March 19, 2008
Kansas City, Mo. -
Moore to come
After a near dream finish with Truman, Patriots center ready to become a Tiger
By Bill Althaus | bill.althaus@examiner.net
Steve Moore was bummed out.
"Man, we came so close," the Truman High School senior said. "I thought we were going to pull it out."
No, he wasn't talking about his Patriots, the most surprising team in the area and a Class 5 final four participant.
The 6-foot-10 center was talking about his new team, the University of Missouri Tigers, who lost to Nebraska 61-56 in the opening game of the Big 12 Tournament at the Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City.
Moore has signed with Missouri, and he was in the stands when the Tigers experienced a disappointing end to an even more disappointing 16-16 season.
"That game was like so many other Missouri games - close, real close - but in the end, they just couldn't get it done," he said. "Kind of like our season at the midway point."
Moore was a big reason for a remarkable turnaround at Truman, as the Patriots slumped midway through the season with a 9-8 record.
They then went on an 11-0 run and reached the Final Four. Moore enjoyed a remarkable district tournament, beating William Chrisman with a 3-point basket at the buzzer and assured a championship win over Fort Osage when he blocked a dunk in the final seconds.
"He did it all this season," Truman coach Billy Guinnee said of his go-to star. "We don't have the season we just experienced without Steve."
Moore edged William Chrisman junior guard Justin Clark to win The Examiner's Player of the Year award.
"I'm your Player of Year?" Moore asked. "Wow, that's kind of shocking. There were some great, great players out there this year - guys like Justin and (Raytown's) Dominique (Morrison, who is going to play basketball at Oral Roberts University).
"Now that the season is over, and you can take in individual accomplishments like this, it's very special. It's a blessing, and God has blessed me many times this season. I owe everything to God. That's where it all starts for me.
"He allowed to come back from an ankle injury I suffered at Park Hill South early in the season. Well, God and our trainer - she played a big role in my comeback, too. I threw up that prayer (3-point shot at the buzzer) against Chrisman and He answered it, and during all the bad times, all the down times, He was there for me.
"I want to share this with God, and everyone else at Truman - Coach Guinnee, my teammates, our coaches, teachers and all our great fans. They were all part of a great season."
It's been well documented how the Patriots were struggling at the midway point of the season.
"We were 9-8 and were fighting among ourselves and just going through a rough time," Moore said. "It wasn't what I'd dreamed about my senior year being like. You know, when you're a kid, you dream about going to state as a senior and I didn't think we were going to be a .500 team."
But the Patriots finally came together.
The guards re-discovered the big man in the middle and he responded with a 17-point, 12-rebound per-game average.
The Patriots won 11 in a row and reached the state semifinals.
"It was a dream season," Moore said. "Well, it was a dream season until we got to Columbia. We lost both games (by a combined total of seven points), but we played hard. The first (64-60) loss was to Webster Groves, and they won state. But I still think we could have beat them.
"Then, it was tough to come back and play that third-place game. I fouled out (for just the second time this season), and it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do - to sit and watch my guys battle out there and not be able to help them."
Moore can now look back on a high school career with great satisfaction and look forward to a collegiate career that is full of promise.
"I never really liked talking about Missouri that much during the season because I didn't want it to overshadow anything we were doing at Truman," he said. "But now that it's over, I can tell you I'm so excited about Missouri that I'm about to jump out of my skin.
"I can hardly wait to hit the weight room and get stronger, meet with Coach (Mike) Anderson and my new teammates and see what college life is all about."