Calvert Hall alumnus Rich Zinkand, who coached the Community College of Baltimore County-Essex to a 12-3-2 record this season, was officially tabbed to replace Andy Moore as coach of the Cardinals on Friday morning at a briefing in the lobby of the school's Alumni Memorial Gymnasium in Towson.

Calvert Hall, which finished 3-11 in Moore' final campaign, did not qualify for the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference playoffs for the first time in recent memory.

Moore, who followed Bill Karpovich at the Cardinals' helm in 1998 after the legendary coach won his 19th championship in 31 years, guided the Cardinals to successive conference titles in 2002-03.

Zinkand was a forward on back-to-back championship clubs at Calvert Hall under Karpovich in the now-defunct Maryland Scholastic Association in 1985-86 and went on to play at Towson State University under longtime coach Frank Olszewski.

Zinkand was a teammate of current Mount St. Joseph coach Mike St. Martin and Bill Karpovich Jr. at Calvert Hall.

The Middle River resident said he will "have to change the culture of the kids who are here. The kids were really down on themselves, but they need to know we can turn things around quickly with better effort and focus."

He added that the building blocks are in place with the Bender brothers, Josh and Jake, being the team's centerpieces going forward.

Jake will be a senior and Josh a junior next fall.

"I always wanted to be here," Zinkand said, noting his dad, Jim, played for another legend, Hap Groom, before graduating from Calvert Hall in 1953.