The Unchosen One — Taze Moore Uses a Lack of Recognition and One Big Snub to Reach New Heights for a 29-5 Houston Team

PITTSBURGH — Not many people probably realize that Taze Moore is the only member of the University of Houston starting five who did not make any of the all-conference teams. But Moore knows. He digested the news — and has been using it as fuel ever since.

“Personally, yes,” Moore says when I ask if he feels he has something to prove. “I didn’t get no conference all-team and I just took that into this and wanted to be the best player for this team. Not for myself, but for the team and the coaches.

“Honestly, I didn’t feel like I played my best basketball this year. And to not get recognized, it made me feel a type of way,”

As if Taze Moore needed a reason to fly even higher. The super leaper with the Million Dollar Leg who UH assistant coach Kellen Sampson credits with giving the 29-5 Cougars an athletic “swagger” is one of the most explosive and creative dunkers in all of college basketball. If Moore breaks into the open floor during this NCAA Tournament, America is in for a treat.

But Moore knows his game can be much more than just SportsCenter highlights and YouTube clips shared on Twitter. Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson has drilled that home ever since the lanky athletic marvel showed up on UH’s campus as the most unheralded of the Cougars’ three transfer portal additions.

Moore is more than buying in now. He made a huge impact on the American Athletic Conference Tournament, absolutely dominating the first 10 minutes of the championship game with his defections, steals, defensive challenges from nowhere and his passing, Taze Moore seemed to be everywhere. This 6-foot-5 blur of Plastic Man arms and endless legs will occupy Memphis coach Penny Hardaway’s nightmares for some time.

“I came in here and just wanted to give it back to these guys and win,” Moore tells PaperCity.

Moore willed himself to take over the game with his unique set of skills that could rival anything Liam Neeson’s ever brought to bear. It capped an AAC Tournament run that saw Moore average 12.3 points, 6.3 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.67 steals per game.

“He’s just a complete player,” UH center Josh Carlton says when I ask about Moore. “I think he’s misunderstood. People think that he’s a dunker, energy guy. Taze is a complete player.”

He’d finally getting some recognition too, earning all-AAC tournament team honors. Moore is the only one of the five players who did who didn’t make one of the all-conference squads for the regular season.

That’s rebounding. Something Taze Moore is an expert at. A horrific right leg injury robbed him of basketball for almost two years. He went 634 days between games after shattering two bones and undergoing not one, not two, not three. . . but five surgeries on the leg. What Moore now calls his Million Dollar Leg.

Moore and his leg have found something new at Houston. A chance to be his best self on a team that still talks about going back to the Final Four and winning it amongst themselves. Team leader Fabian White Jr. calls it “winning a natty.” Of course, Taze Moore will have to be play his best basketball game after game, minute after minute, moment after moment for this depth-challenged Houston team to even have a shot at anything close to a run like that.

Starting with Houston’s first round matchup with a dangerous 27-7 UAB team on Friday night at 8:20 pm. Fortunately for the Cougars, Taze Moore happens to playing the best basketball of his life at the moment.

“We talk about (young point guard) Jamal (Shead) getting comfortable, but the guy who’s getting comfortable now is Taze,” UH assistant coach Quannas White tells PaperCity. “He’s starting to do more. . . Taze’s versatile. He can do so many things. And I think what’s happened here is Coach Sampson’s been able to tighten his game up.

“It speaks to the type of guys we have here. Taze as well. His character, buying in.”

Taze Moore Believes in Houston’s Own Yoda

Moore figures it’s the least he can do. He credits Kelvin Sampson with changing his outlook on basketball and life in general. He calls Sampson “Yoda” and marvels at the myriad of the ways that Houston’s basketball lifer of a coach teaches and pushes.

“He’s 66,” Moore says. “He’s got 43 years on me of things I don’t even know I don’t know. I’d better listen to him.”

One thing Moore does know is how important those deflections, tips and defensive challenges from nowhere are. The UH coaching staff sets a goal number for those type of plays every game. Those plays are charted with the fervor that Kanye tracks where Pete Davidson is.

“We have a number we’re trying to reach,” Moore says. “And if we don’t reach it, we get a special little punishment.” Moore grins. Kelvin Sampson’s program is definitely different from his days at Cal State Bakersfield, where he could sometimes coast on his superior gifts. Now, he’s approaching the game in a whole different way. More of a Sampson way.

Taze Moore will not be the player who’s spotlighted by the TV networks in this NCAA Tournament. But he’s anything but the forgotten fifth starter to his teammates. They know that what Moore does could determine how long their March lasts.

“Taze brings us a lot of energy with athletic plays,” UH guard Kyler Edwards says. “Being able to block shots, his huge dunks. But he is a complete player. He isn’t a dunker. He can do everything. Just having him is a big part of our success.”

Now, Moore is carrying a chip on his shoulder, perfect for a Houston program that is all about never forgetting your chip. Carlton, Edwards, Shead and Fabian White Jr. all found themselves on one of the all-conference teams. First, second or third team. Taze didn’t. And he’s not about to forget.

“Everything,” Moore says when I ask what this run means to him. “This is what I came here for. Just to be a champion. Just to be a Cougar is amazing. Especially with all the work we put in over the summer to get here.”

There’s no telling how high Taze Moore can sky now.

To learn about everything Tase Moore had to overcome to get here in Pittsburgh on college basketball’s big stage, from surgery after surgery to the grueling seemingly endless rehab and the best friend he lost to violence, read PaperCity’s complete profile from earlier this season.