Local Chatter: Trevor Moore relishes Thousand Oaks roots during breakout season for Kings

The words “Thousand Oaks” appear in the first six words of his Los Angeles Kings bio.

They were mentioned on social media when he scored an overtime winner in the Stanley Cup playoffs last season, when the team was campaigning his All-Star candidacy this season, and even when he became a father.

Luckily, Trevor Moore appreciates how “Thousand Oaks native” seems to preface his name in nearly every big moment of his NHL career.

“It’s super cool,” Moore told The Star last year. “I don’t know if it’s more pressure, but I want to make everyone proud to support me in that way. It’s so nice that people have done that. I take great pride in being from here and my roots.”

This season, Moore, who was born in Thousand Oaks and attended Westlake High before beginning his hockey career as a 16-year-old in Kearney, Nebraska, became the first California native to score 20 goals in a season with a California-based team.

The 29-year-old left winger led the Kings with 31 goals and added 26 assists.

“It’s pretty cool,” Moore told lakingsinsider.com earlier this month. “I honestly don’t think I ever would have imagined, to be able to score 30 in the NHL, so that was super cool.”

In fact, Moore, who had never scored 25 goals in the USHL, during his time in college hockey or in the AHL, is now a 30-goal scorer in the NHL.

“You know, I don’t think when we made that trade, we expected 30 goals out of him, but it’s amazing,” Kings defenseman Drew Doughty told lakingsinsider.com. “As a hometown boy, obviously he loved the Kings growing up and it’s pretty special for him and his family, but it’s special for all of us too. We’re really proud of him and he really earned it.”

And when the Stanley Cup playoffs started Monday when a 7-4 loss in Edmonton, Moore was on scoreboard again with his fourth career playoff goal.

Game 2 of the series is Wednesday night in Edmonton with Game 3 in L.A. on Friday.

Finding his feet

Jaime Jaquez Jr. is enjoying his first taste of the NBA Playoffs.

And it’s been already been a heaping helping.

The former Camarillo High and UCLA star has been thrust into the Miami Heat’s starting lineup due to the knee injury suffered by star Jimmy Butler in the play-in tournament.

Jaquez had 16 points, four rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes in the visiting Heat’s 114-94 loss to Boston on Sunday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

“You could feel the difference from regular season games to the playoffs,” Jaquez told heat.com after the game.

“The intensity level, the fans, the energy, everything is just heightened. You get your feet wet and then it just becomes basketball.”

The 16 points set a record for most points by a player of Mexican descent in a playoff debut, breaking the 21-year-old record of Eduardo Najara, according to latintimes.com.

“He gathered himself,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told the Miami Herald. “We need him to be aggressive, so it’s not all just Tyler (Herro) and Bam (Adebayo). And then the decision-making once he gets into the paint, and that’s part of his development.

"He’s gotten much better in the last six weeks or so reading the defense, reading the backside, reading where the help is coming, reading if cutters or spacers are open or if he can get all the way to the rim.”

Jaquez played in 75 games as a rookie, averaging 11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.

He had his first taste of the postseason in the play-in rounds, scoring 15 points and pulling down five rebounds in just 22 minutes in the loss to No. 7 Philadelphia on April 17.

With the loss of Butler, he moved into the starting lineup two days later and had 21 points, six rebounds and six assists in the win over the No. 9-seeded Chicago, which sent the Heat to Boston.

Game 2 of the series is Wednesday night in Boston with Game 3 scheduled for Saturday in Miami.

“(I’ll continue) to trust in my game and believe in what I do,” Jaquez said. “As a team, there are things we need to clean up, but I think we’ve got a lot of clarity and confidence going into this next game.”

Indecent proposal

When the Carolina Panthers selected Cam Newton with the No. 1 overall pick of the NFL Draft in 2011, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner wanted to wear the No. 2 jersey he wore at Auburn.

The problem was that number belonged to Jimmy Clausen.

The former Oaks Christian quarterback offered the number to Newton for $1 million, Newton revealed earlier this month on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast.

“I would have donated $100,000 to his foundation,” Newton said. “When he hit me with a million. … I said, ‘Aight, cool,’ and hung up the phone.”

On the diamond

Milwaukee outfielder Christian Yelich’s hot start has been slowed by a back injury.

The former Westlake High star was placed on the 10-day injured list April 16 with a low back strain.

Yelich was off to a hot start in his 12th major league season, hitting .333 with five home runs and 11 RBIs in 11 games for the Brewers.

Darius Vines’ third tenure with the Atlanta Braves lasted two starts.

One day after starting on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball,” the former St. Bonaventure High three-sport star was sent back down to the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers on Monday.

Vines allowed four runs and seven hits, striking out two, in five innings in a 6-4 loss to defending World Series champion Texas.

Cubs pitcher Chris Clarke has allowed just 12 hits and two runs over his first four starts for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. The former Newbury Park and USC righty has a 1.29 ERA in the International League.

Reds pitcher Carson Rudd picked up his first save for the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts on Sunday. The former Oaks Christian righty threw three shutout innings to wrap up a 10-1 win over the Biloxi Shuckers.

Former Thousand Oaks High pitcher Vince Reilly was promoted to Oakland’s Single-A affiliate, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, last week.

Joe Curley writes the Local Chatter column for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcsjoecurley on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Moore relishes Thousand Oaks roots during breakout season for Kings