Complete Cougar: Moss has permission to fire 3's whenever he wants, but he’s showing he's so much more than a shooter
C. JEMAL HORTON
CONCORD – In basketball parlance, those select few players who have the freedom to put up a shot from almost anywhere on the court at almost any time are known for having “the green light.”
Well, then there’s the case of Cannon School sharpshooter Jarvis Moss.
When asked how green Moss’ light is exactly, Cougars boys coach Che Roth unleashed a broad smile.
“It’s flashing!” Roth exclaimed. “It’s LED green! It’s LED green, Christmas green, emerald green, championship green! It doesn’t matter.
“Every time the ball leaves his hand, I think it’s (going in). And when it doesn’t, I think he got fouled.”
That’s often been the sentiment about Moss, who’s now a 6-foot-5 senior guard for the Cougars and has steadily worked his way into being one of the top players in North Carolina’s Class of 2021.
Thus far, Moss has scholarship offers from 14 colleges, including recently receiving one from Stanford University of the Pac-12 Conference.
Most scouting reports on Moss note his seemingly unlimited range. He said there’s a simple explanation for why that’s always been his greatest weapon.
“It’s just my repetitions, my training, and that just builds confidence,” Moss said. “I feel like I can shoot from anywhere. Every time I shoot it, I feel like it’s going in. And even when it doesn’t, I feel like the next one is – just from reps and perfecting my form. I want to shoot the perfect shot every time.”
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It also doesn’t hurt that Moss’ favorite NBA player is Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, who has somehow made the deep 3-pointer just as popular as the slam dunk. Moss said he’s spent hours studying Curry’s shooting mechanics since he first became dedicated to basketball in middle school, and then he started putting in time daily improving his own stroke.
“Coach Roth has helped me getting on the shooting machine to make my jump shot faster,” he said. “And then just repetitions – here at home, just anywhere to try and master my jump shot.”
But over the years, Moss has also developed a strong overall game, replete with impressive drives to the hoop and the ability to rise and knock down the now-seemingly passe mid-range jump shot. He’s also an effective passer and a rugged on-ball defender.
All this well-roundedness certainly didn’t start out that way for the mild-mannered Concord native.
Shooter!
When Moss first enrolled at Cannon School as a seventh-grader, he clearly had the physical attributes of a promising ballplayer. He was about 6-1, long-armed and as hungry as they come. But his game mostly consisted of firing that deadly jump shot.
“Jarv was a kid, when we first saw him, who had size 13 feet, size 16 hands, and a size 9 body – in seventh grade,” Roth recalled. “He was this skinny, big-hands, big-feet, knock-kneed kid who could just shoot it. But he was shooting that thing from his belly button!
“He was always in the gym,” Roth continued, “always with a smile, always with a good attitude. And it wasn’t just here; it was at Carolina Courts or anywhere that had an open run. This dude would be there.”
Around that time, Moss began to ratchet up his training. He began weightlifting, and countless days were spent hitting the courts with his father, Jarvis Moss Sr., to work on his game. And when he wasn’t working with his dad or Roth, Moss spent time with his personal basketball trainer Dexter Jenkins.
The jump shot became sweeter and sweeter over the years as Moss climbed the ranks in Cannon’s basketball program. He was a top scorer on the Cougars’ middle school teams, and it was the same when he played on the JV squad as a high school freshman.
Later during his ninth-grade year, Moss was promoted to the highly regarded Cannon varsity team, and his role at that time was primarily serving as a catch-and-shoot guard on a unit led by senior shot creators Jairus Hamilton (now at the University of Maryland) and Qon Murphy (New Hampshire).
Moss had begun to make enough noise that colleges were already beginning to get interested. After his freshman year, Mississippi’s Alcorn State University became the first one to offer him a scholarship. It was official confirmation that Moss would eventually become a Division I player.
“That means everything to me,” Moss said. “Not everybody goes Division I. It’s just been my dream since I was a kid to go Division I and play in the pros. And then, I’m setting an example for my family. I would be the first person in my family to play college basketball.”
Despite the strides he made, Moss’ jump shot still mostly defined him as a player, and the game began to change for him after that; opposing teams had gotten accustomed to his long-range shooting prowess and adjusted their defenses accordingly.
“As a sophomore, he became a starter and figured out really quickly, ‘The first time (opponents) see me, I can get my shot off,” Roth said. “The second time, ‘Uh, oh! Now what?’”
Wanting more
For a player as focused as Moss was at that age, even though he’d been a key contributor for the Cougars, he had seen enough. He made a no-more-limitations declaration.
“This is a true story,” Roth said. “Every year at the end of the year, we do exit interviews. With the seniors, we wrap up their careers. With the guys coming back, we talk about ways that they can improve, what the spring looks like – that kind of stuff.
C. JEMAL HORTON
CONCORD – In basketball parlance, those select few players who have the freedom to put up a shot from almost anywhere on the court at almost any time are known for having “the green light.”
Well, then there’s the case of Cannon School sharpshooter Jarvis Moss.
When asked how green Moss’ light is exactly, Cougars boys coach Che Roth unleashed a broad smile.
“It’s flashing!” Roth exclaimed. “It’s LED green! It’s LED green, Christmas green, emerald green, championship green! It doesn’t matter.
“Every time the ball leaves his hand, I think it’s (going in). And when it doesn’t, I think he got fouled.”
That’s often been the sentiment about Moss, who’s now a 6-foot-5 senior guard for the Cougars and has steadily worked his way into being one of the top players in North Carolina’s Class of 2021.
Thus far, Moss has scholarship offers from 14 colleges, including recently receiving one from Stanford University of the Pac-12 Conference.
Most scouting reports on Moss note his seemingly unlimited range. He said there’s a simple explanation for why that’s always been his greatest weapon.
“It’s just my repetitions, my training, and that just builds confidence,” Moss said. “I feel like I can shoot from anywhere. Every time I shoot it, I feel like it’s going in. And even when it doesn’t, I feel like the next one is – just from reps and perfecting my form. I want to shoot the perfect shot every time.”
SKIP AD
It also doesn’t hurt that Moss’ favorite NBA player is Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, who has somehow made the deep 3-pointer just as popular as the slam dunk. Moss said he’s spent hours studying Curry’s shooting mechanics since he first became dedicated to basketball in middle school, and then he started putting in time daily improving his own stroke.
“Coach Roth has helped me getting on the shooting machine to make my jump shot faster,” he said. “And then just repetitions – here at home, just anywhere to try and master my jump shot.”
But over the years, Moss has also developed a strong overall game, replete with impressive drives to the hoop and the ability to rise and knock down the now-seemingly passe mid-range jump shot. He’s also an effective passer and a rugged on-ball defender.
All this well-roundedness certainly didn’t start out that way for the mild-mannered Concord native.
Shooter!
When Moss first enrolled at Cannon School as a seventh-grader, he clearly had the physical attributes of a promising ballplayer. He was about 6-1, long-armed and as hungry as they come. But his game mostly consisted of firing that deadly jump shot.
“Jarv was a kid, when we first saw him, who had size 13 feet, size 16 hands, and a size 9 body – in seventh grade,” Roth recalled. “He was this skinny, big-hands, big-feet, knock-kneed kid who could just shoot it. But he was shooting that thing from his belly button!
“He was always in the gym,” Roth continued, “always with a smile, always with a good attitude. And it wasn’t just here; it was at Carolina Courts or anywhere that had an open run. This dude would be there.”
Around that time, Moss began to ratchet up his training. He began weightlifting, and countless days were spent hitting the courts with his father, Jarvis Moss Sr., to work on his game. And when he wasn’t working with his dad or Roth, Moss spent time with his personal basketball trainer Dexter Jenkins.
The jump shot became sweeter and sweeter over the years as Moss climbed the ranks in Cannon’s basketball program. He was a top scorer on the Cougars’ middle school teams, and it was the same when he played on the JV squad as a high school freshman.
Later during his ninth-grade year, Moss was promoted to the highly regarded Cannon varsity team, and his role at that time was primarily serving as a catch-and-shoot guard on a unit led by senior shot creators Jairus Hamilton (now at the University of Maryland) and Qon Murphy (New Hampshire).
Moss had begun to make enough noise that colleges were already beginning to get interested. After his freshman year, Mississippi’s Alcorn State University became the first one to offer him a scholarship. It was official confirmation that Moss would eventually become a Division I player.
“That means everything to me,” Moss said. “Not everybody goes Division I. It’s just been my dream since I was a kid to go Division I and play in the pros. And then, I’m setting an example for my family. I would be the first person in my family to play college basketball.”
Despite the strides he made, Moss’ jump shot still mostly defined him as a player, and the game began to change for him after that; opposing teams had gotten accustomed to his long-range shooting prowess and adjusted their defenses accordingly.
“As a sophomore, he became a starter and figured out really quickly, ‘The first time (opponents) see me, I can get my shot off,” Roth said. “The second time, ‘Uh, oh! Now what?’”
Wanting more
For a player as focused as Moss was at that age, even though he’d been a key contributor for the Cougars, he had seen enough. He made a no-more-limitations declaration.
“This is a true story,” Roth said. “Every year at the end of the year, we do exit interviews. With the seniors, we wrap up their careers. With the guys coming back, we talk about ways that they can improve, what the spring looks like – that kind of stuff.
