 for 7 on 3-pointers, for a career-high 34 points and the San Antonio Spurs upended the New York Knicks 120-105 on Wednesday night. ...Yahoo Sports - 30m