ALBANY STATE MENS BASKETBALL PREVIEW: Michael Moore era begins at Albany State

ALBANY — Albany State men’s basketball coach Michael Moore is smiling more these days.

After two seasons of serving as the interim coach, he had the interim tag removed and is ready to execute his up-tempo style of basketball.

Moore isn’t bothered that his Rams were picked to finish sixth in the SIAC East Division after last season’s disappointing 5-22 finish.

“This year, we’ve got the seven-on-seven that we’re returning,” Moore said. “We returned seven and I recruited seven freshmen. I call them the old seven, the original seven, the n-seven and the magnificent seven. Everybody is responding. This is the first year that I’ve been here that players have actually came into my office and said, ‘I’m in the office with my coach.’

“The first two years, nobody came and talked basketball. Now, players come by and they sit and they talk. And I’m really happy. It feels good to have your own players in.”

The Rams begin the first of two exhibition games this week. They play at Middle Georgia State Monday night in Cochran, then they entertain Thomas University Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. for another exhibition game at the Albany State HPER Gymnasium.

Albany State doesn’t open its regular season until Nov. 11 when they meet West Florida at Fort Valley State in the SIAC-Gulf South Challenge.

Albany State returns forward Devontay Ward (9.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg), guard Khaliq Hughes (7.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and guard Mike Green (8 ppg, 5.8 rpg). Junior forward Jayson Snearl also returns. Albany State lost six players.

Green said the team is anxiously looking ahead.

“We are more anxious to go out there and win games,” said Green, a former Westover High standout. “The things everybody says about us and how they ranked us doesn’t really matter when it comes down to when ball goes up in the air.”

Moore believes the Rams will bring an exciting brand of basketball, and they could prove the preseason predictions wrong. This is his first recruiting class and he believes his program will only get better.

“I’m still really two recruiting classes away, but I think I’ve laid the foundation,” Moore said. “I’ve laid the foundation with the style of play that I want to play here. And the type of players that I play are combo guards that can handle the basketball and shoot the ball. I don’t play traditional point guard which just handle a pass. The two guard, you just can’t dribble and shoot the basketball, and the five man, you can’t just rebound and block shots.

“One, two and three (guard) in my system must be able to handle the basketball and score. The Four and five (positions), I like athletic wing players, I don’t like the traditional true center, I like guys that can get up and down the floor, 6-5, 6-6, athletic-type forwards. But the luxury I do have is having Devontay Ward back, who is an old-school basketball player. He still plays with his back to the basket and he’s a left-handed player that gave people fits last year.

“The second time we played, teams started double and triple-teaming him, but we didn’t have anybody that could hit two or three outside shots, so I think I’ve addressed that need that now if we played inside-out with Ward and they do double or triple-team him, I have enough knock-down perimeter shooters this year.”

Green said he can tell Moore is excited.

“This is his first recruiting class and some guys that he brought in,” Green said. “We feel good about what he’s done and what he’s bringing in. We feel like it’s going to help us in the long run.”

Moore knows the Rams must get back to contending for conference championships. While he won’t promise success in the standings, he does promise Albany State will play hard and make the alumni proud of its team.

“Preseason predictions are a compliment to your total program,” he said. “That is the way I look at it. That means, ‘Have you been consistently winning in the conference?’ That’s what preseason predictions are based on. We are relatively new with my program, so I don’t take that personally. Just like everything else, paper doesn’t play. So we’ve got to go out and earn the respect.

“This year, nobody is going to play harder or stronger than the running, gunning Rams, which is my style of basketball. This year, we’re going to get started. We’re going to get back to the foundation which Albany State was founded on. I think I navigated the storm. I corrected the ship and put us back on course. This is the first year. I tell all the alumni and anybody who asks, my program is just now beginning this year. The Coach Moore era is just beginning.”

Which is a big reason he’s smiling.