The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

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The Daily Campus

The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

SMUs Tyreek Smith dunks as the Mustangs run up the scoreboard against Memphis in Moody Coliseum.
SMU finds new head coach for men’s basketball
Brian Richardson, Contributor • March 28, 2024
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Moore: Big man on campus

NickMooreRyanMiller.jpg
Standing at 5’ 9” SMU point guard Moore is taking the AAC by storm in 13-14. Photo credit: Ryan Miller

The average height for an American basketball player is roughly six feet and seven inches tall.

Odds are there will be at least six of these giants out on the court at any given time during a contest, battling for position and points in an effort to lead their respective team to victory.

So how is it that a 5-foot-9-inch transfer student, hailing from Winona Lake, Ind., has come to dominate the American Athletic Conference in just his first year playing for the Mustangs?

“I’ve been small all my life,” SMU’s Nic Moore said with a grin. “Everybody’s taller than me. I feel like I’m just as big as them out there. I’ve got a big heart.”

That big heart of his has been on full display the entire season, as the sophomore has led the charge for the Mustangs this season, establishing himself as the team’s true point guard in head coach Larry Brown’s demanding system.

“I’ve always had confidence in my game, you kind of have to,” Moore said. “I just know I’ve got to be solid on both ends of the court. I’ve always heard that if you get it going on the defensive end then your offensive game will get going too. Just getting my teammates going and my shots will start to fall.”

More often than not this season, Moore’s shots have fallen.

He is leading the number 23 team in the nation in points and assists per game with 13.8 and 4.7 respectively, and doing so with a stellar 49 percent shooting mark, including a mind-boggling 45 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

Despite these incredible numbers for a man playing just his second season of college basketball against some of the nation’s top talent, Moore understands that SMU’s recent rise to fame could be short-lived if the team doesn’t keep their minds focused on the ultimate goal.

“Everybody’s excited, but I told the guys you’ve just got to keep grinding in game by game,” he said. “Being ranked 23rd, if we don’t get the job done that’s just going to be gone right away. I like the situation we’re in right now. It makes some dudes work harder.”

Moore’s also one of a short list of SMU players to have experience in a big time tournament contest, as some of his best games in college came during the 2012 National Invitational Tournament for Illinois State.

In just two games, he was able to rack up 49 points, including a career high 25 against Stanford.

Production like that is what has made Moore a crowd favorite at the new Moody Coliseum in route to an undefeated home record, and why so many fans of SMU basketball are salivating over what he’ll do the next two seasons.

But before then, the SMU Mustangs still have a long journey to go before closing the books on the 13-14 season.

Thanks to this mountain of a man’s efforts, the men’s basketball team might just stand at the top of Everest with a cut net in one hand and a trophy in the other.

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