New Trevecca Nazarene University men’s basketball coach Kevin Carroll has added two assistant coaches with previous head coaching experience and strong Nashville ties to his coaching staff. Nathan Moran, a former guard at Lipscomb University, and Luke Smith, a former guard at Belmont University, are already on board, helping with off-season workouts and recruiting future Trojans. Both spent last season as high school head coaches.
On his new assistants, Coach Kevin Carroll said, “In this process, we set out to find coaches who would be excellent teachers, recruiters, and spiritual leaders. We found that and so much more with Nate Moran and Luke Smith. Both have head coaching experience, strong ties to the Nashville area and were players in great programs. But, more so, they embody what we look for in people: they are talented, hungry, and humble. I could not be more excited to work alongside them as we build Trevecca Basketball around our “Live Your Legacy” culture.”
NATHAN MORAN
After his time on the court at Lipscomb, Nathan Moran rose to be the top assistant coach under Bubba Smith at Lee University after starting as the Flame’s graduate assistant. He helped lead the program to a top-25 ranking, its first NCAA Tournament win.
Coach Carroll talked about what Nathan Moran brings to the Hill, “I have long respected Nate for the job he did as an assistant at Lee University and Missouri Western. He has an infectious personality and coaches with the same passion he displayed on the court while leading Lipscomb to an NCAA Tournament appearance and NIT Runner-Up finish. More so, he has proven himself to be a phenomenal recruiter, tactician and developer of young men.”
At Lipscomb, he earned a four-year scholarship after a year of being a walk-on. He scored 1,140 career points, along with dishing out 405 assists. His leadership was confirmed by his teammates as they voted him as their team captain as a junior. He graduated with a BBA in Marketing/Entrepreneurship.
His coaching career started as a graduate assistant at Missouri Western State University in 2019. There he managed the redshirt program and played a vital role in player development, plus helped create and execute scouting reports while completing his MBA.
Most recently, Moran served as head coach at Copley High School in Copley Township, Ohio.
As a player at Lipscomb, he led the Bison to three consecutive 20+ win seasons. In 2018, the Bison won the ASUN Tournament Champions and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. In 2019, Lipscomb won the ASUN Regular Season Championship and finished as the NIT Runner-Up.
His wife, Brooke, is an alum of the Lipscomb soccer program. They have a son, Roman.
LUKE SMITH
Smith comes to Trevecca after one season as the head coach at Knoxville Catholic.
Coach Carroll shared what Luke Smith brings to the Purple and White, “Having coached against Luke while he was at Belmont, you could sense he had a great mind for the game. However, observing him as a professional this past season made it easy to see that he is a rising star in our field. He is wise beyond his years in terms of his knowledge of the game and understanding of people. In addition, he excels in player development and is someone our players and recruits will naturally gravitate towards.”
Smith started his collegiate playing career at Sewanee, where he started every game of his career. In 2019, he helped lead the Tigers to the SAA Tournament Championship and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1998. He made the SAA All-conference First Team for his efforts and was the 2019 SAA Tournament Most Valuable Player.
He transferred to Belmont and finished his playing career. He became a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American and started every game of his career there. He also helped lead the team to two OVC Regular Season Championships and an OVC Tournament Championship, helping the team to the NCAA Tournament.
As a senior at Belmont, he was hired to lead his high school basketball program at Knoxville Catholic. Last season, his first, he led them to a 20-8 record and helped develop Deondrea Lindsey into becoming the third TSSAA Mr. Basketball Finalist in school history.
He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration from Belmont University.
https://www.tnutrojans.com/sports/mbkb/2022-23/releases/20230422gxm1tr
