Stort by: Cameron Short

MONTEVALLO, Ala. — It’s not every day that you cross paths with someone you went to middle school with, especially when that person is now making waves on the basketball court. But the story of Derek Moore is one of those rare instances where our lives intersected, like back when we were in those middle school hallways, only to reconnect years later through his athletic success.

Growing up, Derek had already showed signs of his competitive nature. We shared the same classes from time to time and were even teammates at Clay-Chalkville before he left for Springville High School.

His dad became the head principal at Springville High. The men’s basketball coach for Clay-Chalkville at the time was close friends with his father and also made the transition to Springville.

“It was really a smooth transition, they accepted me well. The main difference was the atmosphere that the players had and the want to be coached, buying into what we were trying to do and just had more of a feeling of accountability”, Derek says.

Off the court, Derek kept his academics in check and was involved with Beta Club, was a peer helper and teachers aid. After graduating from Springville, Derek decided to spend his first two years at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi.

Before becoming the star player he is today, Derek had to face a challenge that ultimately would change the course of his career. His junior year of high school, Derek would end up breaking his leg with only one year of eligibility left. Before his injury, players had to sit out for a certain amount of games throughout the season due to COVID-19 restrictions. Derek only sat out for the first three games before getting hurt in warm-ups.

That season-ending injury left him in a major slump. But then he would have a sudden change of attitude. “It was at that moment when I realized that I started taking things for granted and that everything happens for a reason you know. God puts things in your path for a reason” he says. “If an injury were to accrue or anything else going on in life, look at it as a lesson and not a loss and use it to develop in other ways of life that you never thought you’d enjoy before.”

“It was at that moment when I realized that I started taking things for granted and that everything happens for a reason you know, God puts thing in your path for a reason.”

Derek with him parents at visit to UM. Photo provided by Derek Moore

When Derek arrived at Delta state, he was already familiar with the campus due to having a good scholarship opportunity with the university. It also made it easier for his family to watch him hoop and his older brother who played football at Delta State as well. Delta State was rough for him to start off with being away from home but he had his brother and his teammates.

“They treated me like their own brother and bought into helping me around and showing me the way.” His sophomore year there, he had the opportunity to fulfill a leadership role due to his style of play.

“It was really difficult because I was trynna lead other grown men instead of guys in high school and they don’t show you the same kind of level of respect. But once you show them that you have the talent and that you know what you’re talking about, they tend to buy in and it made it a fun experience”, Derek said.

Now that he has established himself on campus, he has high expectations for himself since his coaching staff hyped him up during his recruitment process. Derke stated “the main difference with the two schools was Delta State was kind of grouped and clicked off, here the environment feels like a big family. Every student here feels more involved and encouraging, telling me stuff like, hey you played good and I enjoyed watching you play. Genially, it makes me feel good and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

He strives to be better on and off the court in ways like being involved with our TRIO and MADE program. But once he locks back in on the court, he thrives to accomplish making all-conference this year, be a post-season all conference player and an All-American before he graduates. With his talents, love for the game, and the support he receives on campus, he is likely to accomplish any goal he may have.