Moore, Mustangs Turning Heads
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
Hanging on for a 71-63 win at their KFC Yum! Center, the defending national champion Louisville Cardinals made it a point to slow down the 5-foot-9, 200-pound Moore, who had just scored 20 points in a 74-65 home win the previous week against No. 17 UConn.
“Our strategy was to wear him out so he couldn’t shoot the ball,” Louisville coach Rick Pitino said of the 2011 Warsaw Community High School graduate. “We got him out of the game a little bit, but we also wanted to go at him and make him guard us.”
Keeping a defender in his face at all times, including Associated Press Preseason All-American Russ Smith, Moore struggled in the first half, missing both shots he took.
“We did a very good job against one of the premier point guards in the (American Athletic Conference) in Nic Moore,” Pitino, a 2013 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, said.
His team down 47-35 to begin the second half, Moore opened things up by hitting his first field goal with 18:53 remaining, followed by an assist 19 seconds later.
As Moore seemed to gain confidence, the Mustangs did too and pulled to within two points before the Cardinals re-established themselves to get the victory, improving to 14-3 overall and 3-1 in the AAC.
A big part of getting that victory was Louisville’s defense on Moore, who finished the game with five points on 2-of-8 shooting, while also recording five rebounds, four assists and a steal.
“It was kind of tough, because they weren't really playing a box-and-one, but if I gave the ball up, they wouldn't let me get it back,” Moore said. “It seemed like their main defensive goal was to keep the ball out of my hands. I feel like they executed that real well.”
Despite the loss, SMU has been turning the heads of some national analysts, and a win over Louisville would have been the program's first over the Cardinals since the 1955-56 season and the team now sits at 11-4 overall and 1-2 in the AAC.
“People are seeing something in us and see that we have a good team and fight,” Moore said. “Not every game goes your way, but I feel like we're putting SMU on the map and having Dallas loving basketball again.”
The biggest reason for SMU being back on the map is Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown, who was named the SMU coach on April 19, 2012.
In Brown, the Mustangs landed a coach who won the 1988 NCAA National Championship at Kansas. After winning that title, Brown made a return to the NBA, where he coached nine teams and his 1,098 wins are sixth all-time.
“I’m blown away at how good of a coach Larry Brown is,” Pitino said. “When you watch games on film, you just get an appreciation for the teacher he is and the fundamentals of the game. You just get a great appreciation for it. He’s just a tremendous coach. Always been a tremendous coach.”
Seven days after landing Brown, Illinois State head coach Tim Jankovich joined his staff, which led to Moore making a decision to follow the coach that had recruited him.
“His personality and just the way he coached me, I just knew I could trust his word,” Moore said. “Doing this coaching and recruiting is a job and you can't really put your trust into everybody. Once I found somebody that believed in me and gave me an opportunity to play Division I basketball, it's kind of like I owed him. I thought he was a great coach I felt like it was the best thing for me to follow him and also play for a legendary basketball coach.”
With Jankovich and Moore at Illinois State, the team went 21-14 overall and 9-9 in the Missouri Valley Conference, with Moore being named to the conference's all-freshman team after averaging 10 points and 3.9 assists per game.
In the conference tournament, the Redbirds got past Wichita State in the semifinals to take on All-American Doug McDermott and Creighton in the title game, but fell 83-79, ending their NCAA Tournament hopes.
Moore's one season at Illinois State brought life to the program, and it returned the core of the team the following year, but with Jankovich choosing to serve as an assistant to Brown, Moore's decision was made.
“I knew that once Coach left, that I was going to follow him,” Moore said. “The hard thing was leaving that group of guys because they were pretty special. Everybody clicked. Everybody got along. That was the hardest thing.”
Due to NCAA rules, Moore had to sit out an entire season after transferring between Div. I schools, which wasn't easy, but he feels worked out in the end.
“It is tough, because you still have to go through all the (practices) like the other guys, but when it comes to the competition, the games – which is what you love to do – you just have to watch,” he said. “You prepare with the team all week and you want to be out there to contribute and help them.”
During those practices without games, Brown was able to work with Moore, which has been a real benefit.
“It's fun to play for him because he knows a lot about basketball,” Moore said. “He just puts us in the best situation to give us a chance to win. As a guard playing for him, he lets you have freedom.
“He's just shown me little things where I can get my shot off or get to the basket,” he added.
Back on the court, Moore's started all 15 SMU games this year, averaging 13.3 points, 4.6 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game, while his 51.5 percent three-point shooting ranks him as one of the top in the nation.
Off the court, Moore's enjoying his time in Dallas and has also been named to the AAC Honor Roll four times.
“It's just a different atmosphere, a different scene than Indiana and Warsaw,” he said. “The city life, I love that and I love the people. Our campus is probably one of the nicest campuses in the nation. I just feel like everything has gone right for me. I'm blessed.”
A member of this year's Corpus Christi All-Tournament team in late November, the three-time Times-Union All-Area Player of the Year continues to take on new challenges each year and succeeds in the process.
“I feel like I've just been taking the next step on the ladder,” he said. “Indiana's a great basketball state, and I had a lot of support at Warsaw. Then, I go to Illinois State to play my freshman year and have a, what I would say is a decent freshman year for not knowing the college game. Then, to sit out and learn how coach wants you to play and apply that this year, I just feel like I'm taking steps. I'm blessed to be able to keep doing this.”
Moore, as well as SMU's, next step is Wednesday at the school's brand new Moody Coliseum against South Florida at 6 p.m. on ESPNU.[[In-content Ad]]
Hanging on for a 71-63 win at their KFC Yum! Center, the defending national champion Louisville Cardinals made it a point to slow down the 5-foot-9, 200-pound Moore, who had just scored 20 points in a 74-65 home win the previous week against No. 17 UConn.
“Our strategy was to wear him out so he couldn’t shoot the ball,” Louisville coach Rick Pitino said of the 2011 Warsaw Community High School graduate. “We got him out of the game a little bit, but we also wanted to go at him and make him guard us.”
Keeping a defender in his face at all times, including Associated Press Preseason All-American Russ Smith, Moore struggled in the first half, missing both shots he took.
“We did a very good job against one of the premier point guards in the (American Athletic Conference) in Nic Moore,” Pitino, a 2013 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, said.
His team down 47-35 to begin the second half, Moore opened things up by hitting his first field goal with 18:53 remaining, followed by an assist 19 seconds later.
As Moore seemed to gain confidence, the Mustangs did too and pulled to within two points before the Cardinals re-established themselves to get the victory, improving to 14-3 overall and 3-1 in the AAC.
A big part of getting that victory was Louisville’s defense on Moore, who finished the game with five points on 2-of-8 shooting, while also recording five rebounds, four assists and a steal.
“It was kind of tough, because they weren't really playing a box-and-one, but if I gave the ball up, they wouldn't let me get it back,” Moore said. “It seemed like their main defensive goal was to keep the ball out of my hands. I feel like they executed that real well.”
Despite the loss, SMU has been turning the heads of some national analysts, and a win over Louisville would have been the program's first over the Cardinals since the 1955-56 season and the team now sits at 11-4 overall and 1-2 in the AAC.
“People are seeing something in us and see that we have a good team and fight,” Moore said. “Not every game goes your way, but I feel like we're putting SMU on the map and having Dallas loving basketball again.”
The biggest reason for SMU being back on the map is Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown, who was named the SMU coach on April 19, 2012.
In Brown, the Mustangs landed a coach who won the 1988 NCAA National Championship at Kansas. After winning that title, Brown made a return to the NBA, where he coached nine teams and his 1,098 wins are sixth all-time.
“I’m blown away at how good of a coach Larry Brown is,” Pitino said. “When you watch games on film, you just get an appreciation for the teacher he is and the fundamentals of the game. You just get a great appreciation for it. He’s just a tremendous coach. Always been a tremendous coach.”
Seven days after landing Brown, Illinois State head coach Tim Jankovich joined his staff, which led to Moore making a decision to follow the coach that had recruited him.
“His personality and just the way he coached me, I just knew I could trust his word,” Moore said. “Doing this coaching and recruiting is a job and you can't really put your trust into everybody. Once I found somebody that believed in me and gave me an opportunity to play Division I basketball, it's kind of like I owed him. I thought he was a great coach I felt like it was the best thing for me to follow him and also play for a legendary basketball coach.”
With Jankovich and Moore at Illinois State, the team went 21-14 overall and 9-9 in the Missouri Valley Conference, with Moore being named to the conference's all-freshman team after averaging 10 points and 3.9 assists per game.
In the conference tournament, the Redbirds got past Wichita State in the semifinals to take on All-American Doug McDermott and Creighton in the title game, but fell 83-79, ending their NCAA Tournament hopes.
Moore's one season at Illinois State brought life to the program, and it returned the core of the team the following year, but with Jankovich choosing to serve as an assistant to Brown, Moore's decision was made.
“I knew that once Coach left, that I was going to follow him,” Moore said. “The hard thing was leaving that group of guys because they were pretty special. Everybody clicked. Everybody got along. That was the hardest thing.”
Due to NCAA rules, Moore had to sit out an entire season after transferring between Div. I schools, which wasn't easy, but he feels worked out in the end.
“It is tough, because you still have to go through all the (practices) like the other guys, but when it comes to the competition, the games – which is what you love to do – you just have to watch,” he said. “You prepare with the team all week and you want to be out there to contribute and help them.”
During those practices without games, Brown was able to work with Moore, which has been a real benefit.
“It's fun to play for him because he knows a lot about basketball,” Moore said. “He just puts us in the best situation to give us a chance to win. As a guard playing for him, he lets you have freedom.
“He's just shown me little things where I can get my shot off or get to the basket,” he added.
Back on the court, Moore's started all 15 SMU games this year, averaging 13.3 points, 4.6 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game, while his 51.5 percent three-point shooting ranks him as one of the top in the nation.
Off the court, Moore's enjoying his time in Dallas and has also been named to the AAC Honor Roll four times.
“It's just a different atmosphere, a different scene than Indiana and Warsaw,” he said. “The city life, I love that and I love the people. Our campus is probably one of the nicest campuses in the nation. I just feel like everything has gone right for me. I'm blessed.”
A member of this year's Corpus Christi All-Tournament team in late November, the three-time Times-Union All-Area Player of the Year continues to take on new challenges each year and succeeds in the process.
“I feel like I've just been taking the next step on the ladder,” he said. “Indiana's a great basketball state, and I had a lot of support at Warsaw. Then, I go to Illinois State to play my freshman year and have a, what I would say is a decent freshman year for not knowing the college game. Then, to sit out and learn how coach wants you to play and apply that this year, I just feel like I'm taking steps. I'm blessed to be able to keep doing this.”
Moore, as well as SMU's, next step is Wednesday at the school's brand new Moody Coliseum against South Florida at 6 p.m. on ESPNU.[[In-content Ad]]
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