ZANESVILLE — The new face leading Zanesville boys basketball is one quite familiar to Blue Devil fans.
Jeff Moore, who averaged 15 wins per season in 10 years coaching the Lady Devil basketball team in the 2010s, was announced as the new boys coach last week. Prior to that, he was a mainstay on Hall of Fame coach Scott Aronhalt’s staff with the boys program and was head coach at Steubenville for three years from 1997-2000.
He replaces former Blue Devil great and West Liberty All-American Cedric Harris, who resigned after five seasons for personal reasons in May. The team was 13-11 in his final season, the program’s first winning record since 2018, which earned him Scarlet Division Coach of the Year in the Licking County League.
With the offseason calendar moving swiftly through June, the district was scrambling to find a replacement. Moore said he offered his services if they couldn’t find a replacement to their liking, and he accepted the position after district administration made their offer earlier this month. The hire was announced on June 9.
By June 12, Moore had the team at Muskingum University for its shootout.
That would qualify as a real-life Dr. Scholls moment. Moore’s feet officially had hit the ground and he started moving — swiftly.
“I’m at that shootout, and I’m 59 now, and we are playing five games,” Moore said. “I’m thinking, ‘should I really be doing this?'”
He was speaking partly in jest, but some health issues in recent years forced him on to blood pressure medication due to hypertension. It has forced him to dial back on his well-chronicled tendency for over-stimulation.
His daughter, Samantha, a pharmacist at Genesis, already expressed her concerns.
“Samantha told me, ‘dad call your cardiologist and bump to 10 (milligrams) because you’re going to start coaching again,'” Moore joked. “My daughters are scared to death I am going to drop over.”
As Moore noted, however, he only knows one way to do things. This is especially true when it comes to coaching high school basketball.
“I learned everything I know from (Aronhalt),” Moore said. “We’re going to do the same drills, and if you don’t like it, fine, but if you do, jump on board. If we win two or win 12, great. But we’re going do it the way I know how.”
That will begin with a more concerted focus on defense, an area he felt lacked under the previous regime. They allowed 59.1 points per game in 2025-26 and had 12 games decided by single digits.
“We are going to try to keep running up and down, but we are also going to come back and defend,” Moore said. “We are not going to extend (our defense) and give up layups. The more I think we extend ourselves, the more we will be vulnerable to give up stuff on the other end.”
Moore has been away from coaching and served as a highly regarded play-by-play and color analyst for WHIZ radio since resigning as his last stint as girls coach.
As the team’s primary radio voice with former Blue Devils Garrett Young and Jeff Tysinger, Moore had one of the best views in the gym calling games — and a feel for its personnel.
It was not the reason he chose to accept the job when the school needed a coach, but the feel he had for the talent at hand did offer a different perspective than someone without the same familiarity level.
Three key seniors will return in All-Ohio guard Lucca Wood, fellow combo guard Quinell Angler and versatile glue guy Maddox Mohler.
“(Wood and Angler) are both very solid guards and have an opportunity to be very good,” Moore said. “Lucca had a very good last year, and he’s going to be a 1,000-point scorer. He can score. Quinell can score. I need them to jump into this senior thing as leaders. Maddox is a team player. He doesn’t care if he scores point. He just wants to win. He is a guy you want on your team.”
Moore did not make any promises past the 2026-27 season, referring to himself as “the bridge man,” as the administration seeks a long-term replacement. He will remain principal at the Zanesville Community School.
Moore will be joined on staff by former Blue Devils Shane Hollins and Sol Curtis. Mike Young will also retain his coaching role.
“I know what I’ve got coming in, I’ve just got to find a way to mold it together,” Moore said. “I’m excited. I’ve got that coaching itch, and I really just want to help these guys for later on in life.”
sblackbu@usatodayco.com; X: @SamBlackburnTR
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Jeff Moore ready for Round 3 as Zanesville High hoops coach
Reporting by Sam Blackburn, Zanesville Times Recorder / Zanesville Times Recorder
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By Sam Blackburn, Zanesville Times Recorder | USA TODAY Network
