Having Moor Is Great For Both Basketball Teams
Siblings reunite as Jess joins James in green and gold
Dionne Moors had come to accept her daughter was headed to the United States to play college basketball, a process she’d already gone through with her oldest son, James.
She was fine with Jess, the next in line of the six-sibling clan, following in her brother’s footsteps, but a global pandemic added some trepidation to what was taking place. There were going to be no on-campus visits, and the expense of leaving the country was wiped out altogether by the fact they couldn’t, at times, due to constraints in New Zealand.
In the situation, there’s not a lot which can put a mother’s mind at ease. Save for one.
“Coming from the other side of the world, it was strange thinking about Jess going to a college you hadn’t visited,” Dionne said. “So for Jess to end up signing with CSU, which I’ve visited twice, was so good. The added bonus is James is there. It’s nice to know that they have each other for support, and one day, when the borders finally open in New Zealand, visiting will be so much easier.”
James has already been on campus for two years, coming off his first season for the Rams after redshirting his inaugural campaign. In that time, he’d been home for one stretch, so there was much he missed about home. Especially Jess, who while three years younger than him, had followed him to the hardwood and became a bit of a shadow at times.
The idea of having his sister wearing the green and gold brought an immediate wave of joy for him, as well as bringing a big piece of home to his new residence. CSU men’s coach Niko Medved said it was probably a couple of days before the smile came off the big man’s face.
Her arrival nearly a month ago only brought it back in full force.
“It’s been like a year since I’ve been home,” James said. “It’s pretty hard, but having Jessica here now helps a lot. It’s like my first time seeing family in a year, so it’s awesome. It’s so cool just having someone I’m so close with, that I can see most days now. It’s relieving and it’s awesome.”
Parents are not the only ones who worry when children head to a new country to attend college and play sports. The coaches who recruit them do too, because they know it’s a brand of homesickness which has no easy cure. The price and time required for international travel don’t allow for a quick weekend jaunt back home for a dish of whatever mom makes best.
Coaches factor in the culture change for international students, too. Conversations back home are limited to a few social media channels, so as not to break the bank with international calls, and those have to be well planned out as time zones are shuffle one after the other.
The notion of a player having access to an important piece of home is a big step toward alleviating such concerns.
“He and his sister are so close, and to have those two together is really neat,” Medved said. “I know Dionne back home, nobody is probably happier than her.
“It’s going to help James, and it’s going to be great for Jess to help with the adjustment. To have a big brother who has been through it, to have somebody else who is a support system in your inner circle … You’re going halfway around the world. I think it will be beneficial for everybody.”
Definitely the supportive brother. He’s gone through it. Even right now, I’m sick of the dining-hall food. I can go over and he can cook me a home-cooked meal.Jess Moors
To make it happen, women’s coach Ryun Williams had to pull the trigger.
He and his staff knew about Jess and had been watching her, even as James was being recruited to Fort Collins. They gauged her development, but had not yet made contact. She was playing well for her high school and club teams, but Williams wanted to see a bit more, and he also ran into a timing issue with roster balance.
But last spring, it all fell into place to pursue the 5-foot-11 shooter who is versatile enough to play guard or small forward.
“We had known of Jess, and we just hadn’t made contact,” Williams said. “The availability wasn’t there to really pursue it, but after last spring, there was some availability and we knew she had gotten a lot better. We probably should have made the move a year earlier, to be honest with you. She’s going to be a really good Ram.
“The fact that James is here, they can support each other. It’s somebody they both trust. Also, she’s a year older than most typical freshmen. The fact she’s got family here really helps, but she’s also mature beyond her years.”
When Colorado State reached out, her heart jumped. While she had never been to Fort Collins herself, James raved about his experience, and her mother was more than happy with what she’d seen in her trips.
Not only was Jess getting the chance to play in the States, but also see her brother and go to a place, that while she’d never been there, had a tinge of home to it already.
“Definitely. A year or two ago, I never imagined myself going to the same school as James,” she said. “Just coming from a smaller country and you get the opportunity to go and do your own thing, but as soon as they reached out, it definitely felt like the right decision, and I couldn’t be happier to be here with the team.”
James, who is coming off a strong debut season where he started 21 of 28 games played and averaged 5.9 points and 3.5 rebounds as a 6-10 post, was thrilled for his sister, who had impressed him with her work ethic and drive to get better. As his love for the game grew, so did hers, which strengthened their bond as brother and sister.
It could get messy at times. He never took it easy on her when they would play one-on-one – she said she doesn’t believe she’s ever beaten him, to which he quickly replied, “She hasn’t.” She said the difficult objective reached impossible when he hit a growth spurt, allowing him to tower over her by nearly a foot.
But there were other games, and when it came to knockout (where two players shoot one after the other, the second trying to score first), contests would match the physical nature of the way basketball is played back home.
“She might have beaten me in knockout,” he said. “We played so much knockout because with six kids, someone always has a friend over. Next thing you know there are 12 people at the house, and everybody is playing knockout in the driveway.”
Just as likely, Jess said, there were a host of scrapes, a few bruises and a strong likelihood younger brother Matthew would end up in tears. Competition is the norm for the Moors, even the younger set. As Jess was on the phone with James before heading to Colorado, he could hear Sarah and Rebecca, arguing over Jess’ room and the clothes she was leaving behind.
“It was always the dumbest things,” James said. “You took my seat on the coach. We have such a big family, everybody is competing for everything. There’s not enough clothes, not enough all of that stuff. Everybody is always fighting for something.”
First of all, having a family member here, that’s crazy. But being able when one of us is down, to pick each other up is great. When she has questions, I can help her, and when I have questions, she can help me. Building relationships, I can introduce her to so many people, and she’ll be able to introduce me to people. It will be great for both of us.James Moors
That’s how it is between brothers and sisters. They love each other one minute, drive each other nuts the next. They’ll bicker with the best of them, argue about who has more national championships (James) or Instagram followers (definitely Jess). When he came home for a spell at the front end of the pandemic, they had to argue over who held rights to the car.
Competition was always a common theme, as is sarcasm between the two. They understand what’s going on, but others don’t always pick up the inside jokes.
“People wonder,” Jess said. “We’ll be having a really good laugh, making fun of each other and people think we’re fighting with each other.”
They both participated in track at a young age, but it was James’ infatuation with basketball which has now led each of the siblings to shooting hoops. Jess, being the next in line, often wanted to do what her big brother was doing. Sometimes he was good with it, but other times he just wanted to be with his friends at school.
Such a particular day led Dionne’s phone to ring.
“A few weeks after Jess started school, I got a call from the school principal late at night,” she recalled. “He said, ‘Dionne, we’ve had an incident at school today on the fields.’ I thought, here we go. He went on to tell me there was a bit of a fight, and I had to wonder who’s been beating up on James. He went on to say James and Jess had a punch-up on the field.
“My reply was, ‘well, I suppose I can’t blame the other kid then.’ It turns out Jess had been trying to get in with James and the cool, older kids, and he needed to teach her a lesson. Front then on, they learned to become friends and hang out in the same crowds.”
Now that she’s halfway across the globe, she expects James will be what he’s always been to her – very supportive, but not overprotective. It wasn’t like he walked into the basketball locker room and told his teammates to stay away from his sister.
“I told her to stay away from football,” which made her laugh.
“Definitely the supportive brother. He’s gone through it,” Jess said. “Even right now, I’m sick of the dining-hall food. I can go over and he can cook me a home-cooked meal.
“He’s been showing me around campus, easy routes to take. He’s introducing me to more people. My first week was a bit lonely, being in the dorm by myself, but meeting some of his friends and some of the soccer and volleyball girls and having those connections has been really good.”
For the record, James made her fettuccine, and it passed the test.
As close as they are, they will respect each other’s space. They don’t have to see each other every day, though they cross paths more often than not, passing each other in the halls before or after workouts.
He did help her move in, just not all the way. But he did help, possibly because she brought him chocolate from home he likes.
Yet the idea they are so close in proximity again is rather comforting.
For both of them.
“First of all, having a family member here, that’s crazy. But being able when one of us is down, to pick each other up is great,” he said. “When she has questions, I can help her, and when I have questions, she can help me. Building relationships, I can introduce her to so many people, and she’ll be able to introduce me to people. It will be great for both of us.”
As will the opportunity to watch each other play. It hit James when it comes to the Mountain West portion of the schedule, one will be home, the other on the road, and often playing on the same night at the same time. But during non-conference play, they’re both looking forward to seeing each other play in person again.
It’s been a long time. In Auckland, the family would stream James’ games, which sometimes required a 6 a.m. alarm to make opening tip. But seeing somebody play in person just hits different, and James and Jess have both missed seeing the other live.
Now, they can do it when they want. A simple text can get take them closer to home, even if they are thousands of miles away. Moving away was going to require some give and take, as he found out first.
They can no longer see the beach from where they live, but they can gaze at the mountains. But now, when they really want to see each other, they won’t have to wait for a social-post a hemisphere away.
For that, Medved is correct. Dionne may be the happiest Moors of them all.
“Coming from a large family, we are very lose, so knowing that they and see each other as often or as little as they want is nice,” she said. “As a mum stuck on the other side of the world, I feel a lot happier and safer knowing they are together. James and Jess have a great friendship and would talk often when Jess was still in New Zealand, so I’m sure they will only grow now and that they will have many fun experience together at CSU.”