Welcome to A10 Talk’s Top 25 Player Countdown. Each day, we publish a new article counting down the 25 best players in the Atlantic 10 this past season. Today, we continue our countdown with #7 Marquise Moore.
How does a player who averaged a double-double not make Atlantic 10 First Team? Good question. Moore got absolutely snubbed. Marquise Moore was one of the best players in the Atlantic 10 this past season; had his team not finished 7th in the league, he would’ve had a great shot at being A-10 Player of the Year. A beast on the boards and scorching the nets all season, Marquise Moore helped revitalized this George Mason team to get it moving in the right direction. The Patriots were not one of the bottom-feeders in the league last year. Because of Moore, George Mason had a legitimate shot at finishing Top 4 in the league.
Best Performances:
Where to begin? For starters, Marquise Moore had one hell of a performance in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. I mean, this man went off. Scoring 25 points, pulling down 19 boards, and dishing out 5 assists, Marquise Moore led the Patriots past Fordham and into a rematch against VCU. Moore had 17 rebounds in the quarterfinal game against the Rams as well. Though Moore didn’t play so great in the CBI, he brought it in the A-10 Tournament.
Moore had 4 straight double-doubles to help the Patriots beat Davidson, Fordham, and Richmond. He proceeded those 3 wins with a 28 point, 9 rebound performance against La Salle. Moore’s 25 points and 13 rebounds were enormous in helping George Mason beat Richmond on the road, arguably its most impressive win this past season. Marquise Moore had way too many good games to count. Probably his best performance of the season came against Penn in non-conference where he notched a tripe-double. Marquise Moore scored 17 points, pulled down 16 rebounds, and recorded 10 assists in a 79-60 win.
Key Stats:
Marquise Moore’s stats were incredible last season. He had the 11th best defensive rebounding rate and the second best in the Atlantic 10. He’s 6’2″. That’s insane. Moore had the 15th best assist rate in the conference and also scored 16.9 points per game. Moore made enormous strides in almost all statistical categories, even three point shooting. Not normally known as a guy who lets it fly from long range, Moore hit 9/23 three point attempts in 2016-17 compared to 0/5 his junior season. Marquise Moore really became a complete player in 2016-17.
Team Effort:
If you want to talk about putting a team on your back, you better talk about Marquise Moore. If Moore doesn’t have a breakout season, no way George Mason finishes in the top half of the league. This guy literally did everything for this team, and he can’t be given enough credit for his hustle on both ends of the floor. Few players rebound the ball like Marquise Moore does, and this guy is a guard. He’s going to set a precedent for big men at George Mason for decades to come. Though I strongly believe George Mason’s star senior got snubbed out of Atlantic 10 First Team Honors, he’s done more than enough to show the league why he’s one of the best.