Photo Courtesy Quinnipiac Athletics
By: Dylan Fearon
After 10 years, the Tom Moore era is over.
CBS College Baskeball Insider Jon Rothstein reported Tuesday morning that Quinnipiac has fired Moore, who has been the men’s basketball head coach since 2007.
After spending 13 years as an assistant at Connecticut, Moore was hired at Quinnipiac and was expected to turn a basketball program with zero tradition in one of the smallest conferences in the country into an immediate winner.
Within three years, Quinnipiac was in the 2010 Northeast Conference championship game playing in front of a raucous TD Bank Sports Center. But, the Bobcats fell to Robert Morris by two on a couple of Dallas Green free-throws to win the game.
Quinnipiac joined the MAAC heading into the 2013-14 season. Moore had an experienced team, albeit filled with NEC recruits, and brought Quinnipiac to the MAAC semifinals, finishing with a 20-12 record.
RELATED: The highs and lows of the Tom Moore era
It seemed that things were looking bright for Quinnipiac. The next year, the Bobcats returned plenty of experience and added highly touted point guard Giovanni McLean. However, McLean was ruled ineligible due to transcript fraud before the season, the Bobcats underachieved (15-15) and were bounced in the first round of the MAAC Tournament.
Last season McLean was eligible, but the Bobcats didn’t have the depth or experience, as players decided to transfer. The Bobcats finished 9-21, with another first round exit.
After three players left prior to the 2016-17 campaign, Moore had to go the junior college route, once again, to bolster his roster. Despite the older players, the inexperience at the Division I level showed, concluding Thursday night at 10-21.
Moore went 19-42 in his last two seasons at Quinnipiac and 34-57 in his last three.
RELATED: Quinnipiac falls in first round of MAAC Tournament, but what does the future hold?
The progress he made in the NEC has diminished in the MAAC over the past three years. From being the No. 3 seed in the 2014 tournament, to No. 6 in 2015 and then falling to No. 9 and No. 8 in each of the past two seasons, it was inevitable this season was crucial.
After Thursday night’s loss to Niagara, Moore admitted he was concerned he coached his last game.
“Yeah, I’m concerned, of course. This is a really tough business and it’s a results-driven business,” Moore, who finished 162-146 at Quinnipiac, said. “I’m concerned. I look back on what we have done here in our 10 years and I’m still very proud of what we have done in the grand scheme of things, but I’m not happy obviously with the last two years.”
Quinnipiac Athletic Director Greg Amodio wants an immediate winner in men’s basketball, and with Moore failing to bring the Bobcats to an NCAA Tournament in his 10 years, a change has been made.
“After reviewing the last two seasons and talking with Coach Moore, I have decided that a change in leadership of the men’s basketball program is needed for it to move forward in meeting our goals,” Amodio said in a press release. “We are grateful to Tom Moore and his staff for their commitment to our program over the past 10 years. We appreciate all that he has done for the University in guiding his student-athletes’ performance on the court and in the classroom.”
Quinnipiac will start a nation-wide search for its next head coach.
