Marcus LoVett. St. John’s.
Billy Garrett Jr. DePaul.
Josh Cunningham. Dayton.
Kyle Davis. Dayton.
These are all recent high major D1 prospects who have come out of famed Chicago powerhouse Morgan Park in recent years. Charlie Moore is next. Here is something else that they all have in common: Moore watched all of these guys as younger player biding his time, honing his craft, and paying his dues as an underclassman under the tutelage of Head Coach Nick Irvin. Morgan Park is Charlie Moore’s team now, and he’s clearly learned his lessons well. Charlie Moore may be a diminutive point guard in stature, but he brings humongous game with his sub 6-foot frame.
With Marcus LoVett graduating this past season and moving on to St. John’s of the Big East, Moore wasted no time putting his imprint on Morgan Park as a consummate floor general and a vocal leader on the court. While Moore has had questions asked about him, he’s gone into the summer with a ‘prove everyone wrong’ attitude, and he’s largely silenced any questions regarding his ability to lead a high-major program from the point guard position while on the AAU circuit with Mac Irvin Fire. His high-level production as a 3-level scorer while displaying great play-making ability caught the attention of high major coaches across the country, especially at the Las Vegas Classic and Nike Global Challenge. Scholarship offers have been flooding in all summer, and the list of those who have offered to this point includes Memphis, Iowa, Georgia Tech, DePaul, California, Creighton, Iowa State, Pittsburgh, Illinois, and St. John’s among others.
Charlie Moore in the Rankings:
ESPN: #80 in 2016 ESPN100 (4-stars, 81 grade)
Rivals: #57 in 2016 Rivals150 (4-stars)
247Sports: #111 overall in 2016 247Sports Rankings (4-stars, 90 grade)
Scout: #65 overall in 2016 Scout Top 100 (4-stars)
VCU got involved with Charlie Moore’s recruitment this past July and the coaching staff has been aggressively recruiting him since then. Moore already took his first official visit to Memphis and will be coming to VCU this weekend on his second official where he will take in the Black & Gold Scrimmage as well as the alumni game along with ESPN100 wing Alpha Diallo. Charlie was gracious enough to speak with VCURamNation for an exclusive interview yesterday.
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*Exclusive* VCURamNation interview with Charlie Moore
VCURamNation: Hey Charlie, I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to speak with us. Why don’t we start by getting a short overview of who you are?
Charlie Moore: My name is Charlie Moore. I play point guard for Morgan Park High School. I’m 5’11½”. I play for Mac Irvin Fire AAU and I’m from Chicago, Illinois.
VCURamNation: Do you see yourself as a pure point guard or more of a combo guard?
Charlie Moore: Well I can play both positions.
VCURamNation: You put up some pretty good numbers for Mac Irvin Fire on the AAU circuit. You really blew up in some games. By looking at some of your stats at first glance many would assume you’re a scoring lead guard. Would you define yourself as a scoring guard or more of a pass-first guard?
Charlie Moore: Well I actually just take whatever the defense gives me. Whether it’s scoring or distributing the ball, so that’s my game.
VCURamNation: When did VCU start recruiting you? Who has been mainly recruiting you since the process between you and VCU?
Charlie Moore: Well VCU started recruiting me during the Peach Jam and Coach Jones and Will Wade has just been there every step of the way. They’re just great guys and I just enjoy their presence and love talking to them.
VCURamNation: How do you see yourself fitting into the offense and defense at VCU and the style of play that Coach Wade wants to implement at VCU?
Charlie Moore: Well you know its run-and-gun. Tempo, they love the fast tempo, and they play defense. So I just fit in, to me, perfectly because I do that now at my high school with Coach Nick. So we re-run basically that same type of game.
VCURamNation: So you run a lot of pick-and-roll/ball screens on offense like VCU at Morgan Park?
Charlie Moore: Definitely, we definitely do that.
VCURamNation: Here’s a fun question, NBA Live or 2K?
Charlie Moore: I love 2k.
VCURamNation: Xbox or PS4?
Charlie Moore: PS4.
VCURamNation: Who’s your favorite NBA player that you model your game after? If you’re going to the NBA who do you want to play your game like?
Charlie Moore: Well I wouldn’t want to play like anyone, but my favorite NBA player is probably Kyree Irving.
VCURamNation: Do you have a favorite NBA team?
Charlie Moore: Probably Oklahoma City. I just love how they play and their tempo.
VCURamNation: What’s your favorite food?
Charlie Moore: Probably macaroni and cheese.
VCURamNation: What official visits have you taken or plan to take other than your visit to VCU?
Charlie Moore: I took one so far to Memphis.
VCURamNation: Do you have any other visits planned?
Charlie Moore: Well VCU obviously, California, and Iowa State.
VCURamNation: What are you looking for on your official visits? Not just VCU, but on your visits in general? What are you looking for in the place that you ultimately call your college home?
Charlie Moore: Just a family-like atmosphere, a great relationship with the coaching staff. I have a great relationship with my family. Somewhere I can come in and play right away and play my game.
VCURamNation: Is Coach Jones the one recruiting you the most? Coach Wade? Or is it both of them equally?
Charlie Moore: Yeah both of them.
VCURamNation: What is it that you like about both of those guys? You said you like both of them as individuals and the way that they speak with you. Is there anything else about your relationship with them that really hits home with you?
Charlie Moore: Well Coach Jones, he’s been in the AAU field before. He pretty much knows how it goes. Will Wade, he tells me pretty much all the time that he just loves my game and just things that I have to work on to make me a better player. So I just love that.
VCURamNation: Coach Jones was on Team Takeover in the AAU ranks back in the day, right?
Charlie Moore: Yeah he was with Takeover.
VCURamNation: Was he still there when you were starting up in AAU? Or had he moved on to college by then?
Charlie Moore: Yeah I think he was gone by then.
VCURamNation: How do you think it’s different with a former AAU coach recruiting you versus people who have always been college coaches?
Charlie Moore: Well he knows how it goes. AAU isn’t easy. He knows what player has to go through out there.
VCURamNation: Do you have a timeline for when you want to make a decision? Or are you just going with the flow to wait until it feels right?
Charlie Moore: No timeline, just waiting until it’s the right time.
VCURamNation: How was your Memphis visit?
Charlie Moore: It went pretty well. I enjoyed it.
VCURamNation: Is it Coach Pastner over there that’s recruiting you?
Charlie Moore: Yeah, him and Damon Stoudamire.
VCURamNation: How is it like to have Damon Stoudamire recruit you with him having played in the NBA?
Charlie Moore: It’s pretty fine. It’s pretty crazy actually, man, being recruited by a future Hall-of-Famer, 11 years, you know, that’s pretty great.
VCURamNation: For your VCU official this weekend, you’ll be coming in with fellow 2016 prospect Alpha Diallo. Have you had a chance to talk or interact with him at all going into this weekend?
Charlie Moore: Nah, actually I haven’t had a chance.
VCURamNation: How about De’Riante Jenkins? He’s already committed to VCU, but have you had a chance to talk to him or any of the current VCU players on the team at all?
Charlie Moore: No not yet, but I’m looking forward to it.
VCURamNation: You said family-feel and family atmosphere was a really important factor for you and your college decision. Does Will Wade strike you as the type of guy who builds a family atmosphere in his program that you feel comfortable with?
Charlie Moore: Yeah definitely. He definitely does. I enjoy him. He’s cool. He’s also cool with my family, so that’s a great thing.
VCURamNation: So he talks to your parents and your other folks?
Charlie Moore: Yeah.
VCURamNation: Do you want to sign in the early or late signing period. Is there a preference in your mind?
Charlie Moore: No, not really. I’m just waiting for the right time.
VCURamNation: We appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule of school and basketball to speak with us today. We wish you all the best for the upcoming season, in your recruitment, and ultimately in college.
Charlie Moore: I appreciate it!
