Armani Moore did not envision his Tennessee career to go the way it has.
Three coaches in three years, alright, but to stick it out from Day One to the end given that situation is something that an 18-year-old Moore could not see himself doing.
“I never would have thought the day I committed to the University of Tennessee that I would have played for three different coaches,” Moore said. “Especially saying that I would have stayed at the same school as well, but it just happened to work out.
“I’m grateful that I did stay here and become a part of a great university.”
On Saturday, Moore will make celebrating his Senior Day for a program that he has endured three coaching changes with a reality when he plays in his final game inside Thompson-Boling Arena against Ole Miss on Saturday (TV: SEC Network, noon).
The senior’s journey began in 2012 when he arrived at UT from Mt. Paran Christian School in Kennesaw, Ga., where he is believed to be the first basketball player in school history to receive a Division I basketball scholarship.
Moore was recruited as a point guard, but made a transition to forward his freshman year despite being undersized.
He played in 30 games, making 16 starts, in his first year at UT, averaging 13.2 minutes and 2.4 points per game.
It was a mentality, not the experience, that was Moore’s biggest takeaway from his first campaign.
“The one thing Coach Martin did teach me was just about having toughness,” Moore said. “I’ll never forget that our slogan one year was ‘Tougher Breed.’ Starting as a freshman, just developing that mentality that you have to be tougher than every opponent that you face.”
In most cases, Moore has done that.
At 6-foot-4, 217 pounds, the rigors of being an undersized forward began in practice against the likes of former Vols Jarnell Stokes and Jeronne Maymon.
In games, he’s been asked to guard similar players. Former LSU Johnny O’Bryant is one of the tougher tasks that sprung into Moore’s head when thinking of the players he’s had to defend.
Moore currently ranks eighth all-time on UT’s career blocks list with 128 blocks in 124 career games.
Off the court, Moore managed to out-tough the challenges of two coaching changes.
“I think it’s hard because we’re dealing with young students,” current UT coach Rick Barnes said. “They’ve had good coaching staffs surrounding them, but it’s been three totally distinct programs (that they’ve played for).”
The latest change came last March when Barnes was hired to replace Donnie Tynedall, who had been fired for his relation to a NCAA investigation Southern Mississippi, his previous school.
Under Barnes, Moore has been asked to guard the opposing team’s best player while being UT’s second-option on offense for most of the season.
Since losing senior guard Kevin Punter Jr. to a stress fracture in his right foot against Kentucky on Feb. 18, Moore has moved up to UT’s primary option on offense and moved from forward to point guard.
“I don’t know if I’ve coached a more versatile guy or asked a guy to do as much as we’ve asked him to do,” Barnes said. “He played a number of different spots and then because of injuries and this and that, he’s had to go from focusing on playing one spot to playing the point exclusively, which is not an easy thing to do.
“He has had a great impact on his teammates. We’ve used him as the example after example about competing. … We truly admire that about him.”
Competing has always been a strong suit for Moore, but so has resolve.
Change has defined Moore’s career on and off the court, but he believes it’ll help him in the long run.
“No matter what adversity comes your way, you have to figure out a way to live with it,” Moore said. “Once this college thing gets over with, we all step into the real world and nothing gets easier from that point on. It’s all going to be a battle from here.”
