Story contributed by Westmont College Athletics

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Westmont Men’s Basketball head coach John Moore recently accepted an invitation to serve on the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Board of Directors, becoming just the second NAIA coach ever to be on the committee.

“I think it’s an incredible honor for me, but it’s an incredible honor for our coaching staff, for Westmont basketball and for Westmont College as a whole,” said Moore on his appointment. “Just the tradition we’ve had here going back to Chet Kammerer and Ron Mulder among many, many others… Sometimes I get a lot more credit than I deserve, but to be able to be with that group of coaches to help make decisions on college basketball is an incredible privilege.”

Moore will begin serving immediately as a Director on the NABC Board. He replaces former Columbia College (Mo.) men’s basketball coach and athletic director Bob Burchard, who recently retired after the 2018-19 season.

The NABC, which was originally founded in 1927 by the renowned former University of Kansas men’s basketball coach Forrest “Phog” Allen, has almost 5,000 members that includes coaches from the NCAA, NAIA, community college, and high school levels. According to the NABC, the organization “has continually worked to further the best interests of the game of basketball as well as the players and coaches who participate in the sport.”

Moore will serve on the NABC Board of Directors alongside legendary coaches John Calipari (4th Vice President - Kentucky), Tom Izzo (Director Emeritus - Michigan State), Bill Self (2017-18 Past President - Kansas), and Bob Huggins (Director – West Virginia). Other notable names on the committee include the Board’s President Mike Brey (Notre Dame), 1st Vice President Jamie Dixon (TCU), and Directors Frank Martin (South Carolina), Matt Painter (Purdue), and Cuonzo Martin (Missouri).

“It’s an incredible gift to be able to be with them in the decision-making mode,” said Moore on the opportunity to serve alongside those household names. “I’ve admired many of those coaches and I’ve even had a chance to work with some of them through USA Basketball. It’s an honor to be able to interact with them once again and to be able to give the NAIA and small college perspective.

“Many of those coaches started on the small college level, so they have appreciated what their roots were about,” continued Moore. “I think they’ve appreciated the input that has been given by guys like Bob Burchard and other small college coaches, who have been able to represent well. I think we deserve a voice and I think that voice is a voice that is about college basketball.”

Moore, who also serves on the NAIA Men’s Basketball Ratings Oversight Committee, just completed his 31st season as a collegiate head coach and his 26th at Westmont. He holds a 611-347 (.638) overall record and a 532-273 (.661) record at Westmont. The winningest coach in program history has led the Warriors to 13 NAIA National Tournament appearances, including each of the last five years. In 2015, Moore coached Westmont to the National Championship game, the best finish in program history. Fourteen of the program’s 19 NAIA All-Americans have been coached by Moore.

Moore has previously coached the junior national teams of Bangladesh and Sudan, and has worked with USA Basketball. In 2002, he was on the committee that selected the U.S. Under-19 team that included Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Deron Williams.