From Heartbreak To Hard Work
October 18, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Joel Coleman
Shakeel Moore has used last March’s disappointment as a driving force.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The evening of March 14, earlier this year, is still firmly entrenched in the mind of Shakeel Moore. How could it not be?
It's the night Mississippi State fell by a point to Pittsburgh in the NCAA Tournament's First Four. It's the game Moore fired off a wide-open shot from the corner as the clock was expiring, only to see it hit the rim and bounce away. The Bulldogs' put-back attempt was also unsuccessful, putting an abrupt end to State's time in the big dance.
Moore sank to the floor, head hanging low. Postgame, the weight on his shoulders was obvious. The emotions, raw.
Fast-forward seven months and smiles are very much back on Moore's face. However, he hasn't forgotten Dayton. It wasn't obvious, but he was still carrying it around with him as he walked around The Grand Bohemian Hotel on Wednesday at Southeastern Conference Media Days.
That's not a bad thing though. In fact, it's quite the opposite.
"All that's still with me; it never left," Moore confessed. "But it's made me so hungry right now to get back in that position – back in that moment."
Disappointment. It can either crush you or carry you. It's quite apparent when you talk with Moore or those around him, he's picked the latter.
Ever since what happened up in Ohio, it's been as though a new Moore has emerged.
"He's just grown up as a man," fellow Bulldog Cameron Matthews said of his teammate. "He's become more mature about how he handles things.
"That [missed shot in the NCAA Tournament] grew him up for sure. But I'm so proud of how he's responded and how he's going to continue to respond this year."
Mind you, the old Moore was already really good. He averaged nearly 10 points per game and also chipped in three rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals per contest a year ago. He was one of just three SEC players and one of only 15 nationally to earn a spot on the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List.
However, there's so much more in the tank that's now seemingly been unlocked.
"There's a reason he's here representing us at Media Days," State head coach Chris Jans said of Moore. "There's a reason we chose him to represent our program and our university. He's here because of what he's done since that game in Dayton and the work that he's put in – everything from his attitude, his approach, his mindset.
"It's been really cool to be a small part in watching Shak transform, if you will, in terms of his craft and how important all this is to him."
Every single detail of Moore's game has been upped. He's been productive on the court, both in practice as well as on the team's foreign tour in Portugal. Jans even estimated Moore has won about 90 percent of the team's sprints they've ran since back in the summer.
"That says a lot about where he's at now mentally," Jans said. "He's really found that consistency that, to be honest at times, was lacking before."
Part of Moore's newfound consistency can in part be credited to comfort. This upcoming season will be Moore's fourth in college basketball. However, it'll be the first time he's entered a new campaign with the same coaching staff as he had the year before.
In 2020-21, Moore started his career at NC State. He transferred to MSU the following season and played under former Bulldogs coach Ben Howland before Jans took over in Starkville last year.
Just how helpful has it been for Moore to have continuity at the top this go-around? More than he can fully put into words.
"It helps so much, just because I'm comfortable with everyone on this staff," Moore said. "We've been around each other over a year now. We all have shared experiences and I know how they coach and what they're all about. I'm just fully bought into them.
"I can be myself. I can say what I want to – not in a bad way – but I just know I can come to them with anything. It's really a family here."
It's a family that stuck by Moore through the tough minutes, hours and days back in March, and it's one that's watched him use all that to grow into a leader for the Bulldogs. Moore is now, more than ever, driven to reward his family and himself with a much happier conclusion in the upcoming season.
"It's not even just about getting back to that moment," Moore said. "It's about getting past that moment and helping this team excel and go deep in the Tournament. I'm just too hungry right now."
Of course, Moore can't feast just yet. It's one day at a time. It's one game at a time. That's the road map back to the opportunities of March.
"We just need Shak to be an important cog in our success, and even failures at times," Jans said. "He just needs to know that he's being counted on every single night to do what he does best. Hopefully, when the games start coming, his consistency with the work he's put in will show up on game night. Then he can count on the minutes he's getting every night and if he does that, he'll have a heck of a year."
Soon enough, under the bright lights in gyms around the country, Moore will have the chance to show everyone just how much he's grown the last several months. But Wednesday was the first public sign.
On a team full of talent, Moore earned the right to stand in the spotlight at Media Days. It won't be the last big stage he's on this year judging by the sweat that's already fallen from his brow.
"I've worked so hard to get to the position to be able to represent my school," Moore said. "I remember being a freshman coming into college basketball and watching everyone get interviewed and get photos taken. Now, I'm like, 'I'm really in this position now.' I just have to uphold it and keep working hard."
