![]() ![]() Moore, who went on to play at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, still has mementos from his All “A” days. “I never got to play in Rupp Arena, but I won an essay-writing contest and got to walk out on the floor during a state tournament game,” he said. Owsley County didn’t make it to the KHSAA Sweet Sixteen that season, but Moore did get a consolation prize. “Every kid growing up in Kentucky, it was their dream to play there,” Moore said. Playing in the Coliseum, where legends such as Cotton Nash, Pat Riley, Louie Dampier and Dan Issel once took the court, was the chance of a lifetime. “He immediately went to the Big Dipper, told him what he had done and apologized.” “And Bryan did what he was supposed to do,” Moore said. He was an avid booster and fan of mountain high school sports, so he took it all in stride. The car belonged to Richard Blount of Hazard, better known as the Big Dipper. The water bomb landed on a car and shattered the windshield. Moore remembers an incident that qualified as high-school hijinks.īryan Dean, his buddy and teammate, decided to drop a trash bag full of water from the second floor of their hotel onto the parking lot. Getting to stay in a Lexington hotel for several days and getting to play in hallowed Memorial Coliseum were bonuses. “It was magical week right up to the point where we lost,” Moore said. The first All “A” Classic program included trading cards of some of the top players in the tournament, including Jeff Moore of Owsley County.Īlas, Owsley County lost to UHA 75-59 in the title game despite Moore’s 29 points and 9 rebounds. They edged Maysville 60-56 in the semifinals, led by Moore’s 33 points and 13 rebounds. ![]() They clipped Harlan 74-70 in the quarterfinals, with Moore going for 32 points and 19 rebounds. They beat Lexington Catholic 55-50 in the first round, with Moore getting 21 points and 9 rebounds. Moore and his teammates, including Bryan Dean, Harold Creech, Jason Cope, Craig Marshall and Paul Green, made the most of their All “A” opportunity. Nothing compares to mountain basketball and the passion people have for it.” “Growing up in a small town (Booneville) was like Hoosiers. I think there were more people rooting for us in the Coliseum than there were in the whole county. “What was really cool was how the whole county got behind us. Moore, 46, is now a commercial airline pilot who, when he’s not flying out of Chicago for regular trips to China and Japan, lives in Wisconsin with his wife and 4½-year-old daughter.īut he can still clearly recall what a wonderful week it was that winter three decades ago. Jeff “Moose” Moore received the All “A” Classic’s MVP award from Lexington Mayor Scotty Baesler after leading Owsley County to the finals in 1990. ![]()
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