Arkansas target Chris Moore shines in Show Me State

West Memphis forward Chris Moore (2) drives to the basket during the Boys 6A Basketball Championship Game against Jonesboro at Bank of the Ozarks Arena in Hot Springs on Saturday, March 10, 2018.

— As someone who is used to getting tons of attention on and off the court, West Memphis junior basketball standout and Arkansas 2020 recruiting priority Chris Moore (6-6, 227) just tries to take it all in stride.

Moore came in to the Neosho, Mo., Holiday Classic this week averaging 16 points, 14 rebounds and 5 blocks per game this season for the Blue Devils (12-2) and left with an MVP trophy and a championship one.

Moore, who raved about an official visit to Arkansas he took in early September, was spectacular on Friday night when he scored 28 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, dished out four assists and blocked two shots in a 69-53 win over Cleveland (Ohio) Villa Angela St. Joseph.

He followed that up Saturday night with 23 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 blocks and teammate Corliss Brewer added 16 points as West Memphis downed Memphis Mitchell 61-50 for the Gold Bracket Championship.

“I am just going out there, playing as hard as I can, trying to be a leader and have fun,” Moore said. “I don’t worry about recruiting or any of that other stuff. I’m just trying to help do anything my teams needs for me to do to win.”

Moore, who has around 20 offers, is ranked as a four-star by both ESPN and 24/7 and the 117th-best prospect nationally in the 2020 class by 24/7.

He is living up to that billing per former West Memphis and Murray State star and current Blue Devils head coach Marcus Brown, a former 1996 second round NBA draft pick who played with Portland and Vancouver and is the sixth-leading scorer all-time in the EuroLeague.

“He (Moore) is doing well, but he is too unselfish,” noted Brown, who is the all-time American-born leading scorer in the EuroLeague with 2,739 points. “I want him to take over more to be honest with you. He and Page, as they go we go and everybody knows that. They are doing a great job leading the team, but I want them be a little bit more selfish in taking the game over.”

Moore was strictly an inside player as a freshman and sophomore, but has stepped outside more this year.

“He is playing both inside and outside, but we have good guard play,” Brown said. “So I am playing him about 70 perfect inside and 30 percent outside.”

He took an official visit to Arkansas in September and came away pleased with the Razorbacks’ overall program and surroundings.

“I just loved it,” Moore said. “I think that not only do they have a great basketball program and coaches, but I just love the city and the school and the environment, too. There wasn’t anything that I didn’t like from the coaches to the players to the facilities.”

Alvin Moore, Chris’ older brother and an assistant coach for West Memphis, praised the approach that Razorback head coach Mike Anderson and assistant Melvin Watkins have taken with his younger brother.

“Arkansas does everything they are supposed to do in recruiting him so we have a wonderful relationship with Coach Anderson and Coach Watkins,” Alvin Moore said. “I can’t say enough great things about those guys.

“He probably won’t get down to a top 10 or top five probably until next July or August because we want him to concentrate on his high school and AAU seasons, but I can say with confidence that Arkansas will be in his top three without a doubt.”

Moore can see a path to Fayetteville for not only him, but fellow 2020 state standouts in Fort Smith Northside center Jaylin Williams (6-10, 210) and former North Little Rock star and current Montverde (Fla.) Academy guard Moses Moody (6-5, 180).

“One of the reasons I like Arkansas so much is that I can see it as a place that I would be happy even if I was not playing basketball,” Moore said. “I know that Arkansas is also recruiting Jaylin Williams. I played against him recently and I think his game and my game would fit really well together at Arkansas.

“I know they are recruiting Moses Moody also and I have played a lot with him and good friends. If we all three played at Arkansas, I think it could be something really special.”

Moore has also been impressed with the current Razorback roster that includes several in-state prospects like Isaiah Joe, Desi Sills, Ethan Henderson and others.

“I think they have some great talent up there from Arkansas like Isaiah Joe and Desi Sills and I think Ethan Henderson is really going to show what he can do when he gets some more playing time,” Moore said. “You add guys in like the other freshmen they have and Mason Jones and Jalen Harris and I think you could be looking at a top 10 team by the time I would get up there.”

Chris Moore tries to let his older brother handle all things recruiting.

“It helps me to just let everything go through him so I can concentrate on basketball and classes,” Moore said. “I kind of let him take care of when I am going to take visits and things like that."

Moore has offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Memphis, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Florida, Baylor, Iowa State, TCU, Texas Tech, SMU, Kansas State, Abilene Christian, Arkansas State, Murray State, Miami, Southern Miss, UConn, Tulsa and Tulane.

"I would say that Arkansas, Memphis, Auburn and Ole Miss have done everything they can to make him feel wanted and gone about it the right way," Alvin Moore said.

He has also received interest from North Carolina, Kentucky, Texas A&M and others.

“He is a great kid, a great player and even a better person,” Brown said. “He has handled it well and having fun with it and just enjoying it. Like I said, he is just an exceptional young man.”

In addition to visiting Arkansas officially, the Moores have taken unofficial visits to Auburn, Ole Miss and Oklahoma State.

Moore was supposed to visit both North Carolina and Kentucky for their Midnight Madness events, but could not because of a pair of deaths in the family.

“The only thing we have planned coming up is that we are going to go to Iowa State on an official,” Alvin Moore said. “We are looking at Florida, but it is hit and miss and we are looking at Ole Miss on an official.

“He also just got an offer from Texas Tech. There are about 12 schools that are real heavy on him recruiting.”