A.J. Moye joined the Valpo men's basketball staff as an assistant coach prior to the 2023-24 season.
In Moye’s first two seasons in Northwest Indiana, the Valpo coaching staff recruited and developed back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference Freshmen of the Year, marking just the third time that the same team won that award in consecutive seasons since the honor began in 1986. In his second season on staff, Moye helped Valpo over double its win total from the previous year as the Beacons recorded 15 victories in 2024-25, the team’s highest output since 2019-20. Valpo picked up numerous breakthrough triumphs in Moye’s second season on staff en route to an MVC Tournament semifinal appearance. The team won a season series against Missouri State for the first time in 16 seasons of shared conference affiliation, defeated UNI in back-to-back matchups for the first time in 40 all-time meetings and beat Belmont for the first time since the Bruins joined the Missouri Valley Conference thanks to a 101-point output, Valpo’s highest in league play since 1998.
Moye, a standout at Indiana University during his playing days who took the Hoosiers to the 2002 national title game before beginning a professional playing career, has trained professional and collegiate players since 2011 as part of Rising Talent Development (Mamba Sports Academy + Sports Academy), serving as the Master Basketball Trainer for Kobe Bryant’s academy.
Moye and Powell were adversaries during their collegiate days as Big Ten rivals, and later finished out their playing careers as teammates with Skyliners Frankfurt in Germany in 2010-11.
Moye has trained countless NBA players including All-Stars DeMar Derozan and Kyrie Irving as well as former No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz. Since 2014, he has been part of the boys varsity basketball staff at Oak Park High School in Oak Park, Calif., where the team was ranked in the top 25 in the state of California in every year of his tenure. He previously served as the head boys varsity basketball coach at Oak Christian High School in Westlake Village, Calif. from 2012-2014.
There is no shortage of NCAA Tournament success on Valpo’s staff, as Moye and Powell have both played in the Final Four and Powell and assistant coach Matt Gordon have both coached in the Final Four. Powell is one of just 12 coaches in the last 25 years who has coached in the national title game after previously having played in the national title game. Only two of those coached in the national title game after having played in it for a different school – Powell and Kenny Payne (Louisville / Kentucky).
After earning Mr. Basketball in the state of Georgia in 2000 and earning All-American status at Westlake High School, Moye became a standout with the Hoosiers, where he played from 2000-2004 after coming in as part of head coach Bob Knight’s final recruiting class at IU. He went on to play in the professional ranks in Iceland, Germany and Finland. During that time, he was a 2011 German League All-Star, the 2010 Finnish Basketball Defensive Player of the Year and Finnish MVP, a 2006 German League All-Star and the 2006 Icelandic League MVP.
Moye’s playing career ended abruptly and his life journey was put on hold when he suffered a stroke.
Moye’s family includes his wife Cynthia, his daughter Solana (20), his daughter Bella (4), his son Elisha Kobe (1) and his daughter Lola Faith (three weeks).
What They’re Saying About Coach Moye
Jaime Jaquez Jr., 2023 Pac-12 Player of the Year, Second Team All-American for UCLA: “A.J. has been a huge part in helping me and my career. He has been my mentor, trainer, friend, big brother and a man who believed in me when no one else did. What he can bring to a program is great energy, a positive attitude and an ability to get the best out of his players. He can relate to his players because he has been in their shoes and knows what’s to be expected. His basketball IQ is at an extremely high level. What I value most is that he instills confidence in his players and gets the best out of them at all times. He is more than just a coach, he is a leader and teaches lessons that carry beyond basketball. He will make an impact that will last a lifetime.”
Riley Battin, Four-Year Starter at Utah, Scored Over 1,000 Collegiate Points: “A.J. Moye is a fantastic person and trainer. He is able to connect with all kinds of players in a personal way that builds real love with those around him. His commitment to the game and constant improvement is so contagious to those around him. He is a selfless leader who has impacted so many throughout his life.”
