My All-Time Favorite Players: 12th - Armani Moore

Armani Moore was never the tallest or quickest on the court, but the size of his heart and his hustle worked to his advantage. At 6'4" and 217 pounds, Moore was typically undersized when he ventured into the post. Still, he always made a concerted effort to block shots on the defensive end and became a better 3-point shooter as he career progressed. These are some of the reasons why he became a fan-favorite during his 4-year stint in Knoxville.

In his freshman season, he showed that his future was bright, with his ability to grab rebounds efficiently. In a January win over Mississippi State, his 11 rebounds highlighted his performance of 4 points, 4 assists, 3 steals and a block. Then, at Ole Miss, he led Tennessee in rebounds (8), assists (3) and blocks (3). Armani saw action in 30 games as a freshman, including 16 starts. While playing in 13.2 minutes per game, he averaged 2.4 points per game (PPG) and 2.6 rebounds per game (RPG). He was tied for fourth on the team with 5 drawn charges, and also ranked fourth on the team in 2 other categories, recording 18 blocks and 17 steals.

As a sophomore, Moore's stats did not skyrocket, but they increased, nonetheless. In a matchup against Ole Miss, he accounted for 3 incredible blocks, as he showed what he was truly capable of on the defensive end. Early on in his career, Armani did not receive extended minutes, but he always made the most of them. Against Mississippi State, he played just 19 minutes, but still produced 8 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. In his second season, he played in 33 games, with 3.1 PPG, 2.2 RPG in 12.9 minutes per game. He shot .470 from the field on the year, while finishing fourth on the team with 20 blocks.

It did not take Vol fans long to see that Armani had drastically improved during the offseason between his sophomore and junior seasons. In Tennessee's home-opener, he was scoreless at halftime, but finished with 11 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks versus Texas Southern. Moore was terrific in the 2014 Orlando Classic. Against Santa Clara, he logged 18 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, while making 10-12 free throw attempts. Then, three days later against Marquette, Armani posted his first career double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds, to finish off a great tournament. Later, against Kansas State, his 5 assists and 5 blocks highlighted a very productive game. As the Vols upset No. 15 Butler, Moore recorded 9 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals. On New Year's Eve of 2014, he nearly posted a triple-double, as he posted 13 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists in a victory over ETSU. His fourth career double-double came in his performance against Auburn, as he scored 19 points to go along with 13 rebounds. Moore could not be stopped in SEC play. In a matchup with Ole Miss, he was outstanding, leading Tennessee in points (15), rebounds (9), assists (5), blocks (2) and steals (2). Later, in an away game against Florida, he shot magnificently from the field, making 8 of his 9 field goals for a total of 18 points. Armani started all 32 games as a junior, while recording 10.3 PPG and 6.8 RPG. Throughout his first 2 seasons on Rocky Top, he never scored in double figures. In his junior year though, he accomplished this feat 16 times. He led the team with 4 double-doubles, and had the seventh-best single-season offensive rebound total in Tennessee history, with 2.84 per game.

Armani's senior year was incredible. He finished his career in style, keeping fans on the edge of their seats all year, in anticipation for his next highlight. Early in the season, he dominated in a win over Georgia Tech, finishing with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks and 4 steals. His first double-double as a senior came in a 15-point, 16-rebound effort against Gardner-Webb. He scored career-high 29 points came against Army, while he added 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 blocks. He took over the game against LSU, filling the stat sheet with 17 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks. Yeah, he had a tendency to do it all at times. His clutch 3-pointer helped the Vols upset 5-seed Vanderbilt in the second round of the SEC Tournament. He started in all 33 games for Tennessee as a senior. He scored 12.2 PPG and averaged 7.6 RPG, as well as dishing out 4.1 assists per game, all while playing 32.7 minutes per game. Additionally, his 54 blocked shots in his senior year is the fourth-most ever for a single season at Tennessee. 11 of his 25 career charges came in his final season, while 6 of his 10 career double-doubles came as a senior. Armani scored 907 points, grabbed 617 rebound, blocked 131 shots in his 128-game career at Tennessee. He is the thirteenth player in the Vols' history to reach at least 100 career blocked shots.

One of my favorite things about Armani was his ability to block shots. He was an extremely humble kid, but whenever he came up with a rejection, he showed great emotion, in order to bring fans in Thompson-Boling to their feet. Again, he was never the biggest dude on the court, but that just made it more exciting when he would win battles down in the post. Basketball is obviously a team sport, but Moore is solely responsible for several of the Vols' big wins, thanks to his ability to dive after lose balls, block shots, come up with offensive rebounds, and find open teammates. Still, no matter what he did on the court, my favorite moment with Armani was when I took a selfie with him after a game. He will go down as an all-time great Vol, and finds himself at number 12 on my list of favorite players.