Moran a catalyst to Jacobs' run

Jacobs senior John Moran is the Courier News Player of the Year for the second straight season. He will continue his playing career next year at Northern Iowa.
(Patrick Gleason/For The Courier News)

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Jacobs coach Jim Hinkle still has in his possession the game ball from the night John Moran became his school's all-time leading scorer earlier this season.

Now Hinkle has to decide whether or not to give his star player the keepsake.

"I'm really hesitant about it because to give Johnny a ball just because he's the all-time leading scorer doesn't seem right," Hinkle said. "That's not what he's about."

Moran was indeed much more than just a prolific scorer during his four varsity seasons. In addition to his record 1,918 points, he also holds 11 other individual school records -- among them the record for career assists (443), career steals (344) and career 3-pointers made (196).

But those mere statistics still don't do Moran justice.

With a competitive drive and game-time intensity unmatched by anyone in the area, Moran was the catalyst behind Jacobs' remarkable 52-5 run through the past two seasons.

The nights were few and far between when Moran wasn't the most talented player on the court, and yet he still found a way get his teammates involved, knowing that a balanced effort was better than a one-man show.

However, the most important part of Moran's legacy will likely be his tremendous leadership skills and his class-act character. As gracious in victory as he was humble in defeat, Moran set a standard for Golden Eagles players for years to come.

It's for those abundant qualities that Moran is the 2008 Courier News Player of the Year, marking the second straight year he's received the award. He joins Crown's Gary Gliesmann, Larkin's Randy Engel, Elgin's Sean Harrington and Larkin's Dayvon Ellis as the only repeat recipients of the award.

"John's intensity level permeated through our whole program," Hinkle said. "Our entire program -- the coaches and the players -- have benefitted from his being around. I just can't say enough about the kid."

Those sentiments are shared by Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson, who will welcome Moran into the Panthers' program next season.

"John just wants to win, and that competitiveness and that attitude that he'll do whatever it takes for his team to win is something that really caught our eye," Jacobson said. "Second to that, he's a great kid who comes from a terrific family. Those two things are great qualities to find in a young man."

Moran managed to finish his high school career in style in what was arguably his most impressive season.

Although his scoring average dipped a bit to 16.9 points per game after moving from shooting guard to point guard to start the year, he still managed to lead the Golden Eagles in scoring for the fourth consecutive season.

He also he dished out an area-best 7.7 assists per game while backing up his status as the most tenacious defender around by making an area-best 4.2 steals per game.

After guiding Jacobs to its second straight unbeaten run through the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division, Moran capped his senior campaign by playing through a sore left hip and willing the Golden Eagles to their first regional title in 10 years.

Making all of those accomplishments all the more impressive is the fact that Moran and Jacobs were marked as the player and team to beat in the FVC and beyond this year based on their success the previous season.

"It was cool to know that teams were out to stop me and the team," Moran said. "I think the team had a big target on its back this year. That challenges you to go out and be consistent and make sure you bring your game every single night."

With his high school career now in the past, Moran is looking forward to his next challenge.

As a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, Northern Iowa lines up against many of the top mid-major teams in the country on a consistent basis, and Moran knows there is work to be done to prepare himself for that level of play.

At 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, Moran will likely be at a size disadvantage when he arrives at Northern Iowa. However, Hinkle insists that Moran will work so hard he'll find a way to factor into the Panthers' equation.

Judging from Jacobson's comments, he and his staff are of the same mind-set.

"John's going to have an impact on our program from Day 1," Jacobson said. "He's so competitive and he's got such a good feel for how to play that we think he'll be able to come in and be a big part of what we're doing from the get-go."

Despite having so much to look forward to in his college career, Moran says he'll treasure his experiences at the high school level for a lifetime -- especially the fact that he was able to share the court at Jacobs with all three of his brothers during his four-year career.

When asked what he hopes his lasting legacy at the school will be, Moran's answer offered a glimpse into what made him so effective.

"I hope that (the younger players) take away that you've really got to be an all-around player," Moran said. "You can't just be a scorer, but you've got to play defense, distribute the ball and be a team player.

"You've just got to work as hard as you can, and if you do that then there are no regrets and good things will come out."