STEENS — Immanuel Christian senior boys basketball player Ross Moore never doubted he would return to the court.
However, Moore wasn’t sure his shooting touch would return when he was back in uniform.
Immanuel Christian coach Billy Thomas shared those concerns. Thomas knew Moore would bring leadership to the squad, but he knew the team also needed the offensive touch Moore could provide to help put the Rams over the top.
Fortunately, Moore regained that scoring touch and averaged 20 points per game to help lead Immanuel Christian to its first appearance in the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class AA state tournament. The Rams secured their fifth 20-win season in the past six seasons and finished 29-11.
For that success, Moore is The Dispatch’s Small Schools Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
“We had the best team since I have been here,” Moore said. “It took a while to get used to one another because we had some new guys. We really had some tough losses in the middle of the season until we got the chemistry right. After that, we got on a roll late in the year and were playing some really solid basketball. It was easily the most fun I have ever had playing sports.”
Finding the right chemistry wasn’t the only thing that took time. Moore spent a large part of the preseason hoping he would physically be able to play. As a junior, Moore suffered an injury playing on the school’s football team that was so serious he needed to have shoulder surgery last May.
Thomas knew Moore would battle hard to return to the starting lineup. However, he was unsure how effective his premier guard would be.
“Every year we put on a tag on each of our kids,” Thomas said. “It is a positive label and it is always interesting to see if it changes over time. From the very beginning, we called Ross ‘hard worker.’ He has always been that way in every aspect of his life.
“He is a leader. He is a good athlete. He is a role model. We knew we would get so much when we got him back. We knew we could be a special team if we got him all the way back.”
Moore knew his teammates were counting on him. That understanding helped motivate him on nights when rehabilitation stretched longer and longer.
“Considering I had never really been injured playing sports, this was a totally new experience,” Moore said. “I didn’t know what to expect. Each week I felt like I got a little stronger. However, you always have that fear that things will never be the same again. Fortunately, we did the surgery when we did it so I was able to come all the way back to be there for my teammates in basketball season.
“That was all that was on my mind for a long time. I wanted to know if I could come back and be 100 percent. I really wanted to be there for my teammates, and I didn’t want to let them down.”
The Rams blended Moore’s contributions with a talented group of seniors that shared the leadership role. Moore felt individuals played better because they knew they didn’t have to be the team leader.
“I never looked at it like this team was just me,” Moore said. “We had other seniors who could help share the leadership role. It was a good situation because nobody felt the pressure to lead. We had seven really good players, and I thought we each fed off one another. A team is at its best when you know you are not relying on your skills to win a game.”
Teamwork is critical to Immanuel Christian. When the younger players feel invested, greater results are possible. Still as a veteran, Moore and his classmates knew they had to set the example.
“Our job (as seniors) was to make sure everybody was doing their job and not slacking off,” Moore said. “If one person is not doing their best, it can influence another person. Eventually that can impact the whole team. Any team is going to get better through practice. If you work your butt off every single time, you will definitely improve.
“For the seniors, we wanted this team to be special because it was our last season. At the same time, it was not just about us and we needed everybody along for the ride. Everybody had a role to play, and everybody had to contribute.”
The work ethic and desire to succeed was instilled in Moore at an early age. Thomas became a fan of Moore’s at an early age.
“When he was in eighth grade, we would meet at the Lee Middle School gym and shoot basketball most weekends,” Thomas said. “He was on the junior varsity and wasn’t even playing on my team. He worked so hard every day to become a better player. You knew right away this was the type of player you wanted on your team.”
Moore fell in love with the game at an early age. He remembers when he was a sixth-grader and he would play at the YMCA. A year later, he was playing valuable minutes on the junior varsity squad at Immanuel Christian. As a freshman, Moore helped the Rams win the North State championship.
“Those situations in the seventh and eighth grades really helped me a lot,” Moore said. “When I got to Immanuel that is when the growth in my game really started. I had to play all the time because we didn’t have that many upperclassmen. I was really not prepared for that experience. However, it made me a better player.
“When I grew older and faced adversity, it made me better prepared to handle it. There was not anything new. I am a very big competitor, and those early situations made me more ready for the challenges that lie ahead.”
The Rams had several of those challenges last fall as Moore returned to form and several newcomers were learning their way. In January, Moore earned Most Valuable Player honors and helped lead the Rams to the championships at the Grace Christian Invitational.
“We had an eight-game win streak after that tournament,” Moore said. “Everybody was confident. We played with a sense no one could stand in our way if we played the way we wanted to. Once we got that in our heads, it was easy to go out, play and have fun. It took us a while to trust each other on the court. After we learned to do that, everything flowed.”
When things weren’t flowing for Moore, he had the support of his parents, Clint and Becky Moore. Moore credits them for his work ethic and competitive nature. He also is appreciative of all of their support throughout his career.
“When it came to sports, my parents always told me I could do whatever I wanted to,” Moore said. “They never held me back. Even when a sport might be too physical, they let me do it anyway. They always told me as long as I made wise choices, they would be my choices to make. My parents have supported though the difficult times and the good times. They were always there after a tough loss or when I had a situation with a teammate.
“When I needed advice, there were always there. I can’t tell you how much that has meant to me.”
Moore always did enough to keep his parents on the go. Football, baseball, and track careers ended after the shoulder injury. However, Moore remained active in several school activities and continued to be a leader of the school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
“The FCA gave me a sense of responsibility,” said Moore, who plans to attend Mississippi State University on an engineering scholarship. “Other people were looking at me to set the example. I felt a responsibility to make sure that happened. I tried to make the right decisions in every aspect of life.”
While Moore, who is an only child, handled everything Thomas asked of him as a player, there is still a lingering regret.
“I really wish Ross had a little brother,” Thomas said. “I wish he was in ninth grade. That would be really great for all of us, but since he doesn’t, we will have to find a way to move on.”
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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