GopherHole.com Player Spotlight: Moe Hargrow

Best Game: vs. Oral Roberts on December 12th. After a somewhat sluggish start to the season, this was a game where Moe really appeared to be finding his stride. In an impressive 20-point victory over a decent Oral Roberts team, Moe put up some very big numbers: 19 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and a blocked shot while shooting 8 for 9 from the field and 2 for 3 from beyond the arc. Moe was on the court for 32 minutes and was dominant the entire time.

Game to Forget: at Ohio State on January 17th. In a disappointing 73-62 loss at Ohio State, Moe had arguably the worst game of his career. That resulted in him coming off the bench in the following game and leaving the team a few days after that. Moe was held scoreless against the Buckeyes while playing a season-low 18 minutes. He was 0 for 4 from the field, 0 for 2 from three-point range, and also 0 for 2 at the line. He didn’t grab a rebound, block a shot, or get a steal. Moe did finish with 3 assists, but neither his heart nor his head appeared to be in this game.

Positive Number: 4.25. That’s the number of free throws Moe attempted per game. While it was a long ways from Kris Humphries’ 7.9, it was still double that of anybody else on the team. Moe has always had an ability to get to the basket, and this summer that ability looks to have taken another step. With no dominant go-to guy inside this season, look for Moe to get even more opportunities at the charity stripe.

Negative Number: 14. That’s the number of games Moe missed after leaving the team on January 23rd. And regardless of the circumstances surrounding his departure or his seemingly near-certain return, that is what the fans are going to remember this season. Moe will have some work to do before that memory is erased.

Development Priority #1: Attitude and Image. As mentioned before, Moe is going to have plenty of work to do in order to repair his image with the fans. It also wouldn’t be unexpected if he still has some convincing to do with his teammates and coaches. Moe can put any lingering negative feelings to rest by sporting a great attitude from day one. He’s a senior, and he should be one of the leaders on the team. He has a chance to leave a positive legacy by turning in a stellar final season and giving the program some positive momentum as the younger guys take over in 2005-06.

Development Priority #2: Shot/Pass Decision Making. This was my #1 development priority for Moe a year ago, and it’s still high on the list. While Moe did average nearly 3 assists in the 16 games he played as a junior, his decision making and unselfishness with the ball were questioned by many. Moe’s physical talents give him the ability to be a big-time assist man, and he showed some glimpses last year. His passing into the post was much improved, and there were stretches when he penetrated and dished. Still, there were too many occurrences where Moe forced up a tough shot rather than giving up the rock. His motives weren’t necessarily wrong, but the decisions sometimes were. Moe needs to realize that he’s easier to defend when opponents know that he’s going to shoot. If he becomes a dual threat, he’s going to be able to do some major damage.

Ideal Stat Line: 16 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals. Assuming the NCAA does indeed allow Moe to play for Minnesota this season, he’ll be looked at to put up some big numbers. He would definitely be my early pick to lead the team in scoring, but it’s the other numbers that could dictate how the season goes. Moe averaged 4.4 rebounds last year, and he’ll have a chance to improve on that. He’ll ideally have a chance to increase his assist total by 50% up to 4 per game. And he needs to get his defense back to where it was as a sophomore and average 2 steals per game rather than being below 1 like he was last season. Throw in a 45% field goal percentage, and these numbers would definitely get Moe some votes for the All-Big Ten teams. I certainly wouldn’t predict this stat line, but it’s a good goal to shoot for.