Loyola Chicagos Porter Moser has accomplished enough over the past four seasons to become one of the country’s most attractive candidates for any coaching position.
The question is whether he wants to continue building on his success at Loyola or test himself in a larger conference program.
Moser didn’t want to say which direction he was leaning on Saturday after Oregon State knocked out Loyola 65-58 in the Midwest region semifinals. Moser said it was too early to think about his own future in the minutes following a late-season loss.
I just need to breathe with these guys, says Moser. It’s been very, very difficult, when you build a relationship with these guys and see the end of the season.
Moser was later asked to find out if Hed had an interest in the vacant position in Indiana.
I need to digest this, said Moser. I wore my blinders and gave 100% Porter Moser to this Rambler team. I blocked the noise. I need some time to digest this with these guys. That’s all I can tell you now. I have blinders.
I know there was a lot going on around me. I can not help it. I can’t control this. The only thing I was focusing on was giving 110% of my preparation, my energy, my love to these players during this time.
Moser, 52, has 17 seasons of experience as a head coach, but burst onto the national stage three years ago when he led Loyola to the Final Four in the NCAA tournament’s first appearance in the schools since 1985.
Moser showed it was no coincidence this year when the Ramblers toppled No.1 seeded Illinois and returned to a regional semi-final. Cameron Krutwig and Lucas Williamson were the only remnants of this Final Four team.
After going 32-61 in his first three seasons at Loyola, Moser posted a 156-80 record over the next seven years, including 32-6 in 2018 and 26-5 this season. Moser is 293-242 years old in a career that also includes stops in Little Rock and the State of Illinois.
He played Creighton and was a team assistant to the late Rick Majerus Saint Louis from 2007-2011 before returning to the Loyolas program.
His experience would make him a strong candidate for all openings in Catholic schools in the Midwest. Marquette pulled out as a possibility by hiring Shaka Smart on Friday.
Moser wouldn’t even have to leave Chicago if he wanted to move to DePaul and see if he could translate his success at the Missouri Valley Conference into the Big East. Indiana must have been impressed with how Loyola knocked out Big Ten Tournament champion Illinois, who swept away his two regular-season meetings with the Hoosiers.
All of these opportunities have made Moser the subject of the coaching carousel. He was more interested on Saturday in talking about the legacy Loyola established with these last two NCAA tournaments.
I think people see Loyola’s name now and I think they’re thinking different things than what they did six, seven, eight years ago, Moser said. Something to be proud of.
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