In his last four games, Lawrence Moore put up a massive 126 points. The soft-spoken point guard has typically led by example, but this past weekend when the Saskatchewan Huskies men’s basketball team (10-10) split with the Regina Cougars (11-9), something shifted.
“In Regina, I actually showed emotion in the last game, because there was a crowd and it made me come out,” Moore said.
“He’s not much of a Ra-Ra guy. He was really talkative on Friday and on Saturday more so than he had been throughout the season. You can tell he’s feeling good from a statistical perspective but I think he’s really starting to feel comfortable in our systems,” Alex Unruh, a fifth-year guard, pointed out.
Huskies head coach Barry Rawlyk had asked Moore to be more vocal as a leader, and was pleased to see it appear Saturday.
“It was good to hear him speak up in the huddle a few times and offer an opinion and we need some of that leadership out of him. The play is one aspect of it but he also has to be a guy who’s directing some traffic.”
Moore, who hails from Chicago, Ill., had a game high 43 points in Saturday’s 81-76 loss to the Cougars. He was named a Canada West first star for his efforts. The Huskies may lean on him a little more come Friday, especially with conference rebound leader Joseph Barker sidelined with a lower body injury.
“He was commanding our defense back there. Defending pick and roles, defending in the post. It’ll be tough to replace him but like I said, we’ve been working on some stuff to play without him and I think we’ll be ready,” Unruh said about Barker.
On Friday, Saskatchewan hosts a single elimination Play-in game against the Victoria Vikes (10-10). The Huskies are on a roll, and have won eight of their last nine games, but they’re careful not to get cocky.
“I don’t know if we’re hot. I mean, obviously we’re playing a little more consistently. That’s probably a better term and that has to do with a little more depth that we’ve been able to play with,” Rawlyk said.
This is only Moore’s second season with Saskatchewan, but he can’t soon forget the sting of losing in the conference playoffs last year.
“I remember every playoff game. We lost March 2nd, and I remember in high school I lost March 2nd. Every year I have this sour taste in my mouth and I never want to lose on March 2nd again.”
March is still a month away, and if they are playing on the 2nd, it will mean they’ve reached the Canada West Final. Right now, Moore needs to talk, and play, for the moment.