From the South Side of Chicago to a free education at Cal-Berkeley, Morgan Park point guard Charlie Moore announced on Wednesday that he will be taking this exact next step after committing to the Golden Bears’ basketball program. The 6-foot natural scorer was once a Memphis-commit, ultimately opening up his recruitment again after Josh Pastner left the Tigers program this spring to take the head coach position at Georgia Tech.
More from the Chicago Tribune:
Mr. Basketball has a new home.
Morgan Park senior guard Charlie Moore committed to California on Wednesday night. He committed to Memphis on Nov. 12 before reopening his recruitment on April 8 after Josh Pastner left to coach Georgia Tech.
“It’s a big relief to get it over with,” Moore said. “A lot of stuff happened, and it was definitely hard, but in the end I’m going to a great school and it worked out great.”
Moore said his familiarity with California coach Cuonzo Martin and his staff helped him pick the Golden Bears.
“I just had a great relationship with them,” Moore said. “They recruited me since the first go-round and they never really stopped. They’re trustful, truthful, and they’ve been that way since Day 1.”
Moore, a 6-foot point guard, is the top senior prospect in Illinois and No. 71 in the nation according to 247Sports.com’s composite rankings. He joins a talented Cal squad that features center Ivan Rabb, who unexpectely returned to Berkeley despite being a top NBA prospect. The Bears were 23-11 in 2015-16 and lost in the NCAA tournament’s round of 64.
“I’m definitely excited to play with those guys,” Moore said. “I think we can win Pac-12 championships and have a shot at a national championship.”
He averaged 28 points per game this season for Morgan Park, which was ranked No. 1 in the Tribune Top 20 for most of the season but was upset in a Class 3A supersectional against Lincoln-Way West.
