KU’s Charlie Moore a steady second PG option for USA squad

By Matt Tait     Aug 6, 2018

The second consecutive summer Italian tour for Kansas point guard Charlie Moore is nearing its end, and the KU sophomore has delivered a mixed bag of results thus far.

Moore, in three games for the USA East Coast squad coached by Larry Brown, is averaging just over seven points per game in about 17 minutes per night and the USA team carries a 1-2 record into its Tuesday finale.

After picking up its first win versus the Netherlands on Sunday, the USA team will take today off to do a little sightseeing in Venice before tipping off at 11 a.m. Tuesday in its final test before returning to the United States on Wednesday.

Moore’s best game of the three so far came in Team USA’s worst loss, a 100-77 setback at the hands of the Italians in Game 2.

The 5-foot-11 point guard from Chicago who will compete with freshman Devon Dotson for KU’s starting point guard role this season, scored 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting (2-of-5 from 3-point range) and added four rebounds, two assists and two steals in 17 minutes.

That game featured much more offensive production from Moore than either of the other two. In the opener, a 77-67 loss to Germany, Moore, who is wearing jersey No. 1 in Italy, scored 6 points and grabbed two rebounds, three assists and a steal.

In Team USA’s most recent game, a 61-55 victory over the Netherlands, Moore scored just one point and shot 0-of-7 from the floor but added four rebounds and a team-best six assists.

It’s just a summer exhibition series and the competition — both on the opposing bench and on his own team — is a far cry from what Moore will experience during the coming months with Kansas, but the Team USA experience could be a preview of things to come for the Chicago native.

Coming off of the bench for the USA squad, Moore appears to have provided a steady second option at the point, running the team with a get-others-involved mentality and scoring when necessary. When in the game, he looked to push the pace whenever possible and almost always has looked pass-first.

If Dotson turns out to be the elite player and top-tier college guard that many project, Moore could find himself playing a role for the Jayhawks during the 2018-19 season that is similar to what he has done for Brown and Team USA this month.

From watching a little game film, Moore also appears to have turned things up a notch defensively, harassing opposing ball-handlers whenever possible and picking up as soon as the opponent’s primary point guard crosses halfcourt. That skill that, if executed well, will go a long way toward making sure he gets minutes for Self this winter.

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.