Loyola Tabs Porter Moser Head Men's Basketball Coach

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CHICAGO -- Porter Moser, a seven-year head coaching veteran, has been named head men's basketball coach at Loyola University Chicago, Assistant Vice President and Director of Athletics M. Grace Calhoun, Ph.D., announced today. A native of Naperville, Ill., and a graduate of Benet Academy, Moser most recently served as the associate head coach at Saint Louis University under legendary head coach Rick Majerus.

"I am delighted to welcome Porter, his wife Megan, and their four children to Loyola University Chicago," Calhoun said. "Coach Moser rose to the top of a large and highly competitive pool of candidates due to his student-athlete and coaching experiences at Jesuit institutions; his reputation as a recruiter, particularly in Chicago and the Midwest; his past experiences building basketball programs; his impeccable integrity; and the vision he was able to articulate for the Rambler men's basketball program. Porter lives the Jesuit mission of being a person for others in his unwavering dedication and commitment to his student-athletes. He will bring unparalleled integrity, passion, and energy to the men's basketball program."

Moser, who in 2009 was named one of the top 50 assistant coaches in the country by Basketball Times, was elevated to associate head coach after serving one season as an assistant coach at Saint Louis. With the Billikens, he helped SLU to a 69-61 overall record during his four years on the staff and the 2009-10 team posted a 23-13 overall record and reached the finals of the College Basketball Invitational before falling to Virginia Commonwealth University.

"Loyola University and the basketball program couldn't be a more perfect fit for myself and my family," Moser said. "With Grace Calhoun's leadership, Fr. Garanzini's vision, and the opening of the Norville Center and renovations to Gentile Arena, the future is extremely bright. Having played and coached at a Jesuit university, I understand and fully support the mission of Loyola. As a Naperville native, I can say Chicago is the greatest city in the world and I am ready to get started."

Prior to his stint at Saint Louis, Moser was the head coach at Illinois State for four years, before leaving behind a championship caliber team. After the 2003-04 squad notched a 10-19 record, Moser engineered a seven-game improvement in the win column in his second season as head coach as the Redbirds went 17-13 in 2004-05. Moser's recruiting efforts helped land a talent-laden class in his final season at Illinois State, and that class was a critical component to three NIT berths in a three-year stretch from 2008-10.

Moser's first head coaching opportunity came at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, and in three seasons there, he steered the Trojans to a 54-34 overall record. The architect of one of the greatest turnarounds in Sun Belt Conference history, Moser turned a 4-24 team into an 18-11 outfit in just one year.

He began his coaching career in 1990-91 as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Creighton University, then spent four seasons as an assistant at Texas A&M University before moving to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for one season. After that brief stay at Milwaukee, Moser returned to Texas A&M for two more seasons on the Aggies' bench, then served as an assistant under both Wimp Sanderson and Sidney Moncrief at UALR for two years.

As a player at Creighton, Moser was a two-year starter and helped the Bluejays to the 1989 Missouri Valley Conference title. He graduated in 1990 with a degree in business management.

THE MOSER FILE
Hometown: Naperville, Ill.
Date of Birth: August 24, 1968
Family: Wife - Megan; Daughter - Jordan; Sons - Jake, Ben, Max

Playing Career
Creighton University (1986-1990)

Coaching Experience
Graduate Assistant Coach, Creighton (1990-91)
Assistant Coach, Texas A&M (1991-95)
Assistant Coach, Wisconsin-Milwaukee (1995-96)
Assistant Coach, Texas A&M (1996-98)
Assistant Coach, Arkansas-Little Rock (1998-2000)
Head Coach, Arkansas-Little Rock (2000-03)
Head Coach, Illinois State (2003-07)
Assistant Coach, Saint Louis (2007-08)
Associate Head Coach, Saint Louis (2008-11)

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT PORTER MOSER
"Loyola hit a grand slam with this hire. Porter did a terrific job in absolutely every aspect of coaching. He is a fantastic coach on the court, cares about his players off the court, and has been a wonderful mentor to the players in the classroom. He is also an outstanding recruiter. We will miss Porter tremendously. I refer to him as a co-coach because of his extraordinary contributions to the program. Concurrent with the Jesuit tradition, Loyola made the best possible choice in finding a coach that truly embraces the importance of his student-athletes receiving a quality education." - Rick Majerus, Head Coach Saint Louis University

"Porter is very familiar with Chicago and has already gained some valuable head coaching experience at a young age. He is someone whom Coach Majerus gave a lot of responsibility to because of his abilities. He is a great fit for Loyola and the University, alums and fans will love having him as their head coach." - Bill Self, Head Coach University of Kansas

"I go way back with Porter, having recruited him to Creighton. Even though we recruited him as a walk-on, he earned a scholarship because we saw in Porter a burning desire to be successful and maximize his skills. He won a number of games for us on last-second shots during his senior year. Porter's strong suit is his ability to communicate and he will bring that skill, as well as many others, to Loyola as it looks to move up in the Horizon League. I believe Porter will be successful at Loyola because he is a hard worker, a good coach, and has the ability to communicate. In this business, if you can recruit and communicate, you usually do well. Porter can do both of those things." - Tony Barone, Director of Player Personnel, Memphis Grizzlies

"Porter Moser will be an incredible asset to Loyola and the Horizon League. He is a proven head coach, an excellent recruiter and he embodies our values of competition, learning, service and accountability. I look forward to working with him." - Jonathan B. LeCrone, Commissioner, Horizon League

(Release courtesy LoyolaRamblers.com)