Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s basketball coach Jaret von Rosenberg announced the hiring of Yolonzo Moore as an assistant coach on the Lions’ staff in August 2022.
A graduate of the University of Hartford, Moore coached at Hartford for five seasons before joining von Rosenberg’s staff, who is also a Hartford alum.
"Having known Yolonzo for many years, we are extremely excited to welcome him back to Texas and join our coaching staff here at Texas A&M-Commerce,” said von Rosenberg. “Having a major impact in helping the University of Hartford to their first ever NCAA Tournament is why he's here. He's a winner!”
Moore started his coaching career as the director of basketball operations for the Hawks in 2017-18 and was elevated to assistant coach for the 2019-20 season. In his first season as an assistant coach on the coaching staff, Hartford made its second ever America East championship game appearance.
The Hawks had made it to the America East Tournament championship game in 2019-20, but the game was canceled due to COVID-19. In 2020-21, the Hawks won the America East Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. The Hawks fell to eventual national champion Baylor in the first round.
Over his five-year tenure on the Hawks coaching staff, Moore guided the Hawks to 13 all-conference selections, two all-defensive team selections and the America East Championship’s Most Outstanding Player.
“I have known Coach Rose through the basketball ranks for years. His core values on and off the court is something that I have always admired,” said Moore. “I am excited for the opportunity that this program and university has with the transition to Division I athletics. I look forward to building relationships within the university and community. Go Lions!”
Moore, a standout guard for Hartford from 2011-15, helped lead the Hawks to back-to-back 17-win seasons and the program’s first ever postseason appearance, playing the 2013 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Invitational Tournament.
von Rosenberg continued, “Adding another coach on our staff with NCAA tournament experience is so valuable to all our student-athletes as we compete for championships. We're thrilled to have Yolonzo, and his fiancé Kelsey here with us in Commerce."
During his career at Hartford, Moore started in 124 of the 125 games he appeared in, marking the second-most starts in program history. He was the 25th player in program history to surpass the 1,000-point plateau and he also he ranks No. 6 in assists and No. 8 in minutes per game.
A 2015 graduate of the University of Hartford, Moore received his degree in business management before earning his master’s of science in organizational psychology in 2021.
