6 days ago
Newly-hired assistant coach's recruiting skills figure to benefit STU basketball program
It looks like St. Thomas University men's basketball coach Zach Moss has made a genius move.
Moss recently hired Jacob Shaw, 44, as associate head coach at STU, which is an NAIA program.
Shaw, who has been a head coach at Miami Beach High and an assistant at Florida Memorial University, is perhaps best known as the creator of a free website ( is highly popular among college coaches all across the country.
Largely due to that website, Shaw has been able to forge connections with players and coaches throughout South Florida.
Just ask Lawton Williams III, the highly-respected boys' basketball coach at Miami Norland.
'(Shaw) is an excellent recruiter,' Williams said. 'He's a great judge of talent, and he's pretty good at skill development.
'His connections allow him to get to know a lot of players. He's a relentless worker. He's always on the phone, and that's what college coaching is all about. You've got to get players.'
Southridge High coach Robert Doctor said Shaw is a player's coach.
'He also has a vast knowledge of the game,' Doctor said. 'He has the support of a lot of coaches in South Florida, and that's going to help him get players.'
SLAM coach Alex Garcia is also high on Shaw.
'He has a feel for all the players in Miami, and we need that,' Garcia said. 'There's a lot of talent down here that doesn't get recruited locally.'
Moss, a 42-year-old Naples native, can certainly use the help.
Last season, in Moss' first year as a head coach, the Bobcats went 10-16.
In the previous two seasons – with Moss as associate head coach under Patrick Crarey – the Bobcats went 22-9 and 26-8, making the NAIA national playoffs each time.
Crarey, though, left STU for Florida A&M, and he is now the head coach at Grambling State.
Meanwhile, Moss admits last season could've gone smoother, especially when it came to key injuries that tested STU's depth.
'There are a lot of things I need to do better,' Moss said humbly. 'I was a really good assistant coach, but that was my first year as a head coach, and I had a lot to learn.
'I had a lot of growth this summer, which I spent reflecting and watching film.'
Moss also corrected what may be considered a mistake.
Prior to his first year as the head coach, Moss offered Shaw a job as a part-time coach.
Shaw declined.
Then in June of this year, Moss made a stronger offer, eventually giving Shaw the title of associate head coach.
So, who is Jacob Shaw?
In high school, Shaw – a 6-foot-4 shooting guard – led Detroit's Pershing High to four straight East Side championships.
From there, Shaw spent two years playing for Bismark (North Dakota) State College. After junior college, Shaw wrapped up his career with two years in South Dakota at the University of Sioux Falls, which advanced to the NAIA Final Four while he was playing for the Cougars.
Shaw said he remembers one particularly frigid night in Bismark when it was negative-14.
'With the wind chill, it was negative-61,' Shaw said. 'I was thinking, 'What am I doing here?''
In search of sunshine, Shaw landed a teaching job at Miami Edison. He also coached the Red Raiders' girls' basketball team in the 2008-2009 season.
From there, he spent the next decade as the head boys' basketball coach at Miami Beach High, and that eventually led Shaw to one year (2001-2002) as an assistant men's basketball coach at Florida Memorial, which is STU's rival. During that one season, FMU won the Sun Conference tournament title for just the second time in the school's long history.
'Jacob is a proven winner in our conference,' Moss said.
'I have recruited in Florida for a long time, but Jacob has done it at such a deep level that bringing him on staff is something I really wanted.'
Shaw will handle multiple roles for the Bobcats – defensive guru; ace recruiter and Moss' right-hand man on the bench.
'I want opponents to feel pressured,' Shaw said when asked about his defensive philosophy.
The Bobcats, who have won the Sun Conference postseason tournament just three times – in 1994, 1997 and 2009 – return former Rivera Prep 6-3 guard Esteban Lluberes, who started 23 games last year. He was top-three on the team in scoring (14.3); 3-point percentage (39.6); and free throws (86.0 percent).
Among STU's top newcomers are two junior-college transfers: Kaleb Myers, a 6-8 Nicaragua native signed by Shaw; and Blake Neverdon, a 40-percent 3-poiont shooter.
Then there's 6-3 point guard Jalen Gilmore, who started at Lynn University, an NCAA Division II school. Two years ago, he averaged 5.2 assists, second in the Sunshine State Conference.
'I have a very positive attitude about what's about to happen at STU,' Shaw said. 'I haven't been this excited about a team in a long time.'
