Porter Moser
 Moser in 2015 (left) | |
| Sport(s) | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Current position | |
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Loyola (Illinois) |
| Conference | MVC |
| Record | 71–91 (.438) |
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
August 24, 1968 Naperville, Illinois |
| Playing career | |
| 1988–1990 | Creighton |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1990–1991 | Creighton (asst.) |
| 1991–1995 | Texas A&M (asst.) |
| 1995–1996 | Milwaukee (asst.) |
| 1996–1998 | Texas A&M (asst.) |
| 1998–2000 | Arkansas-Little Rock (asst.) |
| 2000–2003 | Arkansas-Little Rock |
| 2003–2007 | Illinois State |
| 2007–2011 | Saint Louis (asst.) |
| 2011–present | Loyola (Illinois) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 169-182 (.481) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| CBI Tournament Championship (2015) | |
Porter Moser (born August 24, 1968) is an American college basketball coach and the current head men's basketball coach at Loyola University Chicago.[1] Originally from Naperville, Illinois, Moser attended and played varsity basketball at Benet Academy. Moser previously held the head coaching position at Illinois State (2003–2007) and Arkansas-Little Rock (2000–2003). Prior to being hired at Loyola, Moser was an assistant coach at Saint Louis under Rick Majerus for the 2007-08 season, and the associate head coach from 2008-11.
Coaching career
Loyola University of Chicago
Entering his fifth season at the helm, Porter Moser engineered one of the best single-season improvements of any Division I program last season and has the Loyola University Chicago men's basketball program firmly headed in the right direction. 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 the late, great head coach Rick Majerus. Known as a tireless recruiter and a master game tactician, Moser has coached numerous all-conference players in his coaching career and Loyola's 24 wins last season were a culmination of his hard work recruiting and ability to put his players in a position to win games. Loyola's 2014-15 season was a magical one, as the Ramblers were the surprise package of the Missouri Valley, exceeding expectations every step of the way in posting their best season in 30 years. The Ramblers' 24 wins were their most since 1985 and their RPI improvement of over 200 spots was third-best among Division I programs.
A well-balanced and talented roster jelled very early in the season and Loyola closed its non-conference season with wins over Texas Tech and Boise State -- a NCAA Tournament team -- to win the Continental Tires Las Vegas Classic. Tournament MVP Milton Doyle was sidelined for 12 conference games but the Ramblers banded together and were playing their best basketball of the season down the stretch.
A key, late-season road win at Drake thrust LU into Friday night's quarterfinals at Arch Madness and the Ramblers put together a dominant performance, leading by as many as 39 points before settling for an Arch Madness-record 28-point victory before getting tripped up the next night in the semifinals by No. 11 UNI.
The Ramblers' 19 wins earned them a bid to the College Basketball Invitational (CBI), their first postseason appearance since the team advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1985. Loyola made the most of the opportunity, their brand of efficient and unselfish basketball propelling the Ramblers to a sweep of Louisiana-Monroe in the best-of-three championship series. The championship sweep put them in selective company as they are just the second team in the history of the tournament to sweep the title series, joining Shaka Smart's VCU team.
Christian Thomas, Moser's first recruit to Loyola, capped an outstanding season by earning Honorable Mention All-Missouri Valley honors. Thomas graduated as one of just 10 players in school history to rack up over 1,300 career points and over 600 career rebounds and also sits third on the Ramblers' career field goal percentage list. Despite just finishing his junior season, Devon Turk became Loyola's all-time leader in three-pointers made while Doyle came back from injury in the regular-season finale and was a catalyst for the Ramblers' postseason run.
Newcomers Montel James, Earl Peterson, Donte Ingram and Ben Richardson were all key contributors, as Moser put together a deep and versatile group of talented performers. James was a member of the MVC All-Newcomer Team while Peterson was one of the team's best clutch players and was named CBI MVP. Ingram was one of the team's biggest weapons off the bench while Richardson's savvy and tough-nosed play made him an integral part of the team's success.
Success did not come overnight but Moser and the Ramblers' success last season was due, in part, to the 2013-14 season, Loyola's first in the Valley. The leader of that group was Doyle, who became just the seventh player in Missouri Valley history -- and first since Doug McDermott -- to win both the MVC Newcomer and Freshman of the Year awards. Doyle was just one of three underclassmen who were big contributors that season, with Jeff White establishing himself at the point guard position and Turk continuing to provide shooting and scoring off the bench, with the sixth man earning a spot on the MVC All-Bench Team. In addition, Thomas continued to improve, putting together another terrific campaign while adding new elements to his game. As a result, Thomas was one of just three MVC players to rank in the top 10 in the league in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage, joining Wichita State's Cleanthony Early and UNI's Seth Tuttle.
While the transition to the Valley was certainly an adjustment, Moser's Ramblers showed that they fit in very well to one of America's best basketball conferences. Loyola announced its presence with a 32-point home win over Missouri State for its first MVC win and endured a stretch in which five of its first seven losses were by single digits, with its most lopsided defeat being a 12-point setback at national power Wichita State.
Loyola then provided one of Championship Week's top moments in its first-ever game at Arch Madness, with Doyle knocking in a long, contested three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Ramblers a 74-72 win over Bradley.
Off the court, Moser's troops continued to excel, with Joe Crisman earning MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week four different times and the Munster, Ind. native also was the only LU student-athlete selected for the school's prestigious Maroon and Gold Society.
After successfully laying the foundation for the program in 2011-12, his first season in Rogers Park, Moser steered the Ramblers to an eight-game improvement in the win column in 2012-13, the best improvement in Loyola history by a coach from his first year to his second. The eight-game improvement was also the best by a Loyola squad since the 2001-02 team won 10 more contests than the previous outfit.
During the 2012-13 season, Moser piloted Loyola to victories over a pair of BCS conference foes, giving the Ramblers multiple wins over power conference opponents for the first time since 1991-92. Loyola's 69-61 victory at DePaul was the program's first over its city rival since 1989, and a 59-51 win against Mississippi State was Loyola's first over a Southeastern Conference opponent since 2008.
Despite missing a handful of games due to injury, senior Ben Averkamp was named Second Team All-Horizon League for the second straight year and off the court, the forward became the program's first-ever Capital One Academic All-American when he earned second team recognition. Averkamp wrapped up his career as one of only 19 players in Loyola annals to accumulate over 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in his career.
Moser's tutelage also helped guard Devon Turk establish a Loyola single-season record for three-point field goals by a freshman (65), while along the way, the sharpshooter led the Horizon League in three-point field goal percentage (.633). One of Moser's greatest transformations in 2012-13 however, was the meteoric rise of forward Christian Thomas, who averaged 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds over the final 22 contests after putting up 4.6 ppg and 4.0 rpg over the first nine outings of the year.
A firm believer in building a program and not a team, Moser, in his first season at Loyola, made huge strides in laying a foundation for future success. In 2011-12, the undermanned Ramblers suffered 11 losses by 10 points or less, including eight by seven points or less. Moser used his recruiting acumen to land a well-thought-of crop that includes Nick Osborne, Jeff White, Matt O'Leary, Devon Turk, Jeremy King, and Tanner Williams, Loyola's first Chicago Public League player since 2008, Milton Doyle.
Under Moser's tutelage, Averkamp took the next step in his progression by emerging into one of the elite players in the Horizon League. Averkamp earned Second Team All-Horizon League accolades in 2011-12 to become Loyola's first all-league selection since Blake Schilb in 2006-07. Last winter, Averkamp was one of only two players to rank among the top five in the Horizon League in both scoring (15.4) and rebounding (7.1) and he enters his senior campaign needing only 11 points and 27 rebounds to become just the 19th player in school history to top 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in his career.
However, Averkamp wasn't the only Rambler to thrive under Moser's leadership, as Walt Gibler registered personal-best averages of 12.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest. He wrapped up his career as one of the most prolific scorers and rebounders ever to don the Maroon and Gold, and became the 18th player in Loyola annals to total 1,000 points and 500 boards, before signing a professional contract in August to play in Germany.
In addition to their accomplishments on the court, Averkamp and Gibler were also lauded for their excellence in the classroom, with each being named to the I-AAA Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete Team, the Horizon League Men's Basketball All-Academic Team and the National Jesuit Men's Basketball All-Academic Team. Averkamp also picked up Capital One First Team Academic All-District V recognition and a total of three Ramblers were named to the Horizon League Spring Academic Honor Roll. Gibler was also recognized by the Horizon League by earning the most prestigious award it hands out each year, the Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor. Awarded to a male and female student-athlete in the conference who best exemplifies the high purpose and character of the league and its membership, the Coleman Award had previously been won by a Rambler men's basketball player just one other time, by Jason Telford in 2004, before Gibler garnered the hardware in 2012.[2]
St. Louis University (Asst.)
Named one of the top 50 assistant coaches in the country by Basketball Times in 2009, Moser was named associate head coach after spending one season as an assistant coach at Saint Louis. While 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.
Illinois State
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 despite being picked to finish last in the league in the preseason poll. Moser's recruiting acumen helped land a talent-laden class in his final season at Illinois State, and that group was a critical component to three NIT berths in a three-year stretch from 2008-10.
At Illinois State, Moser coached three All-Missouri Valley Conference selections and produced one Academic All-America selection (Neil Plank in 2006).
University of Arkansas-Little Rock
Moser's first head coaching opportunity came at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, and in three short seasons there, he steered the Trojans to a 54-34 overall record. The architect of the greatest turnaround in Sun Belt Conference history, Moser turned a 4-24 team into an 18-11 outfit in just one year.
When Moser took over the reins of the UALR program, the Trojans ranked last in several defensive categories in the Sun Belt Conference, but after that first season, finished tops in the league in field goal percentage defense and three-point field goal percentage defense, and second in scoring defense.[3]
Head coaching record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas–Little Rock (Sun Belt) (2000–2003) | |||||||||
| 2000–01 | Arkansas–Little Rock | 18-11 | 9-7 | 7th | |||||
| 2001–02 | Arkansas–Little Rock | 18-11 | 8-6 | 5th | |||||
| 2002–03 | Arkansas–Little Rock | 18-12 | 8-6 | 5th | |||||
| Arkansas–Little Rock: | 54-34 (.614) | 25-19 (.568) | |||||||
| Illinois State (Missouri Valley) (2003–2007) | |||||||||
| 2003–04 | Illinois State | 10-19 | 4-14 | 10th | |||||
| 2004–05 | Illinois State | 17-13 | 8-10 | 6th | |||||
| 2005–06 | Illinois State | 9-19 | 4-14 | 10th | |||||
| 2006–07 | Illinois State | 15-16 | 6-12 | 8th | |||||
| Illinois State: | 51-67 (.432) | 22-50 (.306) | |||||||
| Loyola (Illinois) (Horizon League) (2011–2013) | |||||||||
| 2011–12 | Loyola Chicago | 7–23 | 1–17 | 10th | |||||
| 2012–13 | Loyola Chicago | 15–16 | 5–11 | 7th | |||||
| Loyola Chicago (Missouri Valley) (2013–present) | |||||||||
| 2013–14 | Loyola Chicago | 10–22 | 4–14 | 10th | |||||
| 2014–15 | Loyola Chicago | 24–13 | 8–10 | 6th | CBI Champions | ||||
| 2015–16 | Loyola Chicago | 15–17 | 7–11 | 8th | |||||
| 2016–17 | Loyola Chicago | 0–0 | 0–0 | ||||||
| Loyola Chicago: | 71–91 (.438) | 25–63 (.284) | |||||||
| Total: | 169-182 (.481) | ||||||||
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National champion
Postseason invitational champion
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Personal
Moser has a wife, Megan, and four children, Jordan, Jake, Ben, and Max. The Moser family currently resides in Wilmette.