Commentary: Miami point guard Charlie Moore will bring fun to Sweet 16

Nobody has more fun playing basketball than Charlie Moore.

Nobody is more fun to watch.

Miami’s 5-foot-11 sixth-year senior point guard brought his wonderfully contagious personality and remarkable talent to Greenville for the opening weekend of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. He seemed to enjoy every second from Thursday’s media session and shootaround practice at Bon Secours Wellness Arena through Sunday night’s 79-61 victory against No. 2 seed Auburn.

Moore dictated everything from tempo to tenor. Fifteen points, eight assists, three steals and nine rebounds.

“Nine rebounds from the smallest guy on our team,” 6-10 Sam Waardenburg said. “That’s insane.”

His comment made Moore smile. But, of course, Moore was already smiling.

Even when things got tight, Moore kept it light. Early in the game while trying to protect the ball in a trap, his right forearm grazed the face of Auburn’s K.D. Johnson, who took offense. Johnson’s chest-thumping reaction could have escalated tensions. Moore's calmness settled things down immediately.

More: Observations from Miami's 79-61 victory over second seed Auburn in Greenville

Midway through the second half, Auburn within 10, Johnson was fouled and went to the free throw line. Before taking the ball to shoot, he backed up to the 3-point arc where Moore was standing. Moore made Johnson laugh about something. They did the same thing before the next shot and cracked up again.

Even when Moore questioned a call, the referee looked like he was being told a funny joke. Did you hear the one about the cyclops ref with an eye patch?

“Man, I love the guy,” Miami coach Jim Larranaga said. “He’s got the greatest smile. He's got the greatest personality. You just love being around him.

“The great part about Charlie is that he brings that out in everyone. All the players love hanging around with him, love playing with him. The coaches love being around him. He has such charisma. ... He should be doing commercials, now that I think about it.”

Moore's defensive rebounds, some against Auburn 7-1 center Walker Kessler, triggered Miami’s offense. Moore barely had the ball in his hands and it was already pushed out to a teammate on the run. Miami beat Auburn in fast-break points, 30-1.

Moore pulled up and made a 3-pointer for a 48-39 lead. He finished a third-chance possession with a driving layup for 50-43. He threw a pass three-quarters of the court to receiver Isaiah Wong, who had a half-step on a defender, for a three-point play and 53-43. Moore whipped a pass over his head to Jordan Miller, whose bucket made it 55-46.

With four minutes left and Miami ahead by 10, Moore got his eighth defensive rebound and was nearly full-pressed by Waardenburg, who wanted the Hurricanes to run fewer breaks and more clock.

With three minutes left, Waardenburg slipped behind the defense and Moore zipped a pass from the top of the key for a wide-open layup. Moore turned and encouraged Miami fans to cheer a little louder. It was time to celebrate. The Hurricanes were going to the Sweet 16.

On his face, yes, a puffy cheek grin.

“Great for Miami, the Miami family,” Moore said. “Just so happy and excited.”

Moore averages 12.8 points, ranks third among ACC players with 4.6 assists and leads the league with 72 steals. Nine rebounds is a career high, but he consistently contributes there, too. During a three-game stretch earlier this season, he had 17.

“We’ve really adopted and adapted to the Charlie Moore way of playing basketball,” Larranaga said. “He’s aggressive at both ends of the court. He shares the ball beautifully. He can make shots. He makes free throws. He’s just a tremendous competitor from start to finish.”

The Chicago native has spread joy from coast to coast. Because of coaching changes and his father’s illness, Moore has also played for California, Kansas and DePaul. When his father’s health improved, Moore used a sixth year of eligibility, the so-called COVID redshirt, to play this season at Miami.

More: NCAA Tournament: 3 things you may not know about Miami basketball's Charlie Moore

“I’ve been in college for six years – not as many schools as Charlie,” said teammate Kameron McGusty, who played at Oklahoma. “I’ve been keeping up with him since high school. I knew about him and knew who he was. He’s had such a long journey. He’s always been a great point guard. He was always getting his teammates involved, being a leader, able to score the ball with the best of them.

“It was a blessing he was able to transfer here. Definitely, without a doubt, so blessed to have him.”

“Charlie played in the Pac-12, played in the Big 12, played in the Big East and now is playing in the ACC,” Larranaga said. “Is there anybody else in college basketball history that has been on that kind of journey?

“ …. How many games has he played in college? Like 160 or something? It’s like a ridiculous number of games.”

It’s 152.

“That’s it?” Larranaga said.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Miami point guard Charlie Moore will bring fun to Sweet 16