Moreno making most of his chance
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Alberto Moreno hasn't been the most talked about player on either of his two high school teams, but the junior point guard's stock is on the rise due to his skills and a breakout performance in front of several high major schools.
Moreno transferred from Melbourne's Florida Air Academy to Liberty Christian Prep (Tavares, Fla) this year, but he is not a native Floridian. Moreno is from the Canary Islands, he then moved to Spain when he was 15. From there, he told us, he came to the U.S in Sept. 2013.
At Florida Air Academy, Moreno didn't see much playing time; things are different at Liberty Christian.
"He's that energy guy for us," said Liberty Christian head coach Tony Atkins. "With his foot speed in the open floor he's amazing. There's a whole lot of guys that can't keep him in front of them."
The 6-foot-3, 176-pounder's coming out party came last Saturday, when he scored 30 points against Orlando Oak Ridge in front of coaches from N.C. State, Kansas, Miami, Georgia Tech, UCF and North Florida. Moreno looked to be on his way to a 40-point night before going down with cramps in the second overtime period of his team's win.
Prior to that performance, Moreno was known more for his defense and for setting up his teammates, in particular 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall (UCF), than he was for his scoring ability.
"He is a great passer," Atkins said. "He's very unselfish, we depend on him a lot to really get us going early."
Finally getting to play, and start, we asked Moreno about the transition to American style basketball.
"The first year was difficult because I played more of a Spanish style," Moreno said. "But I feel that I've adjusted to it. I'm working on everything to get better, like my shooting."
As someone who has been in the U.S. for only one year and has yet to play on the travel team circuit, Moreno has flown under the radar. But his recruitment is starting to pick up, starting with nearby programs as one might expect.
"UCF has really been in there on him," said Atkins. "South Florida has really been in there on him. Right now he's pretty new to everybody so a lot of the in-state guys are really just getting eyes on him right now."
Moreno Scouting Report:
Moreno has some flair to his game; he sees the floor and passes with the best of them. Shoots the ball well enough to keep the defense honest but is best when slashing to the basket where he can either make the tough pass on the move or finish the tough shot. He does need to get stronger and improve quickness to defend at the high-major level.
Russ Wood is a basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals.com and Inside the Gators. You can click here to follow him on Twitter..
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