Wisconsin asst. coach Howard Moore mending from tragic loss, suffers new health setback
The popular coach had lost his wife and daughter in an accident last spring. Now a cardiac arrest while being transported to a hospital affects him further
Wisconsin assistant basketball coach Howard Moore, who had lost his wife and daughter in a tragic crash earlier this year, suffered cardiac arrest while on an ambulance ride to a hospital and as a result will not return to coaching this year, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Moore, 48, had been battling an undisclosed medical issue and was in long-term care in his Madison home prior to being transported to the medical facility.
On May 25, Moore was hurt in a car accident near Ann Arbor, Mich., caused by another car driven by Samantha Winchester, 23, who washeading the wrong way on the street. Moore’s wife Jennifer, 46, and daughter Jaidyn, 9, succumbed to the injuries they received in the head-on collision. The Tribune reported Moore and his son, Jerell, 13, sustained minor injuries. Winchester also died in the crash.
READ MORE: University of Wisconsin assistant basketball coach’s wife and daughter killed in head-on collision
Moore suffered from third-degree burns as a result of the crash. Prior to being returned home, the Badgers’ coach spent two weeks at the University of Michigan hospital. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, UW head coach Greg Gard stated Moore was aiming to return to the sidelines “in due time.”
The University of Wisconsin issued a statement regarding the status of Moore for the upcoming season: “Howard will now be moving to a long-term care and rehabilitation facility to continue the focus on his recovery and health. He will not coach during the upcoming 2019-20 season.”
In Moore’s absence, Gard has enlisted Kyle Blackbourn, the assistant director of basketball operations, and Alando Tucker, a member of the athletic department and program all-time leading scorer, to facilitate the duties of recruiting and running summer practices, respectively.
“The Moore Family greatly appreciates the outpouring of love and support from the greater Madison and Chicago communities, the Badgers and Big Ten families and all whose lives Howard and his family have touched. Please continue to keep Howard and his son, Jerrell, in your prayers,” the University included in its statement.
Moore was raised in Chicago before taking to the hardwood for the Badgers between 1990 and 1995. His coaching career led him through multiple programs as an assistant before a stint as the head coach at University of Illinois at Chicago from 2010 to 2015.
Moore made his return to Wisconsin for the 2015 season.
