DURHAM, N.C. — Wendell Moore etched his name in Duke basketball lore with his game-winning basket at North Carolina during his freshman year.
An overtime buzz beater in the sport’s biggest rivalry? On the road to silence the Smith Center?
For many, that’s a badge of honor to carry for a lifetime.
For Moore, though, it represents but a start.
Because after he scored 17 points with that basket to beat UNC 98-96 in overtime on Feb. 8, 2020, Moore combined for only 13 points over his next four games.
When he scored 25 points in Duke’s 83-82 win over Boston College last Jan. 6, Moore followed that up with back-to-back four-point outings.
Consistency lacked; confidence waned from game to game.
Moore changes his approach
Moore, though, worked this offseason to change that, and his Duke teammates and coaches are confident he’s achieved that goal.
“He’s come back and he’s been a different guy,” Duke assistant coach Nolan Smith said. “He’s been really special. We’re excited to see it all come together now.”
A 6-5, 213-pound forward, Moore’s versatility allows him to handle the ball at the point when needed, or fill the shooting guard or small forward slots or even go down low and battle big guys for rebounds.
Now a junior, he’s the most experienced Blue Devils player in terms of games played with Duke.
But, mostly, it’s that his mental and physical approaches are in tune now, something that wasn’t always the case as he learned how to handle the ups and downs of a season.
“He’s benefited from not just the successes he’s had, but the times he’s been knocked on his butt,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
For everyone who patted him on the back for that overtime basket to beat UNC, Moore had to hear about his 4-of-19 3-point shooting as a freshman.
For all the bouquets thrown his way for scoring 20 or more points three times in ACC play last season, there’s criticism for his four points in a loss to Michigan State or failing to score when Illinois beat the Blue Devils.
“All those things that are said and all the sudden the guy is good,” Krzyzewski explained. “(People say) `Well, I’m surprised.’ Well, you’re surprised because you don’t know it’s a process. I mean, you don’t get an app to be good. You have to earn being good. And he spent the spring changing his body and how he runs. He’s taller now. He’s a much better athlete.”
Mentally consistent
One of his teammates who knows Moore best, roommate and fellow junior, Michael Savarino, said Moore sharpened his mental approach as well.
“I feel like he’s wavered multiple storms and this is his time,” said Savarino, who is Krzyzewski’s grandson. “He’s in a great mental spot.”
Moore averaged 9.7 points and 4.8 rebounds as a freshman and 7.4 points and 4.2 rebounds last season as a sophomore.
Those are decent numbers. But the inconsistency of his play is what he sought to fix this offseason.
“It’s always been mentality with me,” Moore said. “The biggest thing was changing my mentality, making it stronger every time I get out there on the court. I really just need to play where I never feel weak on the court. I know my teammates always believe in me and I think now I’m really starting to believe in myself the way everybody else does.”
Smith said he and Moore have had “many, many conversations about that.” Playing with confidence, being strong to protect the ball and finish plays, being a force on defense are all things Moore strives to show this season.
A video clip of a Moore dunk in practice making its way around the internet last week showed perhaps that work paid off. Even Krzyzewski noted it had gone viral.
Moore worked with senior Joey Baker and Savarino on their games last spring and during the summer on campus. He traveled to Los Angeles to work with Matthew Hurt, his former Duke teammate who was preparing for the NBA draft last summer, and spent a few weeks in Miami working on his game.
He’s turned in some memorable performances in his Duke career, but they were too few and far between for his liking.
“I started showing flashes of it,” Moore said. “For me it was about putting those flashes together into a consistent run over the season. I’m starting to really figure that out.”
Moving forward with perseverance
Smith sees his own career in Moore’s. During Smith’s first two seasons with the Blue Devils, he averaged 5.9 and 8.4 points per game. As a junior, he’s scoring jumped to 17.4 points and he helped Duke win the 2010 NCAA championship.
As a senior, Smith averaged 20.6 points and was the ACC player of the year in 2011 when the Blue Devils won the league championship.
Moore’s perseverance impresses Smith.
“The one thing I’m most proud of him when it comes to that is, he didn’t run,” Smith said. “We are in the climate of transfers, when a lot of guys transfer and run when it’s not going their way. Obviously it worked out for me. I’m a firm believer in if you stick it out, it’s going to work out, especially if you are talented enough and you have the tools to make it work.”
Krzyzewski looks to Moore as a team leader. He’s clearly in line to be named a team captain this season. With Krzyzewski set to retire following this season, Moore is one of the players he’s counting on to produce one more great season.
“I love my relationship with him,” Krzyzewski said. “He’s our leader. He’s vocal. He’s in a great, great place. I love where he’s at. I’m really anxious to see how it will turn out for him this year. He’s one of the keys to our team because he’s going to be that leader.”
