Terrapins Tab Moxley and Adams As Assistant Coaches
4/15/2005 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
April 15, 2005
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams announced the hiring of former University of Charlotte assistant coach Rob Moxley and former NBA sharpshooter and Washington Mystics head coach Michael Adams as Terrapin assistant coaches on Friday.
Moxley served as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator in Bobby Lutz's Charlotte program for the past seven years. During his tenure, the 49ers made five NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005), won the Conference USA Tournament twice (1999, 2001) and captured the league's regular-season title in 2004. An excellent recruiter, four of the classes Moxley helped land were ranked in the Top 20 nationally. His recruiting class in 2000 was 14th in the nation, headlined by 2001 National Freshman of the Year and NBA lottery pick Rodney White.
An excellent teacher as well as recruiter, Moxley's offensive expertise helped the 49ers experience success in the long-range game. Charlotte ranked second in the nation in 3-point shooting in 2001 (36.0 percent) and has led the conference in long-range proficiency in four of the last six seasons. One of Moxley's players led C-USA in 3-point shooting in each of his seven seasons.
A local product, Moxley grew up the Baltimore-Washington D.C. corridor. He was a Junior College Division III All-America guard in 1991 at Montgomery Community College (Md.), before playing two seasons at Newberry College (S.C.). He earned a degree in history from Pfeiffer University (N.C.) in 1994, where he began his coaching career.
Moxley and his wife Jennifer are the parents of a son, Joey (7), and daughters Emily (4) and Allison (1).
"I grew up a die-hard Maryland fan going to games at Cole Field House, and I always wanted to be a coach at Maryland. I never wanted to be a doctor or lawyer or anything like that - this is truly a dream come true. Maryland was the only assistant job I would have left Charlotte for," said Moxley. "I have the great opportunity to work for a coach who has won the national championship and has been successful in every major conference. I have great respect for Gary Williams and look forward to learning his way of winning. Maryland is a great University and has a great basketball tradition, and it is located in the basketball-rich Baltimore-D.C. area."
Adams is a familiar face to the D.C. area, having played for the Washington Bullets in the late 1980s and early 1990s, having served as a television analyst for the Bullets on Home Team Sports in 1996-97 and having spent the 2004 season as the head coach of the WNBA's Washington Mystics. His ties to Williams go back to the days when Adams played for Maryland's mentor at Boston College from 1982-85. Adams brings 14 years of professional basketball experience to the Terrapins, as both a player and coach.
 Rob Moxley (left) is one of the nation's top assistant coaches after seven successful years at Charlotte.  |
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One of the most proficient 3-point shooters in NBA history, Adams spent 11 seasons as a player in the league, which included stints with Sacramento, Washington (1986-87 and 1991-94), Denver and Charlotte. Adams averaged 14.7 points, 6.7 assists and 2.9 rebounds per contest through his 11-year career. He led the NBA in 3-point field goals made during the 1987-88 and 1990-91 seasons, and made at least one 3-point field goal in 79 consecutive games across the 1988 and 1989 seasons, placing him second all-time in the NBA's record books behind (fellow Boston College alum) Dana Barros' 89.
Adams' best season statistically came in 1990-91, when he averaged 26.5 points and 10.5 assists. In 1992, as a member of the Bullets, Adams was selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star team. That year he finished third in the fan voting for the starting spot
Adams began his coaching career in 1999, serving as assistant coach of the International Basketball League's Richmond Rhythm and helping that team to the 1999 championship game. In 2000, he returned to the NBA as an assistant coach with the Vancouver Grizzlies, moving with the team to Memphis until the end of the 2001-02 season.
As the head coach of the Mystics in 2004, Adams led the WNBA squad to a 17-17 overall record.
Adams enjoyed a stellar collegiate career during his four years at Boston College, finishing as the school's fifth-leading scorer before being selected in the third round of the 1985 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings. Adams earned a bachelor's degree in communications from Boston College, and his jersey was retired there in 1999.
A native of Hartford, Conn., and a standout high school player at Hartford Public High School, Adams is the youngest son of nine children. In 2002, he was inducted into the Hartford Public High School Athletic Hall of Fame for basketball. In December 1999, Sports Illustrated named Adams one of the 50 Greatest Connecticut Sports Figures.
Adams now resides in Mitchellville, Md. Off the court, he has been active in many community activities, including coaching his son's youth basketball teams and volunteering for other local organizations. His 12-year old son, Michael Christian, is another budding point guard and annual attendee of the Gary Williams Basketball Camp.
TRANSACTIONS: Rob Moxley and Michael Adams named assistant men's basketball coaches at the University of Maryland.
