GREENVILLE, S.C. — By now Charlie Moore has thoroughly answered every media question, from casual to accusatory, and taken in stride every variation of joke, from hysterical to gong-worthy, alluding to him being a well-traveled sixth-year senior.
“I get it all the time,” Moore said with a laugh. “My teammates say stuff like, ‘Dang, Charlie, you’ve been everywhere!’ They don’t get me too bad. I understand though, on the outside looking in, it looks pretty wild.”
Stay engaged because this could throw you off: Moore began his collegiate career at California before transferring to Kansas only to leave Lawrence to return home to Chicago to play for DePaul, and now he’s suiting up in sunny South Florida with Miami.
No one is happier about the last leg of his tour than Miami coach Jim Larrañaga, especially after Moore calmly sank two free throws with three seconds left in regulation to help the No. 10 Hurricanes knock off No. 7 USC 68–66 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
“It just feels like things are coming together for me right now,” said Moore, who posted 16 points, four assists and three rebounds in the win. “I never lost confidence in myself, but there were times when I wondered if I’d ever be in a stable position on a team that had a chance to win it all. This feels good. I’ve always been a loyal guy, my plan everywhere I played was to stay with my coach, but things happen.”
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Moore got an early lesson in the business of college basketball in high school, backing out of his commitment to Memphis when Josh Pastner left for Georgia Tech.
As a freshman at Cal, Moore averaged 12.2 points a game and helped Cuonzo Martin win 21 games, which put the coach in position for the job he ultimately accepted at Missouri.
Moore left for Kansas and, after sitting out a year due to NCAA transfer rules, he struggled to settle into a role with the Jayhawks, averaging just 2.9 points in 13.1 minutes per game.
Moore then left Lawrence to be closer to his father, who was rehabbing from a stroke. He was granted an immediate waiver by the NCAA and thrived at DePaul, leading the Blue Demons in scoring in back-to-back seasons.
When DePaul coach Dave Leitao got canned, Moore wanted a fresh start to cap off his collegiate career. He chose Larrañaga and the Canes.
“When you go to these schools, you go to play for the coach,” Moore said. “That’s who you’re loyal to and that’s who you build a bond with. If he leaves then you’re left with a coach who doesn’t necessarily believe in you like that. It takes a toll on you mentally, but I never lost my confidence. I knew that Miami would be a good fit for me. Everything happens for a reason.”
That said, Moore is well aware of the negative connotations that accompany a résumé with multiple transfers: Prima donna. Selfish. Head case.
“I used to worry about how that would look, but that’s one of those things I can’t control, so I don’t give it energy,” Moore said. “It’s easy to clear up if you talk to anyone I’ve ever played for or look into why I left.”
Naturally, a veteran coach like Larrañaga did his due diligence on Moore and surmised that Miami would be a perfect fit for a player looking to rebuild trust in his head coach. Larrañaga’s lighter, more supportive style, which he adopted from his late high school coach, Jack Curran at Archbishop Molloy in Queens, N.Y., made the connection happen organically.
Hard not to trust a coach whose policy is to clap for players who make mistakes.
“Charlie will tell you I’ve never cursed him out. I’m not a negative guy, I’m not ripping him, I’m much more of what I consider a teacher,” Larrañaga said. “When it comes to my relationship with Charlie, who’s our point guard and our leader and our quarterback, I need him to trust me, and I need to trust him with the basketball. He’s been a tremendous leader.”
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Moore controls a talented quartet of guards, leading the Canes in assists (4.5 per game) and steals (2.0 per game) to go along with 12.7 points.
And journeyman jokes aside, the Canes take their cues from Moore.
“We’ve really adopted and adapted to the Charlie Moore way of playing basketball,” Larrañaga said. “He’s aggressive at both ends of the court, he shares the ball beautifully, he can make shots, he makes free throws, he’s just a tremendous competitor from start to finish. We’ve developed that kind of relationship where we trust each other. I trust him immensely.”
And therein lies Moore’s full circle moment.
Stable. Leading. Trusting. Happy.
“Every situation I’ve been through, every move, every letdown, every adversity has prepared me for this moment,” Moore said. “I really believe that. I know that all of those experiences have made me ready to step into this moment. I feel that, and that’s how I’m approaching it.”
