Moore to Come: Import to be an "Elite Player"

Phoenix Head Coach Simon Mitchell is extremely high on the ability of import Ben Moore, who started to find his groove in last night’s win over Adelaide.

The import big struggled in his NBL debut on Sunday, fouling out in limited minutes. The return leg was a different story, coming out after the main break to leave a huge imprint on the game and play a major role in the team’s victory.

10 points, 12 rebounds (7 offensive rebounds), one assist and two blocks in 25 minutes of action only tells part of the story of Moore’s impact.

(Moore came out aggresive in the second half of the Round 2 win)

The versatile power forward / centre wreaks havoc on the defensive end and on the glass, and Mitchell says he’s going to flourish as he becomes accustomed to the NBL.

“Ben’s going to be one of the elite players in this league,” Mitchell told media post-game last night.

“I still think he’s just scratching the surface. He missed a couple of bunnies around the rim.

“Defensively, he’s just everywhere. He’s got great length, he intimidates, he protects the rim, he gets lots of deflections, he can guard virtually anyone on the floor.

“He’s going to be a problem for a lot of teams.”

Moore arrived in the Heartland in December with lofty expectations after years in the NBA G-League, NBA appearances for San Antonio and Indiana, and a successful career at Southern Methodist under legendary NBA coach Larry Brown.

Currently coming off the bench to play both big spots behind Mitch Creek and Yanni Wetzell, Moore should continue to improve as he begins to understand the officiating and flow of the game down under.

Simon Mitchell believes the frontcourt trio’s pace is unmatched in the NBL.

"I feel like we've got the fastest frontline in the NBL; Ben Moore's a greyhound, Yanni's a greyhound, when Dane (Pineau) returns, he's a greyhound, Mike Karena really runs the floor super hard and we all know how great Creeky is in transition," Mitchell said in the pre-season.

The Phoenix are now travelling to Perth to prepare for the Wildcats on Sunday.

Phoenix Media (21/01/2021)