‘The highest level.’ New boys basketball coach at private Tacoma school has big goals
New Bellarmine Prep boys basketball coach Bobby Moorehead has always had his eye on Bellarmine Prep. He had four different coaches in four years when he was a star basketball player at Stadium early-to-mid 2010’s and when he watched the Malachi Flynn-led Lions, he wished for that type of stability.
“I wanted to go play there,” he said. “I kind of sought the consistency at Bellarmine and always wanted to be part of that.”
That never happened. Moorehead stayed at Stadium, went on to a career at the University of Montana and recently has been an assistant on Tim Kelly’s staff at Curtis, where he won two state championships as part of the program, coaching Zoom Diallo, Tyce Paulsen and the rest of Curtis’ star-studded roster.
He always kept an eye on Bellarmine. When longtime Lions’ coach Bernie Salazar retired after the 2023-24 season, he threw his name in the hat.
“It really has that standard of excellence,” Moorehead told The News Tribune during a meet-and-greet with Bellarmine teachers, coaches and staff members at E9 Firehouse & Gastropub in Tacoma on Tuesday evening. “That’s something I’m drawn to.”
Arguably, Annie Wright might have been the best boys basketball team in Tacoma last winter, although Lincoln’s run in the Class 3A state tournament at the Tacoma Dome might suggest otherwise. Regardless, there’s clearly a market for private school basketball at the moment in Tacoma.
“I think there’s a demand for private education right now that we haven’t seen in years, for various reasons,” Moorehead said. “But I think the appeal of Bellarmine is you’re playing at the highest level in the state.”
After competing in the 4A South Puget Sound League last year and in years past, Bellarmine dropped down to 3A this school year. But with the 3A Metro League in Seattle, Class 3A is generally considered the best basketball classification in the state, most years.
Bellarmine athletic director Kevin Meines — who will serve as the Bellarmine girls basketball interim coach this winter, a position he has held before — told people gathered on Tuesday he was impressed with Moorehead’s professionalism throughout the interview process.
“He stood out,” Meines said. “This could be somebody who we build the next 30 years of Bellarmine boys basketball on. He speaks the Jesuit language without even knowing he’s speaking it. The values that he has are the values that we share.
“That’s what’s most exciting for me about introducing Bobby. He has a passion for the game, a passion for his players and a passion for his community.”
Moorehead is a 2015 Stadium High graduate. A 6-foot-7 forward, he averaged a double-double in his senior season with the Tigers, averaging 26.5 points and 11 rebounds per game. He was named the 4A Narrows League MVP in his senior year.
In college, he appeared in a school-record 134 games, including 79 starts at Montana. He started all 69 games over his final two seasons and scored 764 points during his college career.
Bellarmine Prep’s last state tournament appearance was in 2018 and most recent state placing was in 2012, when the program took fifth place after reaching the Class 4A tournament semifinals.
Moorehead said things will look differently this winter at Bellarmine. Playing defense will be a major focus.
“I think you have to win playing defense, first and foremost,” he said. “We’ll be defensive-minded, and we’ll have guys that are getting on the floor for loose balls. Guys in our program are gonna play hard.”
