Bio

Mo Bethea enters his first season as an assistant coach at Eastern Arizona College after successful coaching stops at Gonzaga University, Salt Lake Community College, College of Southern Idaho, and Warner Pacific University.

A native of Newport News, Virginia, Coach Mo began his basketball journey as a standout player at Warner Pacific University in Portland, Oregon. A 4-year team captain, he earned a bachelor's degree in Sports & Recreation Management while helping lead the Knights to 2 NAIA National Tournament appearances and 2 Sweet 16 finishes.

As a player, Mo established himself as one of the premier shooters in program history. He ranks 4th and 6th all-time in single-season free throw percentage after shooting 93% and 90%, respectively, and finished 14th nationally in NAIA three-point percentage as a junior after shooting 47% from beyond the arc. Upon graduating, he ranked among Warner Pacific's career leaders in numerous categories, including 7th in three-point field goals made, 8th in three-point attempts, 8th in games started, 12th in minutes played, 15th in assists, 16th in steals, and 20th in games played.

Mo began his coaching career at Warner Pacific, serving as an assistant coach from 2019-2022. During his time with the Knights, he was responsible for player development, recruiting, film breakdown, opponent scouting, and practice/game planning, helping lay the foundation for his reputation as a detail-oriented coach and teacher of the game.

In 2022, Mo joined the staff at the College of Southern Idaho, where he focused on player development, scouting, recruiting, film analysis, and overall program operations. The Golden Eagles completed a historic 29-0 regular season, spent multiple weeks ranked No. 1 in the NJCAA, captured the Region 18 Regular Season Championship, and advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament Sweet 16. During that season, CSI produced the Region 18 Player of the Year, three 1st Team All-Region selections, one 2nd Team selection, one 3rd Team selection, one NJCAA 1st Team All-American, and one Honorable Mention All-American.

Mo continued his coaching career at Salt Lake Community College in 2023, serving as the program's offensive coordinator while overseeing player development, scouting reports, individual film sessions, and youth camp operations. In his lone season, the Bruins posted a 27-3 regular season record, won the Region 18 Regular Season Championship, Region 18 Tournament Championship, and West District Championship, and advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament Sweet 16. The coaching staff earned both Region 18 and West District Coaching Staff of the Year honors while producing three 1st Team All-Region selections, one 3rd Team All-Region selection, and one NJCAA 2nd Team All-American.

Across his 2 seasons at the NJCAA Division I level, Mo helped compile an outstanding 59-6 overall record with 2 NJCAA National Tournament appearances, 2 Sweet 16 appearances, 2 Region 18 Regular Season Championships, 1 Region 18 Tournament Championship, and 1 West District Championship. During that time, he coached the nation's No. 1 ranked NJCAA player and helped 23 student-athletes continue their careers at NCAA Division 1 programs, including TCU, Oregon State, Syracuse, UNLV, and Old Dominion.

From 2024-2026, Mo served as a graduate assistant at Gonzaga University while earning a master's degree in Organizational Leadership. His responsibilities included offensive and defensive game planning, opponent scouting, advanced analytics, film preparation, recruiting operations, player development, camps, fundraising, and community engagement. During his 2 seasons with the Bulldogs, Gonzaga posted a 57-13 overall record, earned 2 NCAA Tournament appearances, advanced to the Round of 32 in both seasons, recorded 2 NCAA Tournament victories, captured the West Coast Conference Regular Season Championship and 2 WCC Tournament Championships, and produced the WCC Player of the Year, multiple All-Americans and All-WCC selections, 1 NBA player, and 16 professional players.

Mo brings a player-first coaching philosophy centered on building relationships, developing complete student-athletes, and creating a culture of accountability, toughness, and daily improvement. His experience at every level, from NAIA to NJCAA Division 1 and NCAA Division 1, has provided him with a comprehensive understanding of player development, recruiting, scouting, and championship program building that he now brings to Eastern Arizona College.