On the same day the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's basketball team returned to the NCAA tournament, one of the heroes of the Mocs' 1997 Sweet 16 run returned to the prep program where his playing career began.
Wes Moore, a four-year starter at UTC who set program records for assists, steals and single-game 3-pointers made, has been named the boys' basketball coach at Chattanooga Christian School, where he was a three-time all-state point guard.
CCS announced the move Friday.
"I'm definitely excited to be taking over the boys' program, which is so special to me," said Moore, a 1995 CCS graduate who has been an assistant coach for the girls' team and head golf coach the past five years at the school. "No matter where you are, you always think in the back of your mind that it would be fun to go back and coach your high school team.
"I've kept an eye on the boys' program and am really looking forward to trying to help take them to the next level. I can't wait to get started."
Moore was a Tennessee Mr. Basketball finalist for the Chargers, scoring more than 2,700 career points and earning a Scrappy Moore award as the area's top male athlete his senior year.
After playing for the Mocs, he worked as a graduate assistant at UTC for two years, then began his head coaching career at Signal Mountain, where he was named district coach of the year and also coached the golf program to two state titles.
From 2011-14, he coached the girls' basketball program at Notre Dame, where he was named region coach of the year three times, and followed that by taking over at GPS for two seasons (2015-17) before being hired at his alma mater.
"I've gotten to know Wes pretty well over the years, and he's a great man and leader," CCS athletic director Daniel Russell said. "To say Wes Moore is somewhat of a local legend here at CCS and in the Chattanooga area may be a bit of an understatement.
"I can't wait to see him build our boys' program and share his own experience as a successful and determined high school athlete, Division I player and seasoned head coach with our student-athletes."
During his time with the Mocs, Moore led the country in assist-to-turnover ratio. He was inducted into the UTC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.
"Wes Moore is the definition of hard work," said former UTC teammate Johnny Taylor, who is currently the associate head coach for the Orlando Magic's G-League team in Lakeland, Florida. "I had the pleasure of watching him develop into an all-conference guard through sheer determination.
"His knowledge of the game is what allowed him to be effective when he faced tough opponents. CCS will be getting all of that and more with Wes running the show."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.