STEENS — Billy Thomas never doubted Ross Moore.
Even after a shoulder injury forced the senior to miss his final season with the Immanuel Christian football team, Thomas knew Moore was going to find a way to work through his rehabilitation and return to the basketball court.
Months after coming back, Moore’s shoulder is strong again and the versatility he gained returning from the injury is paying dividends for the Immanuel Christian boys basketball team.
Moore played a key role in a victory against Leake Academy on Friday and then earned MVP honors after leading Immanuel Christian to three victories and a tournament title at the Grace Christian event Saturday in Louisville.
For his accomplishments, Moore is The Dispatch’s Prep Player of the Week.
“I finally feel I am able to shoot normally,” Moore said. “I don’t have to alter my shot because of my shoulder anymore. It is strong enough so it can last through the whole game, too. It doesn’t get fatigued like it did early in the season.”
Moore had surgery in May to repair torn cartilage in his right shoulder. He said he suffered the injury in his junior season playing football but waited to have surgery because he didn’t initially know it was that bad. He worked through the pain during basketball season before it really started to get worse in the spring, which coincided with the start of baseball season. Still, though, he put off having surgery because he wanted to play baseball.
“I figured I could fight through the pain,” Moore said. “It got pretty bad sometimes just throwing. When I first got it checked out when it happened, they didn’t tell me it was going to be like that. They told me it was something I could play through, and it wasn’t like that.”
Moore said it was difficult not to play football in his final year at Immanuel Christian. He said it would have been great to play with talented players like Norris Harris and Michael Tate, but he knew he had to get his shoulder back in shape.
When the season started, he still felt he had a ways to go. But he said he has gained strength in his shoulder in the past month and that he has learned to play more aggressively and not to worry about how his shoulder will respond to physical play.
Thomas said Moore is averaging better than 20 points per game in the last six games, which puts him right around 20 points per game for the season. He said Moore used to be known solely for his ability to shoot 3-pointers, but he said the time he needed to come back from the shoulder injury kept him from shooting from long distances and forced him to hone his mid-range skills.
“When my shoulder was hurt, my form was terrible,” Moore said. “Once it got fixed I was able to work my back up to having the right form.”
Moore said the work also gave him time to straighten out his shooting form. Once he did that, he found it even easier to be a 3-point threat the Rams are using to complement the inside presence of Jason Davis.
Thomas said he talked with Dr. Chad Altmyer, who knows Moore from summer basketball. He said he learned the severity of the injury and that Altmyer said the tear was “as bad as he had ever seen.” He said Altmyer thought the injury would have prevented a lot of athletes from playing again, but he, too, believed Moore would come back.
“I always knew he would be back because of the work ethic he had and that he would put whatever he had to do to be here, and he did exactly that,” Thomas said.
Moore stayed with the boys basketball team throughout the summer and watched his teammates. He also helped keep statistics in the fall for the football team. All the while, Moore continued his rehabilitation and was cleared to play just before the start of the season. He said he then went about putting to use everything he learned about his teammates and their tendencies to the best use for the team. As a result, not only does he feel like a more well-balanced player, he also feels he is a smarter player.
Thomas said Moore’s shooting form is “as good as it can be right now.” He said the addition of Davis and Darius Jones combined with the play of Moore, A.J. Johnston, and Christian Good and others have helped the Rams to have a strong season.
Moore feels Immanuel Christian has the potential to make things happen in the postseason if it remembers it is the strongest when it is the sum of its parts.
“When we’re playing together as a team and playing our best basketball we have a chance to beat anybody,” Moore said. “This season has been a struggle because we don’t always play our best. It can be frustrating because of how much talent we have. But we have been able to work together and put everything together at the right time. I hope that continues.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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