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GA grad Moore starting to make an impact for Nittany Lions

11/18/2015, 1:45am EST
By Marley Paul

Julian Moore (above) is starting to see real minutes in the Penn State rotation in his third year on campus. (Photo: Madeline Pryor/CoBL)

Marley Paul (@MarleyPaul22)
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Penn State doesn’t have a Talor Battle on its roster. Nor does the team boast a D.J. Newbill. Over the past few seasons, the Nittany Lions operated with ball-dominant guards capable of making plays for themselves and teammates when they chose to.

This year’s Penn State team, however, will is making working inside-out focal point of the team’s offensive philosophy, which means the ball with spend a lot of time in the post. 

The Nittany Lions have a few options on the block, starting with 6-foot-6, 225-pound forward Brandon Taylor, who head coach Patrick Chambers said he plans to utilize a lot more in the post in Taylor’s final season. There’s also the lone 7-footer on the roster, Jordan Dickerson, but he hasn’t made the most of his opportunities as of yet, with just one point scored through the opening two games. 

Not too far down the bench lies Philadelphia native Julian Moore, now playing in his redshirt sophomore season at Penn State. The 6-foot-10 big man provides Chambers with another tall, lanky body to bang in the paint and play with his back to the basket.

Moore found some extended minutes for himself Tuesday in Penn State’s 68-62 win over DePaul, providing quality contributions in his normal rotation minutes while Dickerson, the starting center, and Taylor, starting power forward, battled with foul trouble. Moore played 19 minutes, the second-most in his young collegiate career. 

When asked whether the foul trouble rather than performance was the deciding factor in leaving Moore out for extended minutes, Chambers said it was “a little bit of both.”

“I thought Julian was terrific. He had eight rebounds, four points. I think Julian’s minutes are going to continue to go up,” Chambers said in his post-game press conference.

The eight rebounds Moore grabbed was a team-high, with seven coming in the 12 minutes he played in the first half. He finished the game tied for third-best on the team in player efficiency rating at 10, trailing Taylor (16) and Shep Garner (12).

“We’re long. If you’re going to try to make tough contested twos on us, go ahead,” Chambers said. “They’re tough twos. Our guys did a nice job of building a wall around the basket and pursuing rebounds.”

It hasn’t been the easiest time at Penn State, so far. Moore suffered a broken nose, and complications that stemmed from it forced him to use a medical waiver and redshirt his freshman season.

Once he made it to the floor, he played sparingly, behind the likes of Dickerson and recently-graduated Ross Travis. Then, after becoming ill last season, Moore had to battle weight loss and missed time on the court.

“He’s gotten stronger, he lost 20 pounds last year when he was sick, he put it all back on,” Chambers said. “He looks more confident, he’s got a high motor. He wants to be good, he gets the extra work in, he gets the extra lift in.”

Despite the adversity, Moore has displayed his work ethic and has re-emerged for the Nittany Lions this season, this time as a promising, viable option for Chambers. He has proved his ability to be a factor crashing the glass, and at times flashed polished post moves that will earn him more touches.

It may not be long before he plays his way into the starting lineup if the chips fall in his favor.

“I expect him to continue to get better throughout the season," Chambers said. "And for Julian to have eight rebounds I think that’s critical, it’s huge, for our success.”


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