Sincere Moore making name for himself on both ends of court
Freshman from Matoaca leading scorer but also a force on defense.
Sincere Moore is the leading scorer (18.1 points per game) and rebounder (8.4) for the Virginia Peninsula Community College men's basketball team. He shoots almost 50% from the field and almost 40% on 3-pointers.
His coach, Chris Moore, said, "He finds ways to put the ball in the basket."
Yet Sincere Moore, who isn't related to his coach, said defense is the strongest part of his game.
"I really love playing defense," he said. "For me, my mentality is stop the person in front of me. That's really it because it kills his confidence. Now it's easier to score."
Score he does. His season high is 25 points, and it came against Sandhills Community College, the top seed in this week's Region 10 tournament at Patrick & Henry Community College in Martinsville. He has scored at least 20 or more points eight times and 19 four times, and that is when opposing teams are keying on him.
"Sincere just has all the intangibles that make up a really good basketball player," Chris Moore said. "He's 6-5. He's long. He's super athletic. He's very efficient from the field."
Sincere Moore graduated from Matoaca High School in Chesterfield in 2022. He played four years of varsity basketball for the Warriors but didn't draw any interest from colleges. He attended a post-graduate school, TPLS Christian Academy in Richmond, which played the Gators a few years ago. Sincere Moore had "40-some points" against his future team, according to Chris Moore.
Sincere Moore said he needs to work on his decision-making, his basketball IQ and his off-the-ball defense.
"Even though I say I love playing defense, I can always get better every day," he said.
His coach said his ballhandling skills need work, but at 6-foot-5 and 170 pounds, that is not Sincere Moore's most important skill.
"He just has to be able to get to his spots, which he does really well," Chris Moore said. "So, if he catches the ball anywhere underneath, anywhere in the half court, I like our chances of him getting to his spots and getting us a good look at the basket."
Sincere Moore probably is the biggest reason the Gators (13-8, 4-4 Region 10) earned the third seed in the Region 10 tournament. They will play the hosts Feb. 22 at 3:30 p.m. in the semifinals. The championship game is Feb. 23 at 3 p.m.
The Patriots are the only Region 10 team to sweep the Gators this year, although their games were close. As happened often this year, the Gators let those games slip away late. Sincere Moore said poise will be the key this weekend.
"I feel like we get too rattled when we're losing the lead or (the opponent is) coming back," he said.
He cited the regular-season finale against the Patriots, who won 71-59 by going on a 23-11 run to end the game after it was tied at 48 with 10 minutes remaining.
"I feel like we let our character get out of hand, so we just got to keep on being poised to finish the game," Sincere Moore said.
If it comes down to defense, look for Sincere Moore to be front and center.
"We've actually had him, as of recently, guarding the best player on the other team, as well as also being our leading scorer, which is a lot of work," Chris Moore said. "He's taken on that task, and I've just been super-excited to see his growth from when he got here to now."
Sincere Moore, who wants to pursue a career in information technology and become a software engineer, wants to play basketball at a four-year school. His coach, who refers to Sincere Moore as his distant cousin because his full name is Sincere Christopher Moore, says that is highly likely.
"I just think he's one of those young men that's just built to be successful," Chris Moore said. "He doesn't say much, but for somebody who has a 3.6 GPA, averaging 20 points a game and almost nine rebounds as a freshman, he deserves to be celebrated."