University of Tennessee Athletics
Armani Moore Named SEC Player of the Week
January 19, 2015 | Men's Basketball
Tennessee men's basketball junior Armani Moore was named SEC Player of the Week for the first time in his career Monday after leading the Vols to a victory over 19th-ranked Arkansas and a road win at Missouri last week.
The Volunteers were a perfect 2-0 last week, and Moore was the catalyst in both triumphs.
"I just want to take out the time to thank my teammates, family, friends and coaches for helping me achieve this goal," Moore said Monday. "I feel like I couldn't do it without them.
Facing a much larger Arkansas frontcourt, the 6-foot-5-inch Moore shot 6-of-8 from the field en route to 14 points. But his impact was apparent in all areas on the box score, as he finished with eight rebounds, two assists, one block and a career-high four steals.
At Mizzou on Saturday, Moore again was an efficient 6-of-8 shooting while posting his third double-double of the season with a team-high 15 points and 11 rebounds. He also added a pair of assists, two steals and his team-leading 18th blocked shot of the season.
"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)."
For the week, he averaged close to a double-double with 14.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 3.0 steals. The undersized four-man is the SEC's sixth-leading rebounder this season (7.2 rpg) and has Tennessee standing alongside top-ranked Kentucky as the league's only teams to start conference play 2-0 on the road.
In addition to being UT's leading rebounder and third-leading scorer, Moore ranks second on the team in assists and steals through 16 games.
This marks the second time this season that a Tennessee player has garnered SEC Player of the Week acclaim, as senior guard Josh Richardson received the honor Dec. 15.
Tennessee (11-5, 3-1 SEC) plays South Carolina Tuesday night in Columbia, S.C. The game will be televised on ESPNU at 9:05 p.m. ET.
