Temple University Athletics
Ramone Moore Preparing for Next Chapter
6.14.12 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA - Ramone Moore beamed as he took to the floor of the Liacouras Center for the last time -- this time to put the finishing touches on his academic career.
A fitting venue to bid adieu to the fifth-year senior, as it was the one place on campus where he'd spent the majority of his time, perfecting his craft day in and day out.
It was the place where he'd learned to be a leader, then led his team to victory, and less frequently, buffered the sting of defeat. It was on that particular hardwood, within the confines of that venue's walls, and with the help of people it contained, that Moore had become a man.
So it was only appropriate then, that the three A-10 Championship banners from 2008, 2009 and 2010 fluttered high above his black mortarboard, as the Temple University Diamond band squawked out an endless rendition of Pomp and Circumstance.
As he switched the tassel on his mortarboard from right to left, Moore ended one chapter of his basketball career and began to prepare for another: the NBA draft.
While the rest of Temple's newest batch of graduates were caught up in the flurry of parties and congratulations, Moore had only a few days to revel in the celebration before packing his bags for a flight bound for Houston.
Post-grad life has been strenuous for Moore, who has spent the majority of the summer training in Houston with family friend Kyle Lowry, a former Villanova and Cardinal Dougherty product and current point guard for the Rockets.
“Kyle [Lowry] has been a great resource for me,” he said. “Giving me tips on how to approach certain aspects of the workouts has always been a big help. I've been blessed to be surrounded by a lot of people in the NBA who have helped to guide me through the draft process.”
Aside from Lowry, Moore has sought out advice from former Owl and current Sixer Lavoy Allen, as well as fellow senior Micheal Eric.
“I talk to Lavoy and Mike pretty often as well,” he said. “Just talking about how to work out and how things have been going with them. It's been helpful to have those guys around me telling me not to worry about the pressure and just go out there and play my game.”
And playing his game is exactly what Moore has been doing in recent weeks, after being invited to work out for the Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Each team's workouts are pretty standard, Moore says.
He gets flown in the day before he is scheduled to work out, and after getting situated in his hotel, a team representative usually arrives to take him out to dinner. The next day, after an early wakeup call and a robust breakfast, he'll arrive at the venue where he's given team gear before he is run through a series of drills -- shooting, ball-handling, defending -- before meeting afterward with a team representative for an interview.
The familiarity is somewhat comforting as many of the workout's drills are similar to the ones Moore is used to doing from his tenure as an Owl.
“The only real difference is that I'm playing with guys who are competing for the same spot on the roster as I am,” he said.
Traveling from city to city and being holed up in hotel rooms by himself between workouts has been difficult at times, but Moore uses the downtime for reflection and acknowledgment of his future goals.
“It's been hard at times to go back and forth,” he admitted. “But I look at the experience as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I'm blessed to be in the position that I'm in.”
“I just try to go out there and play my game. I don't want to put too much pressure on myself to go out there and think too much about what I'm doing. I try to look at it as a regular workout, just going out there and trying to make myself better, trying to give each team something they haven't seen, trying to be the best player I can be.”
Even more, the solitude has allowed him a chance to finally reflect on his last game in a Temple uniform -- the first-round game against University of South Florida in Nashville. Though he tries not to carry the sting of that particular loss with him each day, he still thinks about it from time to time.
When asked about it, his answer was thoughtful and deliberate, rife with the natural pauses that are inherent in the careful consideration of one's words.
“My last game was a tough one,” he said after a moment of silence. “I think we had a pretty good chance to advance further in the tournament but I wish that I had played better and gave my team that chance.”
Has it motivated him to work harder this summer? Definitely.
Does it change his view on his career at Temple? Definitely not.
“A lot of times people say that if you're not winning, scouts won't see you,” Moore explained. “I've been lucky that throughout my career at Temple we were always a winning team. I wouldn't change that.”
In recent weeks, those same scouts have seen a lot more of Moore.
On the evening of June 28, he'll find out if his efforts are enough to earn a chance at making a team's roster for the 2012-2013 season as the NBA draft kicks off in Newark, New Jersey.
But the real question is: will he watch?
He laughed when asked if he was nervous about his plans for that particular Thursday evening.
“I originally planned on not watching actually,” he said. “But my mom and the rest of my family will be watching it so I'll fly in from Houston and watch with them.”
Until then, he'll head back into the gym to finish his training before beginning what he calls the “waiting game.”
“Two more weeks,” he says confidently. “Two more weeks and I'll find out if I'm blessed enough to be drafted. Hopefully, I am.”
By Kami Mattioli, Owlsports.com Columnist
