RALEIGH, N.C. – Saint Augustine’s University (SAU) didn’t have to look far to find its next head women’s basketball coach.
On Saturday the SAU Department of Athletics hired Ebony Tanner-Moore, who was the Associate Head Women’s Basketball Coach/Recruiting Coordinator at nearby Shaw University the past two seasons. Tanner-Moore replaces Montel Jones, who stepped down for personal family reasons in mid-November 2020 after two seasons at the helm.
“I am very excited to be a part of the Saint Augustine’s University family,” said Tanner-Moore, who is a Garner, N.C. native. “I am ready for the opportunity to turn the program around.”
A former area prep basketball standout, Tanner-Moore is an up-and-coming coach in the profession. She was an assistant coach at the University of Richmond and the University of Hartford, two Division I programs, in addition to two stints at Shaw.
This is her first job as a college head coach.
“It is very exciting to hire someone that embraces the opportunity to build something special here at Saint Augustine’s University,” SAU Interim Athletic Director David Bowser said. “Ms. Moore is committed to developing the entire student-athlete and genuinely cares about their well-being as an individual.”
During her first stint at Shaw from 2006 to 2009, Tanner-Moore was an assistant on the 2007-08 CIAA Championship team that earned a bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
She spent seven seasons at Richmond, her alma mater, as an assistant from 2009 to 2016. During her time there, Richmond reached the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) four out of seven seasons and posted multiple 20-win seasons, including a 24-10 record which was the most wins since 2009 and the fewest losses since the 2004-05 season.
After one year at the University of Hartford, Tanner-Moore returned to Shaw in 2017 before accepting the SAU head coaching position.
Related: Montel Jones stepping down as women’s basketball coach at Saint Augustine’s
The Lady Falcons won 10 games last season – a seven-win improvement from the previous year. However, the last time SAU posted a winning overall record was the 2010-11 season.
Still, Tanner-Moore liked what she saw from the Lady Falcons in their head-to-head matchups against Shaw. The last two seasons, SAU ranked among the top 25 Division II teams in forcing turnovers.
“We are going to continue what these players have been used to,” Tanner-Moore said. “That’s getting out on defense, making our defense create offense for us, and being the aggressor on the basketball court.”
As a player, Tanner-Moore made a name on the basketball court. Standing 6-foot-3, she was then Ebony Tanner – a talented and athletic center who played for both South Johnston and Ravenscroft High Schools. By her senior year at Ravenscroft in 1999, she ranked among the best players in the state of North Carolina. Tanner-Moore helped lead Ravenscroft to a state championship that year.
After high school, Tanner-Moore starred on the collegiate and professional levels. She was a two-time All-Atlantic 10 player at the University of Richmond from 1999 to 2003, where she tallied over 1,000 points and 500 rebounds during her career. Tanner-Moore is among the school’s top 10 all-time shot blockers.
In 2003, Tanner-Moore graduated from Richmond with a Bachelor of Arts in Interpersonal Communication and Speech Rhetoric.
Tanner-Moore a former professional basketball player, played in Ashdod, Israel and Panserraikos, Greece before entering the coaching ranks.
Courtesy: SAU Athletics
