Greensboro Day's Moorman picks Temple
By Joe Sirera Greensboro News & Record
GREENSBORO — After a weekend visit to the City of Brotherly Love, Jaquar "J.P." Moorman was in love with Temple University and the Owls basketball program. And the Greensboro Day senior wasn't afraid of commitment, as he pledged to the Philadelphia school this evening.
The 6-foot-7, 208-pound forward chose the Owls over offers from nearly 25 other NCAA Division I schools, including finalists Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Richmond and UNC-Wilmington. Among the other disappointed suitors for the consensus three-star recruit were Appalachian State, N.C. A&T and UNCG.
Moorman will join a Temple program that went 21-12 last season and reached the NCAA tournament under 10th-year coach Fran Dunphy.
"I like the blue-collar environment, how the campus is smack-dab in the middle of Philadelphia," Moorman said of Temple. "I feel like Philadelphia is a hard-working city and I want to go somewhere I can go to work every day."
The Owls lose four senior guards or small forwards after this season, so there is plenty of opportunity for early playing time. That was attractive to Moorman, as was the role the coaches told him he would play.
"Just being versatile, that's the main thing," he said. "They said they don't want me to be restricted on the court with what I can or can't do, and I appreciated that."
Freddy Johnson, Moorman's coach at Greensboro Day, also believes Temple is the right choice.
"J.P. will fit in very well with their style of play and what they're going to ask out of him," Johnson said. "He's going to be at a place with a very good coach who will keep him learning the game of basketball and keep improving."
As a junior at Greensboro Day, Moorman was a first-team HSXtra All-Area selection for private schools. He averaged 13.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game for a Bengals team that won the HAECO Invitational, where he was named Most Valuable Player, and reached the NCISAA Class 3-A semifinals. He was a key player on Greensboro Day's state championship team in 2015.
Moorman often played a point forward role for the PACIS champions, but is comfortable on the perimeter or on the block. He and Johnson both mentioned Moorman's jump shot as something he needs to work on as as a senior.
"At the next level he's going to have to be able to hit that," Johnson said, "because he's not going to be able to go inside as much. His jump shot and his ballhandling are the two most important areas for improvement. He's already a great passer, a good defensive player and a good teammate."
Moorman was an excellent teammate for Team CP3 on the summer basketball circuit. His stock soared with college coaches after he showed his full array of skills for Chris Paul's squad
"It was great being with so many great players and not having pressure to score on my shoulders," Moorman said. "It allowed me to defer to those guys and get everybody involved and be a stat-sheet stuffer."
That's a role he also will be asked to play in his final season at Greensboro Day.
"We have some really good players, and the best thing about them is they're good teammates," Johnson said of Moorman and his Bengals. "J.P. is going to be really important for us because he's going to be asked to be a force on the boards because the one thing we're concerned about is rebounding."
By Joe Sirera Greensboro News & Record
GREENSBORO — After a weekend visit to the City of Brotherly Love, Jaquar "J.P." Moorman was in love with Temple University and the Owls basketball program. And the Greensboro Day senior wasn't afraid of commitment, as he pledged to the Philadelphia school this evening.
The 6-foot-7, 208-pound forward chose the Owls over offers from nearly 25 other NCAA Division I schools, including finalists Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Richmond and UNC-Wilmington. Among the other disappointed suitors for the consensus three-star recruit were Appalachian State, N.C. A&T and UNCG.
Moorman will join a Temple program that went 21-12 last season and reached the NCAA tournament under 10th-year coach Fran Dunphy.
"I like the blue-collar environment, how the campus is smack-dab in the middle of Philadelphia," Moorman said of Temple. "I feel like Philadelphia is a hard-working city and I want to go somewhere I can go to work every day."
The Owls lose four senior guards or small forwards after this season, so there is plenty of opportunity for early playing time. That was attractive to Moorman, as was the role the coaches told him he would play.
"Just being versatile, that's the main thing," he said. "They said they don't want me to be restricted on the court with what I can or can't do, and I appreciated that."
Freddy Johnson, Moorman's coach at Greensboro Day, also believes Temple is the right choice.
"J.P. will fit in very well with their style of play and what they're going to ask out of him," Johnson said. "He's going to be at a place with a very good coach who will keep him learning the game of basketball and keep improving."
As a junior at Greensboro Day, Moorman was a first-team HSXtra All-Area selection for private schools. He averaged 13.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game for a Bengals team that won the HAECO Invitational, where he was named Most Valuable Player, and reached the NCISAA Class 3-A semifinals. He was a key player on Greensboro Day's state championship team in 2015.
Moorman often played a point forward role for the PACIS champions, but is comfortable on the perimeter or on the block. He and Johnson both mentioned Moorman's jump shot as something he needs to work on as as a senior.
"At the next level he's going to have to be able to hit that," Johnson said, "because he's not going to be able to go inside as much. His jump shot and his ballhandling are the two most important areas for improvement. He's already a great passer, a good defensive player and a good teammate."
Moorman was an excellent teammate for Team CP3 on the summer basketball circuit. His stock soared with college coaches after he showed his full array of skills for Chris Paul's squad
"It was great being with so many great players and not having pressure to score on my shoulders," Moorman said. "It allowed me to defer to those guys and get everybody involved and be a stat-sheet stuffer."
That's a role he also will be asked to play in his final season at Greensboro Day.
"We have some really good players, and the best thing about them is they're good teammates," Johnson said of Moorman and his Bengals. "J.P. is going to be really important for us because he's going to be asked to be a force on the boards because the one thing we're concerned about is rebounding."
