By Bobby Mathews, Sports Editor
SPRINGVILLE — Derek Moore was an undeniable presence on both ends of the floor for the Springville Tigers this season, and now he’s taken home some hardware to remember it by.
Moore was named the MVP of the 2021-2022 season at the St. Clair County basketball awards, while two other Tigers, Gavin Gooch and Cason Kersh were named to the All-County team.
The award was a great way to cap a senior season that proved to be a huge validation for the 6-6 power forwardMoore.
“To be honest, I exceeded my own expectations,” he said Wednesday morning in a phone call from the recruiting trail. “I’m proud of myself and I’m proud of my teammates. I feel thankful that my team rallied around me the way it did.”
In many ways, the 2021-2022 season was Moore’s coming out party. He showcased the ability to defend and rebound, as well as to score from the low blocks, on short jumpers, and even with a deft touch from beyond the three-point arc. The year prior, he injured a knee in the opening game and was out for the season. But in his senior year, Moore rebounded and led the Tigers to a 26-6 record, falling in the playoffs to eventual 6A finalist Huffman.
It was important for Moore to use this season to showcase that he could be a complete player.
“I try to work on many aspects of my game,” he said. “You never want to be one-dimensional; you always want to be able to stretch the floor.”
Tigers head coach Jeremy Monceaux said how proud he was of Moore, who was part of a squad that featured eight seniors that embraced their new coach’s defense-first and never-say-die attitude.
“Derek is a stud, and he improved throughout the season,” Monceaux said. “One game into his junior season, he gets a season-ending injury, so his senior season was really his first season of varsity basketball.”