Moore Catching The State's Eye
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
The Class 4A No. 6 Tigers play the third-ranked Indianapolis North Central Panthers in the state championship game at Conseco Fieldhouse at approximately 8:30 p.m., and the eyes of the state, as well as those of college coaches, will be on Warsaw's ultra-talented 5-foot-9 junior point guard.[[In-content Ad]]For what he has meant to the Tigers, especially in the second half of the season and during their tournament run, eighth-year coach Doug Ogle believes that Moore should be considered among the favorites to win next season's Mr. Basketball award.
"Right now, if you're looking at Mr. Basketball for 2011, I think you would have to say Nic Moore and Cody Zeller (of Class 3A state finalist Washington) are the two front-runners," said Ogle, whose teams takes a 16-game win streak and a 23-2 record into the state championship game.
Moore helped lead the Tigers to a sectional championship in 2008, averaging 17 points per game as a freshman.
Over the past two seasons, Moore has been a major contributor as Warsaw has posted a 42-5 record, which includes a 13-1 mark in the Northern Lakes Conference.
Entering Saturday's state championship game, Moore is averaging 21 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals per game.
While Ogle and area media outlets have been hyping Moore as a serious candidate for the prestigous individual award for the state's top senior, Moore has kept his focus on a bigger prize - a state championship.
"I don't really think about Mr. Basketball or whatever," said Moore, who is currently fourth on Warsaw's all-time scoring list 1,291 points. "I'm just trying to take it step by step and win a state championship."
Warsaw Community High School has produced two Mr. Basketballs, Jeff Grose in 1985 and Kevin Ault in 1996.
Both Grose and Ault led the Tigers to Indianapolis, with Grose scoring 21 points in Warsaw's 59-56 state championship win over Vincennes in 1984 and Ault scoring 31 points in a semifinal loss to New Albany in 1996.
Playing well at Conseco Fieldhouse Saturday night could mean more than just a state championship ring to Moore and his teammates, it could equate into Moore wearing the No. 1 jersey for the Indiana All-Stars after he takes his No. 11 Warsaw jersey off for the final time next season.
"He is putting an exclamation point on a very good junior year," Ogle said of Moore. "Our other players are pretty good, but the brilliance of Nic Moore has been on display in the tournament."
Ault is Warsaw's all-time leading scorer with 2,028 points, while Grose is second with 1,751 points and Whitey Bell, a 1952 grad who went on to play for the New York Knicks, is third with 1,331 points.
Charlie McKenzie, a 1967 Warsaw grad and Indiana All-Star, would be the Tigers' all-time leading scorer with 2,145 points, but he played his first three seasons at Claypool High School.
Moore has talked about the legacy of Tiger Basketball players like Grose and Ault, and he's certainly doing his part to add his name to that list of Warsaw greats.
"I haven't made it there yet," said Moore. "(To be mentioned with them) means I am highly respected and a good player."
Not only has Moore improved his game, he's improved his mental aspect.
Moore has always been able to score and pass, but this season his leadership has really stood out, and he has been able to get his teammates involved, making Warsaw a tough team to defend.
"No. 1, when you talk about Nic Moore, you talk about the intangibles," said Warsaw assistant coach David Wayne, a 1992 NAIA All-American who later had an invitation-only workout with the Chicago Bulls. "He has the ability to see timing and spacing, you can't coach that. His passing has been amazing. He's able to see the gaps in the defense and get the ball to his teammates for easy buckets. That makes him a very special player."
Moore was blessed with God-given talent, but having coaches in the program like Wayne and Grose certainly hasn't hurt Moore.
While fans see Moore running the show on the court for Ogle's Tigers, Moore's ever-improving leadership has benefited from a behind-the-scenes relationship with Grose.
"It's nice to have a guy like Jeff Grose around to look up to," said Wayne. "Jeff has met with Nic and talked about life, and what you do in certain situations. Nic is a very special player, and he has made his teammates better."
The Class 4A No. 6 Tigers play the third-ranked Indianapolis North Central Panthers in the state championship game at Conseco Fieldhouse at approximately 8:30 p.m., and the eyes of the state, as well as those of college coaches, will be on Warsaw's ultra-talented 5-foot-9 junior point guard.[[In-content Ad]]For what he has meant to the Tigers, especially in the second half of the season and during their tournament run, eighth-year coach Doug Ogle believes that Moore should be considered among the favorites to win next season's Mr. Basketball award.
"Right now, if you're looking at Mr. Basketball for 2011, I think you would have to say Nic Moore and Cody Zeller (of Class 3A state finalist Washington) are the two front-runners," said Ogle, whose teams takes a 16-game win streak and a 23-2 record into the state championship game.
Moore helped lead the Tigers to a sectional championship in 2008, averaging 17 points per game as a freshman.
Over the past two seasons, Moore has been a major contributor as Warsaw has posted a 42-5 record, which includes a 13-1 mark in the Northern Lakes Conference.
Entering Saturday's state championship game, Moore is averaging 21 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals per game.
While Ogle and area media outlets have been hyping Moore as a serious candidate for the prestigous individual award for the state's top senior, Moore has kept his focus on a bigger prize - a state championship.
"I don't really think about Mr. Basketball or whatever," said Moore, who is currently fourth on Warsaw's all-time scoring list 1,291 points. "I'm just trying to take it step by step and win a state championship."
Warsaw Community High School has produced two Mr. Basketballs, Jeff Grose in 1985 and Kevin Ault in 1996.
Both Grose and Ault led the Tigers to Indianapolis, with Grose scoring 21 points in Warsaw's 59-56 state championship win over Vincennes in 1984 and Ault scoring 31 points in a semifinal loss to New Albany in 1996.
Playing well at Conseco Fieldhouse Saturday night could mean more than just a state championship ring to Moore and his teammates, it could equate into Moore wearing the No. 1 jersey for the Indiana All-Stars after he takes his No. 11 Warsaw jersey off for the final time next season.
"He is putting an exclamation point on a very good junior year," Ogle said of Moore. "Our other players are pretty good, but the brilliance of Nic Moore has been on display in the tournament."
Ault is Warsaw's all-time leading scorer with 2,028 points, while Grose is second with 1,751 points and Whitey Bell, a 1952 grad who went on to play for the New York Knicks, is third with 1,331 points.
Charlie McKenzie, a 1967 Warsaw grad and Indiana All-Star, would be the Tigers' all-time leading scorer with 2,145 points, but he played his first three seasons at Claypool High School.
Moore has talked about the legacy of Tiger Basketball players like Grose and Ault, and he's certainly doing his part to add his name to that list of Warsaw greats.
"I haven't made it there yet," said Moore. "(To be mentioned with them) means I am highly respected and a good player."
Not only has Moore improved his game, he's improved his mental aspect.
Moore has always been able to score and pass, but this season his leadership has really stood out, and he has been able to get his teammates involved, making Warsaw a tough team to defend.
"No. 1, when you talk about Nic Moore, you talk about the intangibles," said Warsaw assistant coach David Wayne, a 1992 NAIA All-American who later had an invitation-only workout with the Chicago Bulls. "He has the ability to see timing and spacing, you can't coach that. His passing has been amazing. He's able to see the gaps in the defense and get the ball to his teammates for easy buckets. That makes him a very special player."
Moore was blessed with God-given talent, but having coaches in the program like Wayne and Grose certainly hasn't hurt Moore.
While fans see Moore running the show on the court for Ogle's Tigers, Moore's ever-improving leadership has benefited from a behind-the-scenes relationship with Grose.
"It's nice to have a guy like Jeff Grose around to look up to," said Wayne. "Jeff has met with Nic and talked about life, and what you do in certain situations. Nic is a very special player, and he has made his teammates better."
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