When Donnie Tyndall was told about Armani Moore winning SEC Player of the Week during his weekly Monday press conference, he decided to poke fun at the junior forward who was sitting at the opposite end of the room.
“That is unbelievable coaching, isn’t it Armani?” the first-year Tennessee head coach said. “Think about it, I can make you SEC Player of the Week? That’s unreal.”
After all the jokes had been told, however, the compliments began to rain down.
“He’s to be commended,” Tyndall said. “He certainly deserves it. He busts his tail every day. He’s a great leader. The thing I like about Armani as much as anything he does on the floor is the way he isn’t afraid to tell some of these guys what they don’t want to hear.
“He’ll grab a Willie (Carmichael) or a Detrick Mostella, or even a Josh Richardson, and tell him what he needs to hear — and not necessarily what they want to hear — so his leadership has been great.”
As Tyndall’s prime example of someone who “plays better than he is,” Moore proved to be the catalyst for the Volunteers last week.
When the Vols defeated then-No. 19 Arkansas on Jan. 13, the Kennesaw, Georgia, native scored 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting while gathering eight rebounds and collecting four steals.
On Saturday in Columbia, Missouri, Moore dropped a game-high 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting while also corralling a game-high 11 rebounds for his third career double-double — all coming this season.
“A guy who is recruited at this level, lets be honest, they all have egos,” Tyndall said. “But for him to be a wing player, a perimeter guy, and be OK with playing the position he’s playing, and not fight it and/or resist it has led to him having a great season so far and him being named SEC Player of the Week this week.
“If he wasn’t coachable or wasn’t embracing the position he was playing, he would not have the success he’s had to this point.”
Coming out of high school, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound forward was recruited by former UT coach Cuonzo Martin to play point guard, but under Tyndall, he has been forced to play the 3- and 4-spots because of the team’s lack of size.
But for Moore, playing out of position hasn’t bothered him.
Instead, he has thrived in the role, averaging 9.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game as the Vols have marched to an 11-5 (3-1 SEC) record.
“For me, I’m not necessarily the type of guy that when I step out onto the court it is all about me,” Moore said. “I feel like most importantly it is about my team and whatever I can do to go out, compete and help us win. I’m always willing to do that.”
And yeah, maybe coaching did have a little something to do with the recent honor.
“Yes, most importantly that (coaching) is what I need in order to do some great things,” Moore said. “I feel like they have been showing mad confidence in me this week.”
