NCAA Basketball: Retrospective look at 2011 offseason coaching hires

1. Porter Moser (Loyola-Chicago)

It’s true, the Loyola Ramblers won the national championship in 1963, and were nothing more than a cool, vague trivia answer. The program’s Sweet Sixteen run in 1985 had been their only other Tournament appearance in the last four decades and the program was a cellar dweller in the Horizon League. Loyola was hunting for a new coach, having just watched conference mate Butler live the dream of back to back title game appearances.

In finding that answer, the Ramblers turned towards Porter Moser, making an impressively brilliant decision. Moser had worked on the staffs of many coaches, including time at Creighton and Texas A&M. He had spent time as head coach at both Little Rock and Illinois State, though his first foray into the MVC was not successful. He came to the Ramblers following four years on Rick Majerus’s staff at Saint Louis.

Loyola transitioned to the MVC in 2013, but Moser’s Ramblers were still reloading their talent. Everything came together in a major way for Loyola in 2018, as they won their first MVC Tournament, returned to the NCAA Tournament, and marched all the way to the Final Four. Three years later, the Ramblers pulled a Sweet Sixteen run, with Moser also winning three regular season MVC titles. Just a few months ago, Moser left for Oklahoma, but it’s impossible not to notice and applaud the incredible job he’s done with this program.

After completing our deep dive into the best coaching hires from 2011, which of these coaches do you think were the best from that offseason?