By Nick Fontecha
MIAMI GARDENS, Florida – Zach Moss is back on the bench for St. Thomas University, but this time he’s head coach.
Moss is in the opening months of his first season as head coach after being elevated from STU’s assistant coach to replace Patrick Crarey II. Crarey has become the Head Coach of the NCAA Division 1 Florida A&M Rattlers, an HBCU in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
Moss spent the previous three seasons with the Bobcats as an assistant, helping the squad reach new heights as they made it to back-to-back national tournaments and won several times in the NAIA national tournament.
Before joining STU as an assistant coach, Moss spent a year at Next College Student Athlete, a for-profit organization that teaches high school student-athletes about college recruiting and helps them network with coaches.
Plus, Moss has seven years of experience as the associate head men’s basketball coach at Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Florida, from 2013 to 2020, where developed a reputation for recruiting talented all-conference players.
At Ave Maria, Moss was also known for his skill at handling scouting and game planning. He led the team to win its inaugural Sun Conference tournament appearance and helped Ave Maria clinch its first NAIA national tournament berth in 2019.
“It certainly transfers over” to on-the-court results, Coach Moss said of his experience in recruiting. He explained that developing a personal connection with prospective players makes it much easier to coach them. So that when “they respect you, they will listen to you.”
Moss’s players said they’re just as excited for him to coach as Moss feels.
“He did a great job last year as an assistant, so I’m excited to see what he does as the boss,” said Cearius Warren, a senior center for the Bobcats.
“He cares about our team and wants us to get better,” added Warren, who sees similarities between Crarey and Moss’s styles.
Josiah Daniels, a junior forward from San Antonio, said he’s been fortunate to witness the evolution of Coach Moss from an assistant to a head coach.
“Having Moss as an assistant was great for our team,” Moss said. “All of us listened whenever he spoke.”
As of December 5, STU’s men’s basketball squad was off to a 5-4 start (1-2 in conference play) and riding a three-game winning streak.
“We are excited Zach Moss, who helped build our culture of success, is becoming the next Head Coach here at STU,” President David A. Armstrong J.D. said in the recent announcement of Moss’s promotion to STU’s head coach. “His work ethic is unparalleled, and he is ready to lead our program to even greater heights in the future. Bobcat Nation is fired up for the Zach Moss era at STU.”
