Wouldn’t every team like to have a player like Homewood-Flossmoor’s Jenesis Moore?
Let’s see. A high-motor sophomore guard who can disrupt an opponent’s offensive flow and score in double digits, all while coming off the bench?
Of course they would. And coach Tony Smith is grateful to have her talents at the ready.
“Jenesis could probably be our best guard, if she chooses to,” Smith said. “She has all the tools. She has good DNA. Once she gets that windup, do-it-all game, she’s another kid who’s going to be tough.
“She’s got a lot of talent and a lot of potential, and my job as a coach is to get it all out of her, which is what I’m trying to do.”
Moore showed why she’s becoming another offensive force to be reckoned for the Vikings in Tuesday’s 67-42 SouthWest Suburban Blue victory over host Sandburg in Orland Park.
The 5-foot-5 Moore came off the bench to score 11 points, including a key early 3-pointer, and added a couple of steals for H-F (17-7, 5-2).
Sandburg (15-12, 1-5) got six points apiece from four players — senior forward Juliana Paddock, senior guard Annie Driscoll, junior guard Olivia Prodoehl and sophomore guard Zoe Trunk.
Performances like Moore’s will endear her to her teammates, including senior guard Layla Pierce, who led all scorers with 19 points, including five 3-pointers.
“Even in big games, her coming off the bench, she brings energy,” Pierce said. “She’s watching the game go by, so when she comes in, she’s really locked in.
“She helps us a lot running and playing defense and putting points on the board.”
Standing next to Pierce was Moore, who looked awfully humble while Pierce was gushing over her.
“You’re supposed to be,” she said, eliciting a chuckle from Pierce.
Moore is an observant sort, so she spent the first several minutes surveying what Sandburg was up to, then came in and immediately knocked down a 3-pointer that capped a 15-0 run.
In other words, she came, she saw, she conquered.
“I just knew that I had to attack and be on kill mode when I came in the game,” Moore said. “Not being cocky, but they weren’t able to guard us, so I knew we had to do that to get the job done.”
The nature of a bench player is nuanced. Sure, Moore’s responsibility against Sandburg was to come on and score, but that was there. Other nights, it’s different.
“It depends on the game, really,” she said. “Every game, our role is different. In some games, I have to score, and in some games, I have to defend.”
The fun part of coaching for Smith is to see the potential of a player like Moore and help her fulfill that.
She was a spot starter for the Vikings as a freshman, and that was just a prelude to what was to come. With Pierce and fellow senior guard Jaeda Murphy graduating, the future could be really bright.
“I don’t want to see her be an average player or an OK player,” Smith said. “I want to see that potential to be one of the better guards in her class, and I think she can do that.”
Moore feels all that and appreciates the effort, although she does point out she’s still growing as a player.
The potential Moore is showing could propel her into college basketball, something she has her eye on after completing her journey at H-F.
“I think about playing basketball in college,” she said. “I don’t know where yet, but I know I want to do it.”
Gregg Voss is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
