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Published Oct 30, 2018

St. Louis transfer Zeke Moore is ready to contribute at Tulsa

Larry Lewis

ITS Senior Writer

As much as Tulsa and Zeke Moore would like to tower over their opponents, there are future youngsters out there who Moore will certainly tower over that he would like to influence.

"I want to be a first or second grade teacher," said the 6-foot-7 Saint Louis University transfer. "My dad is a special education teacher, so I’ve grown up in the school system, so I feel like that is how I can use my time best after I finish playing basketball."

Coached by his father Gerard Moore at Riverview Gardens in St. Louis, the younger Moore is being counted on for plenty of minutes this season as Tulsa looks to improve on its 2018 season where it finished 19-12.

Moore showed at Saint Louis that he could play, averaging over 20 minutes per game as the Billikens' sixth man. He averaged 5.3 points and two rebounds per game, and shot 39.1 percent on three pointers (27 made) and 76.7 percent from the free throw line.

Tulsa needs offense, especially from the perimeter, after graduating Junior Etou and Corey Henderson. Moore, who sat out last season while attending Southwest Illinois CC, will have three years of eligibility remaining.

"I just decided to transfer and find a place where I could be comfortable making plays," Moore said. "Something I’ve grown up doing was being a big guard and making my teammates better, and I felt like Tulsa was a good place to do that.

"I got advice from a lot of different coaches on what to do. I just wanted to sit out a year and work on my body and work on my strength. Spend time with my family at home. I'd rather have three years of eligibility left than go to juco and have two."

And Moore always wanted to change his body some, increasing his weight from 185 pounds to 205 by working in the weight room and adding muscle.

"I worked on developing my game in all areas," Moore said. "My dad is my trainer. He played division one, he knows me better than anyone. I played for him in high school. He knows exactly what I needed to work on.

"I’ve gotten faster. Whether that be shooting, handling, or making plays, I’ve just gotten better, overall."

Moore, who will likely play mostly at the two and three spots, described his strengths and areas in which he needs more work.

"Shooting, scoring. I feel like I have a good feel for it," Moore said of his strengths. "I can shoot the three pretty well, but most importantly, I would say scoring and making plays for others.

"As for what I need to work on, I need to continue to work defensively, being able to guard one through three, being able to get to the rim more, finishing through contact, playing above the rim, and being more of an athlete."

Playing against top competition is a big reason why Moore transferred. He has already shown in college that he can play against a high level of competition, as evidenced by scoring 11 points for Saint Louis at Wichita State in 24 minutes, making three of seven on three pointers. He also had double digit games against Dayton (11 points) and at Richmond (12 points).

"I think one of the biggest factors after leaving Saint Louis U that drew me to come to Tulsa was the conference," Moore explained. "It is a big time conference. A lot of powerhouse schools, but I also believe that we are a powerhouse school as well.

"I love to play big time competition. To be the best, you have to play the best. I’m really looking forward to playing in this conference. I’ve been studying the conference and its best players since I’ve arrived."

Moore played for former OSU coach Travis Ford at SLU. Despite transferring, Moore has only good things to say about Ford.

"I can’t thank Coach Ford enough. Most people think that once you leave a school, you have a terrible relationship with the coach, but I’ve grown to love that whole coaching staff at Saint Louis U," Moore said. "They understand my decision. I thank him every day because he gave me so much knowledge defensively and with the college game that made me so much better now."

As for coming to TU from Saint Louis U, there hasn't been much of an adjustment for Moore, since both are private schools with a reputation for strong academics.

"School, I think the adjustment for me hasn’t been that hard," Moore said. "I have a 3.5 GPA. I feel TU has a tremendous academic rigor. I feel like for me, with my major being elementary education, this is a perfect place for me."