Dave Moore Basketball School at UWG
43 All-Conference players, 21 professional players, 20 NCAA Tournament appearances, and 19 All-Americans, only scratches the surface of the rich history that encompasses the University of West Georgia Men’s Basketball program. When the Wolves hired Dave Moore to be their head coach in 2017, the success that the program saw for so many years only continued.
Highlighted by three NCAA Tournament Appearances in the past four seasons, head coach Dave Moore will steer the West Georgia Basketball program into a new era in 2024 with the ascension to Division I as he enters his seventh season as Head Coach at the Institution.
Coach Moore led the Wolves to one of the greatest seasons in school history in 2023-24, guiding UWG to a 27-6 record, a GSC Regular Season and Tournament Championship, and an appearance in the South Region Semifinal game for the second consecutive season. West Georgia’s 27 wins ranks as the third most in UWG history. In those 27 wins, West Georgia won 20 of those game by double digits which ties the school record for most double-digit wins in a season. Under Moore’s leadership, the Wolves were one of the best defensive teams in the country. West Georgia held opponents to a 39.6 shooting percentage which ranked fourth in the nation this season, while leading the Gulf South Conference in blocks per game with 3.9. After a historic season, Moore was awarded by being named the GSC and South District Coach of the Year, making him the first coach in UWG Men’s Basketball history to be named the District Coach of the Year. Furthermore, Moore’s point guard, Zawdie Jackson was named the GSC and South Region Player of the Year, making him the first player in school history to be named the Region Player of the Year.
In the 2022-23 season, Moore arguably had his best season at West Georgia as he propelled the Wolves to a 21-10 overall record. Within that season, UWG entered the GSC Tournament as a four-seed which stands as the highest seed in the Dave Moore era. The Wolves made a miraculous run to the GSC Championship game, by beating Valdosta State and number one seeded Alabama Huntsville before falling to West Alabama in the Championship game by two points. After reaching the Conference Championship game, UWG punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament as the Wolves were selected as the five seed in the South Region and were set to face off against the Lee Flames in the South Region Quarterfinals. West Georgia handled Lee in the first round of the Tournament, setting up a meeting with the overall number one seed and #1 team in the country in Nova Southeastern. The Wolves fell to the Sharks in the South Region Semifinals, ending their campaign but the 2022-23 season marked the second time in three years that UWG advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Along with team success, individual accolades poured in for West Georgia, highlighted by Michael Zabetakis who was named to the GSC Top Ten, All-GSC, All-Region, All-Academic, All-District, and a Reese’s DII All-Star. Next to Zabetakis, Cole Fisher was named the recipient of the GSC Champion Scholar Athlete, which is given to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA competing in the GSC Championships, while Zawdie Jackson, Tommaso Gini, Michael Griffin, J.J. Barnes, and Fisher were all named to the GSC Honor Roll under Moore’s Tutelage.
In the spring of 2021, Moore guided West Georgia basketball back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017, finishing the abbreviated season 14-8. That campaign featured a 10-game winning streak, and saw the Wolves win their first game at an NCAA Regional in six years, defeating Valdosta State 79-75 on their home floor.
Moore coached Michael Zabetakis to a spot on the All-Gulf South Conference team as well as being named NABC All-District. Zabetakis was also named the recipient of the GSC Commissioner’s Trophy given annually to the top male and female athletes across all sports in the conference.
The 2019-20 season marked Moore’s second as head coach of UWG, and his squad competed in nearly every game throughout the season. Despite a 9-19 overall record, the Wolves finished second in the Gulf South Conference in points per game at 78.8 and steals per game at 7.4, along with finishing third in GSC offensive rebounds per game at 10.7.
Moore’s second year leading the program also produced GSC Freshman of the Week Honors for Keshawn Heard and an All-GSC Second Team Selection for junior wing Seth Brown-Carter, as he led the Wolves in conference play by averaging 18.0 PPG, along with shooting 51% overall and 38.8% from 3-point range.
In his first season at the helm of the UWG program, Moore and the Wolves had a solid campaign, reaching the Gulf South Conference tournament as the sixth seed, which was the highest seeding for the Wolves since 2016. West Georgia finished at 17-12 overall in the first year under Moore, including a 12-8 record against Gulf South Conference competition.
Throughout his first season as Head Coach, Moore’s team produced the GSC Player of the Week six times with senior Marquill Smith and the GSC Freshman of the Week twice with Jared Simmons. Smith had one of the most outstanding individual years in school history, leading the Gulf South Conference and ranking among the top-five nationally in scoring with 27.3 points per game. That scoring average was good for fifth all-time in a single season in the GSC and second at UWG. He finished his career averaging 25.2 points per game, which is good for third all-time in the Gulf South Conference.
At the conclusion of the season, Smith was named Gulf South Conference Player of the Year and First Team D2CCA All-Region. The accolades continued with the National Association of Basketball Coaches, as Smith was named First Team All-South District and as one of 16 All-Americans by the NABC. He began his professional career in the NBA G-League with the Miami Heat affiliate Sioux Falls Skyforce in 2019.
Moore came to Carrollton after 11 years as an assistant coach at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, N.Y. His resume features 20 years of experience as an assistant coach in NCAA Divisions I, II and III basketball, as well as a short stint at the NAIA level.
In his last five years at St. Bonaventure, the Bonnies won at least 18 games in each season, culminating with a school-record 26 wins in 2017-18. That 26-win season includes a victory over the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the First Four of the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
Credited as a passionate and detail-oriented assistant at St. Bonaventure, Moore was responsible for a consistent and successful player development program as well as taking on the opponent scouting duties during the season.
A true student of the game, Moore helped guide 24 players to sign professional contracts between St. Bonaventure and UWG, including Andrew Nicholson who was the 19th pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. Moore was integral in day-to-day game preparation as well as recruiting efforts that helped take a program from 15 wins in 2007-08 to 26 wins in 2017-18.
In addition to the professional contracts, Moore’s impact in the player development at St. Bonaventure was shown through the individual accolades collected during his time with the Bonnies. In the 2007-2018 timeframe, players in the program amassed a multitude of awards: Atlantic-10 Player of the Year (2x), Atlantic-10 Freshman of the Year, Atlantic-10 6th Man of the Year, Atlantic-10 Most Improved of the Year, and All-Atlantic 10 Team Selection (14x). As a result, the Bonnies appeared in 2 NCAA Tournaments (2012 & 2018), earned a #1 seed in the NIT (2016), and won the Atlantic-10 Tournament (2012) and Regular Season (2016) titles.
Prior to his time at St. Bonaventure, Moore spent the 2006-07 season as an assistant at Division I Robert Morris University, where he managed skill development, scouting and recruiting. He also will fully understand the rigors of Gulf South Conference basketball, as Moore spent two seasons from 2000-02 on the staff at GSC rival Christian Brothers University, where he specialized in game preparation with film breakdown and scouting opponents.
Moore’s first collegiate basketball coaching experience came at his alma mater, Bethel College in McKenzie, Tenn., in the 1997-98 season. He moved into the NCAA ranks in 1998, taking an assistant coach position at the College of Mount Saint Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio.
As a player, Moore was awarded a full athletic scholarship to play basketball at Bethel, where he played for four years. In the 1996-97 season, Moore was named a Scholar-Athlete by the TranSouth Conference. In that year, Moore was the team captain and led Bethel in assists. Moore graduated from Bethel in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in history and a minor in secondary education. He received his master’s degree in education from Christian Brothers University in 2002. Moore and his wife Erica have two children, Gracie and Cooper.
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Boys and Girls Day Camp – 4 Days w/ College Coaches & Players, includes T-Shirt and Daily Prize Competitions (Dave Moore Basketball School at UWG)
University of West Georgia Basketball Stadium
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University of West Georgia Basketball Stadium
Elite Camp #1 – Single Day Camp at University of West Georgia of skill work, competition, college coach exposure, and recruiting Q&A
University of West Georgia Basketball Stadium
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The Coliseum, West Georgia Drive, Carrollton, GA, USA
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43 All-Conference players, 21 professional players, 20 NCAA Tournament appearances, and 19 All-Americans, only scratches the surface of the rich history that encompasses the University of West Georgia Men’s Basketball program. When the Wolves hired Dave Moore to be their head coach in 2017, the success that the program saw for so many years only continued.
Highlighted by three NCAA Tournament Appearances in the past four seasons, head coach Dave Moore will steer the West Georgia Basketball program into a new era in 2024 with the ascension to Division I as he enters his seventh season as Head Coach at the Institution.
Coach Moore led the Wolves to one of the greatest seasons in school history in 2023-24, guiding UWG to a 27-6 record, a GSC Regular Season and Tournament Championship, and an appearance in the South Region Semifinal game for the second consecutive season. West Georgia’s 27 wins ranks as the third most in UWG history. In those 27 wins, West Georgia won 20 of those game by double digits which ties the school record for most double-digit wins in a season. Under Moore’s leadership, the Wolves were one of the best defensive teams in the country. West Georgia held opponents to a 39.6 shooting percentage which ranked fourth in the nation this season, while leading the Gulf South Conference in blocks per game with 3.9. After a historic season, Moore was awarded by being named the GSC and South District Coach of the Year, making him the first coach in UWG Men’s Basketball history to be named the District Coach of the Year. Furthermore, Moore’s point guard, Zawdie Jackson was named the GSC and South Region Player of the Year, making him the first player in school history to be named the Region Player of the Year.
In the 2022-23 season, Moore arguably had his best season at West Georgia as he propelled the Wolves to a 21-10 overall record. Within that season, UWG entered the GSC Tournament as a four-seed which stands as the highest seed in the Dave Moore era. The Wolves made a miraculous run to the GSC Championship game, by beating Valdosta State and number one seeded Alabama Huntsville before falling to West Alabama in the Championship game by two points. After reaching the Conference Championship game, UWG punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament as the Wolves were selected as the five seed in the South Region and were set to face off against the Lee Flames in the South Region Quarterfinals. West Georgia handled Lee in the first round of the Tournament, setting up a meeting with the overall number one seed and #1 team in the country in Nova Southeastern. The Wolves fell to the Sharks in the South Region Semifinals, ending their campaign but the 2022-23 season marked the second time in three years that UWG advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Along with team success, individual accolades poured in for West Georgia, highlighted by Michael Zabetakis who was named to the GSC Top Ten, All-GSC, All-Region, All-Academic, All-District, and a Reese’s DII All-Star. Next to Zabetakis, Cole Fisher was named the recipient of the GSC Champion Scholar Athlete, which is given to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA competing in the GSC Championships, while Zawdie Jackson, Tommaso Gini, Michael Griffin, J.J. Barnes, and Fisher were all named to the GSC Honor Roll under Moore’s Tutelage.
In the spring of 2021, Moore guided West Georgia basketball back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017, finishing the abbreviated season 14-8. That campaign featured a 10-game winning streak, and saw the Wolves win their first game at an NCAA Regional in six years, defeating Valdosta State 79-75 on their home floor.
Moore coached Michael Zabetakis to a spot on the All-Gulf South Conference team as well as being named NABC All-District. Zabetakis was also named the recipient of the GSC Commissioner’s Trophy given annually to the top male and female athletes across all sports in the conference.
The 2019-20 season marked Moore’s second as head coach of UWG, and his squad competed in nearly every game throughout the season. Despite a 9-19 overall record, the Wolves finished second in the Gulf South Conference in points per game at 78.8 and steals per game at 7.4, along with finishing third in GSC offensive rebounds per game at 10.7.
Moore’s second year leading the program also produced GSC Freshman of the Week Honors for Keshawn Heard and an All-GSC Second Team Selection for junior wing Seth Brown-Carter, as he led the Wolves in conference play by averaging 18.0 PPG, along with shooting 51% overall and 38.8% from 3-point range.
In his first season at the helm of the UWG program, Moore and the Wolves had a solid campaign, reaching the Gulf South Conference tournament as the sixth seed, which was the highest seeding for the Wolves since 2016. West Georgia finished at 17-12 overall in the first year under Moore, including a 12-8 record against Gulf South Conference competition.
Throughout his first season as Head Coach, Moore’s team produced the GSC Player of the Week six times with senior Marquill Smith and the GSC Freshman of the Week twice with Jared Simmons. Smith had one of the most outstanding individual years in school history, leading the Gulf South Conference and ranking among the top-five nationally in scoring with 27.3 points per game. That scoring average was good for fifth all-time in a single season in the GSC and second at UWG. He finished his career averaging 25.2 points per game, which is good for third all-time in the Gulf South Conference.
At the conclusion of the season, Smith was named Gulf South Conference Player of the Year and First Team D2CCA All-Region. The accolades continued with the National Association of Basketball Coaches, as Smith was named First Team All-South District and as one of 16 All-Americans by the NABC. He began his professional career in the NBA G-League with the Miami Heat affiliate Sioux Falls Skyforce in 2019.
Moore came to Carrollton after 11 years as an assistant coach at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, N.Y. His resume features 20 years of experience as an assistant coach in NCAA Divisions I, II and III basketball, as well as a short stint at the NAIA level.
In his last five years at St. Bonaventure, the Bonnies won at least 18 games in each season, culminating with a school-record 26 wins in 2017-18. That 26-win season includes a victory over the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the First Four of the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
Credited as a passionate and detail-oriented assistant at St. Bonaventure, Moore was responsible for a consistent and successful player development program as well as taking on the opponent scouting duties during the season.
A true student of the game, Moore helped guide 24 players to sign professional contracts between St. Bonaventure and UWG, including Andrew Nicholson who was the 19th pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. Moore was integral in day-to-day game preparation as well as recruiting efforts that helped take a program from 15 wins in 2007-08 to 26 wins in 2017-18.
In addition to the professional contracts, Moore’s impact in the player development at St. Bonaventure was shown through the individual accolades collected during his time with the Bonnies. In the 2007-2018 timeframe, players in the program amassed a multitude of awards: Atlantic-10 Player of the Year (2x), Atlantic-10 Freshman of the Year, Atlantic-10 6th Man of the Year, Atlantic-10 Most Improved of the Year, and All-Atlantic 10 Team Selection (14x). As a result, the Bonnies appeared in 2 NCAA Tournaments (2012 & 2018), earned a #1 seed in the NIT (2016), and won the Atlantic-10 Tournament (2012) and Regular Season (2016) titles.
Prior to his time at St. Bonaventure, Moore spent the 2006-07 season as an assistant at Division I Robert Morris University, where he managed skill development, scouting and recruiting. He also will fully understand the rigors of Gulf South Conference basketball, as Moore spent two seasons from 2000-02 on the staff at GSC rival Christian Brothers University, where he specialized in game preparation with film breakdown and scouting opponents.
Moore’s first collegiate basketball coaching experience came at his alma mater, Bethel College in McKenzie, Tenn., in the 1997-98 season. He moved into the NCAA ranks in 1998, taking an assistant coach position at the College of Mount Saint Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio.
As a player, Moore was awarded a full athletic scholarship to play basketball at Bethel, where he played for four years. In the 1996-97 season, Moore was named a Scholar-Athlete by the TranSouth Conference. In that year, Moore was the team captain and led Bethel in assists. Moore graduated from Bethel in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in history and a minor in secondary education. He received his master’s degree in education from Christian Brothers University in 2002. Moore and his wife Erica have two children, Gracie and Cooper.
Andy Young arrived at the University of West Georgia in the fall of 2000. His impact over these past 24 seasons has been immense in a tenure that has included roles as player, administrator, and coach.
The 2023-24 season marked the 17th campaign as a full-time member of the UWG coaching staff, including 10 years as the top aide to former head coach Michael Cooney. He also had a pair of years as a graduate assistant under former head coach Ed Murphy, and one season as an administrative graduate assistant within the UWG Athletic Department.
During his time on staff at UWG, he has been instrumental in recruiting many of the 17 All-Gulf South Conference players and 4 All-Americans who played at UWG while he was on staff, including the 2022 class that featured Camron Donatlan, Kolten Griffin, and Zawdie Jackson who helped catapult UWG to their third trip to the NCAA South Regional Semifinals in the past four years.
However, before all of his coaching efforts, Young first made his mark on the floor for West Georgia. As a junior in 2000-01 he was a top backcourt performer as UWG earned a bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Young was even better in his senior season as he helped West Georgia to the GSC title, the NCAA Division II South Region crown, and to the program’s first and only appearance in the Elite Eight.
Young earned plenty of honors during his playing career. He was named to the All-Gulf South Conference Team in both of his 2 seasons at UWG, and named to the All-South Region Team for his on-court prowess to cap off his senior campaign in 2002. In the classroom, Young was a two-time member of the GSC Academic Honor Roll, and was named in 2002 to the GSC All-Academic Team. The New Philadelphia, OH native was inducted into the UWG Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.
Prior to transferring to UWG, Young began his collegiate career in Laramie, WY as a point guard at the University of Wyoming. Young played 2 seasons under NBA-experienced head coaches for the Cowboys, in 1996-97 under Coach Joby Wright and 1997-98 under coach Larry Shyatt. He was a member of the 1997-98 National Invitational Tournament squad, which handed NCAA Runner-Up University of Utah 1 of their 4 losses in the season.
Injuries forced Young to forgo his junior and senior seasons in Laramie, and instead transfer to West Georgia where he finished out his playing career. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Sport Management from UWG in 2002. He then pursued his master’s degree while serving as a graduate assistant, both in basketball and administratively, before becoming a full time Assistant Coach in 2005. Young is married to the former Jill Zehr. The couple resides in Carrollton, and have three children: Max, Molly, and Maggie.
Mark Schult returned to University of West Georgia in September 2023 after spending the
previous two seasons at Division III Centre College in Danville, KY.
During Schult’s time at Centre College, he coached three All-Southern Athletic Association
selections (RJ Smith, Dustin Gerald, Cade Stinnett), three SAA Players of the Week (Carter Baughman, Smith, Stinnett), and the 2023 SAA Newcomer of the Year (Stinnett). He played big roles in recruiting, BLOB Offense, scouting reports, social media, and skill development in the program.
From 2019-2021, Schult served the Wolves’ program as a Graduate Assistant. In his two
seasons, he was able to touch all areas of the program through recruiting, player development, study hall, scouting, community service, summer camps, and social media. During his first stint at UWG, the Wolves earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament where they defeated Valdosta State in the opening round. Two players were named to the All-GSC Teams (Seth Brown-Carter, Michael Zabetakis), three players were named GSC Player of the Week (Zabetakis, Jalen Sasser, Keshawn Heard), and one GSC Commissioners’ Trophy (Zabetakis) during his time.
Schult also served as a member of the Rising Coaches Digital Content Team in the 2020-21 season. For his efforts, he was selected as 1 of 13 coaches (from a pool of over 1500+ eligible members) as a recipient of the inaugural Rising Coaches Honors Award in Fall of 2021, for his contributions to the Rising Coaches and basketball coaching communities.
Prior to West Georgia, Schult was as an Assistant Coach for Clark State College in Springfield, OH. He played a large role in turning around the Eagles’ culture, as the program went from one win to 15 wins over his two seasons. Two players (Jomar Bailey, Korey Joyner) were named to the All-OCCAC Team during his tenure.
Prior to Clark State, Schult served as a Student Assistant at Wittenberg University, where he also played two seasons. He began his coaching career on the AAU circuit on 15U, 16U, and 17U staffs for the Cincinnati based program Shining Stars.
A native of Edgewood, KY, Schult was a captain of the 2014 KHSAA Sweet 16 State Champion team at Covington Catholic High School in his senior year. He graduated from Wittenberg University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting in 2018. He graduated with his Master’s of Science in Sport Management at UWG in 2021.
Willie Evans re-joined the University of West Georgia Men’s Basketball program in June 2024.
Evans was named the Assistant Coach for Pace Academy in 2023. In his first season as an Assistant Coach, Evans helped Pace Academy to a 24-5 record and an appearance in the second round of the State Championships.
Before joining Pace Academy, Evans accepted a job for OnTheRadarHoops as a consultant and Talent Evaluator. To this day, OnTheRadarHoops is recognized as one of the top scouting services in the country as they cover the top high school basketball athletes in the nation.
In Fall 2018, Evans became a graduate assistant coach at USF, spending one season with the Bulls under long time Division I Head Coach Bryan Gregory. In 2018, Evans helped USF to a 24-14 overall record, which stood as a 14-win increase than the season prior.
Before getting into coaching, Evans played collegiate basketball at West Georgia from 2014-17, leading the Wolves to a pair of NCAA South Region Quarterfinals appearances and a GSC Championship in 2016.
Jalen Sasser ’23 joined the University of West Georgia Men’s Basketball program, this time as a member of the staff in August 2024.
Sasser spent the 2023-24 season as an Assistant Coach for Chattahoochee Valley Community College in Phenix, AL.
After playing three years with the University of West Georgia basketball program, Sasser signed a professional basketball contract with Jarvenpaa Finland on Wednesday. Jarvenpaa Finland is a 1A divisional team in the Raiders Basket which is located in Keski-Uusimaa, Finland.
Sasser had a stellar 3-year career with the Wolves, averaging 10.2 points and 5.4 rebounds on 58.8% shooting over his three seasons with UWG. In his last season with the Wolves, Sasser averaged 9.8 points, a career-high 6.2 rebounds, and a career-high 1.1 steals on 54.5% shooting. The forward also racked up a career-high four double-doubles, propelling UWG to a 21-10 record and their second NCAA South Region Semifinal appearance in the last three years. He graduated with his Bachelor’s Degree in 2023.
Prior to UWG, Sasser played earned his Associate’s Degree from Allen Community College in Iola, KS.
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