Tom Moore, a valued assistant coach during the tenures of both Jim Calhoun and Dan Hurley, announced his retirement from UConn men’s basketball on Thursday.
In all, Moore has spent nearly 40 years in coaching, including 21 with the Huskies, spanning the two eras.
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He was part of four national championship teams (1999, 2004, 2023, 2024) as an assistant coach, the most of any assistant in what UConn called the “modern era” of college basketball.
In 2025, he transitioned to the full-time general manager role, navigating the changing landscape of the college basketball world.
“To work alongside two of the greatest coaches in college basketball history was a blessing I could have never imagined when I began this journey,” Moore, 61, said in the school news release. “UConn Nation, I am forever grateful to have been a small part of the Basketball Capital of the World for two decades.”
UConn announced it will launch a national search for its next general manager.
A native of Millbury, Mass., Moore did not need to venture too far from home to enjoy a successful career in coaching.
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After graduating from Boston University in 1987, Moore got his first assistant coaching job at Worcester State ahead of the 1987-88 season, then spent the following season in the same role at Assumption. The following year, he was back at Worcester State after being named head coach at age 24.
After five campaigns (1989-94) and a 76-59 record, he joined Calhoun’s UConn staff and stayed 13 seasons (1994-2007). In that time, the Huskies won their first two of six national titles, and he helped in the development of Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member Ray Allen and other legendary Huskies, including Rip Hamilton and Emeka Okafor.
He left Storrs before the 2007-08 season to begin his 10-season run as the head coach at Quinnipiac, where his record was 162-146.
After his time of working as an assistant at UConn, Tom Moore was the head coach at Quinnipiac, as shown here on Nov. 24, 2016, in a loss to Gonzaga. © Kim Klement-Imagn Images
Moore and Quinnipiac parted ways following the 2016-17 season, and Hurley hired him as an assistant coach at Rhode Island. When Hurley accepted the UConn job before the next season, Moore went with him.
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In Moore’s second act at UConn, he was on the bench alongside Hurley for two more NCAA championship teams and was a stalwart recruiter, playing a key role in bringing players such as Andre Jackson, Donovan Clingan and Alex Karaban to Storrs.
Tom Moore was part of four national championships, including this one on April 8, 2004, when the Huskies defeated Purdue in Glendale, Ariz.
Over the past few seasons, prior to 2025, Moore moonlighted as general manager while still coaching before assuming the full-time GM duties.
“He has been a loyal and trusted assistant to me for the last decade and is a true UConn man,” Hurley said. “Tom has been tantamount to our success as he took on a crucial role helping to navigate the new era of college basketball.”
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Moore made no career announcements on Thursday, and it would make sense for him to take time off if he does not go into full-time retirement. The daily grind of coaching, especially at the highest level, is exhausting.
“It has been an honor to spend my entire professional life coaching college basketball,” Moore said. “I’d like to thank all the players I’ve coached and all the men I’ve shared the sideline with. … My family has made tremendous sacrifices to support my career and I could not have done this without them. Sincere thanks to Coach Calhoun and Coach Hurley for believing in me at the beginning and conclusion of my coaching career.”
In March, longtime Hurley assistant Luke Murray departed UConn to become head coach at Boston College, leaving Hurley to replace two top lieutenants.
Luke Murray (right) is the new head coach at Boston College. © Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
UConn hired former Butler coach Mike Pegues as Murray’s replacement in June. He joined associate head coach Kimani Young and assistant Mike Nardi on Hurley’s staff,
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The 2026-27 season will be one of change for Hurley as he must navigate a difficult nonconference schedule without the people who have been by his side for years – Murray, Moore and five-year program stalwart Alex Karaban.
A consolation is that Moore’s job will attract applications from some of the brightest general managers, or rising stars, in the industry. While the feeling will be different for Hurley, the changes should not derail the Huskies.
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