DCHS’ Moore one win away from reaching 500 for career
Published 8:38 pm Saturday, January 16, 2016
Dallas County boys basketball coach Willie Moore is on the brink of a major milestone in high school coaching.
Moore won his 499th career game Friday when his Dallas County Hornets defeated Ellwood Christian 72-31. On Tuesday, he’ll have a chance to win No. 500 when Dallas County hosts Billingsley.
Moore, who has coached at West Blocton, Bibb County and has spent the last 11 years at Dallas County, said he never thought he’d get close to a milestone like 500 wins during his coaching career.
“I like to win a game, not trying to win a whole lot of games,” Moore joked.
Moore’s career started at West Blocton in 1995, where he compiled a 35-19 record in two seasons. He then moved on to Bibb County, where he went 177-81 from 1997-2005.
During his time at Dallas County, Moore has turned the program into a consistent winner. The Hornets have a 287-47 record under Moore’s watch, which averages out to 26 victories a season.
Moore said winning 500 games is “not a real big deal,” and gave all the credit to the players who have played for him through the years.
Once he wins his 500th game, it’ll be another accolade on what has already been a tremendous career.
In 2014, he led Dallas County to its first basketball championship and in 2015, he led the Hornets back to Birmingham for the class 5A semifinals.
In January 2015, the National Federation of High Schools named Moore the 2014 South Sectional Coach of the Year.
The award is handed out to one coach from the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
He’s also coached a Mr. Basketball and Alabama Gatorade National Player of the Year recipient in William Lee.
“I’ve been fortunate to have some really good players and to be at some basketball schools where they really care about it,” Moore said. “It’s not about me; it’s about the kids.”