By Andy Furman
NKyTribune reporter
Sydney Moss is leaving Thomas More University, the Northern Kentucky Tribune has learned.
The two-time NCAA Division III Player of the Year in women’s basketball has accepted a position as Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach at Wilmington (Oh.) College, she told the Tribune.
Moss leaves Thomas More after serving as an Assistant Women’s coach for two seasons.
Sydney Moss
“Thomas More,” she explained, “is moving to the NCAA Division II level. Division II level coaches are not permitted to coach AAU basketball.”
The Quakers of Wilmington College participate in NCAA Division III competition.
And as for Moss coaching AAU basketball, well, – along with Blake Donovan and Sean Murphy – formed Multi League Youth Basketball.
“It’s a non-profit, all for kids,” she said. “Both boys and girls. We have six teams at the local level for the boys and a team in West Virginia for the girls.”
The boys team has traveled to Louisville and Rock Hill, South Carolina, she said. “We practice at local high schools and YMCA’s,” she said. “In fact, we’ll practice wherever we can find a gym. At the present time we’re trying to partner with a local gym.”
Moss said she had the vision for Multi League Youth Basketball about two years ago. “We actually launched it in January,” she said. “With league and travel teams.”
“I’ve always wanted to teach kids life lessons, and possibly help them with a potential college scholarship in basketball,” she said.
And while she says she’s not coaching; she does the behind-the-scenes work to keep Multi League Youth Basketball alive and well.
“I’ll do social media posts, registrations, look for donors and donations, and do some fund raising,” she said.
One of the most decorated players in NCAA Division III women’s basketball, Moss transferred to Thomas More after one season at the University of Florida where she was named Southeastern Conference (SEC) Freshman of the Year.
In three years as a Saint, she lost a total of one game en-route to consecutive NCAA Division III national championships (2015 was later vacated). Moss was named National Player of the Year three consecutive seasons by three organizations (WBCA, D3hoops.com, DIII News) and averaged over 22 points, seven rebounds and three assists per-game in each of her three seasons.
Moss will be inducted into the Thomas More University Hall of Fame during a ceremony scheduled for October 14.
A graduate of Boone County High School, she still holds the Division III women’s record for most points scored in a game (63) and the team record for most points in a season (891). She ranks second for most three-point field goals (92) and most rebounds (270) in a season.
During the 2014-15 national championship season, Moss led the nation in scoring with a 27.8 average. One year later, she averaged 24.2 points-per-game and set an NCAA tournament record by coring 197 points in her team’s six playoff wins.
As assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Saints, she played an integral role in recruiting the core of the team that claimed the 2022 NAIA Division II national championship by defeating Dordt University, 77-65.
In Moss’s two years on the staff, TMU went 63-6.
“Sydney is a winner, that is well documented,” said Janel Blankespoor, women’s basketball coach at Wilmington College. “In our conversations over the past several weeks, I became impressed with her desire to win on a deeper level. She embodies our Lady Quaker Basketball values.”
In 2019, Thomas More retired the No. 40 jersey that Moss wore when she played for the Saints. She returned to the team as an assistant coach the following season.
Now she’s off to Ohio – to coach at Wilmington College.
But her roots will remain in the Bluegrass.
“I just bought a house here in Northern Kentucky,” she said, “so I’ll be making the 56-mile drive daily.”
