The in-state crop of basketball players in the Class of 2020 is one of the best in a while and is probably the deepest it has been since 2016. HawgBeat is taking a look at each prospect and talking to their coaches. Our series continues with Moses Moody…

Moses Moody

Position: Shooting guard

Size: 6-5 | 177

High school: North Little Rock

EYBL: Bradley Beal Elite 17u

Offers: Arkansas, Baylor, Florida State, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M

There is very little debate about who the crown jewel is in the 2020 in-state class. Moses Moody from North Little Rock is considered the top prospect from Arkansas pretty much across the board.

Not only that, but Moody could also make a case to be one of the top players to come out of the Natural State during the Rivals era. He is currently ranked as the No. 31 player in the country, which is tied with Daniel Gafford for fifth and behind only Malik Monk (No. 9), Archie Goodwin (No. 14), Bobby Portis (No. 15) and Ronnie Brewer (No. 29).

Despite that praise, North Little Rock head coach Johnny Rice said Moody is a very down-to-Earth kid who doesn’t act like your typical superstar.

“I was blessed to coach Anton Beard and KeVaughn Allen and he is just like them to the point where they are very humble,” Rice said. “KeVaughn was the most humble player I’ve ever seen and Moses is right there with them.

“You’d never know he was a four- or five-star player. You wouldn’t know that just talking to him and seeing his work ethic. He’s the same every day.”

Beard and Allen ended up at Arkansas and Florida, respectively, and Moody could follow them into the SEC with Arkansas, Missouri, Ole Miss and Texas A&M among his 11 offers.

College coaches who have talked to Rice about him have spent just as much time talking about Moody away from the game as what he does on the court.

“They love what kind of teammate he is and love his size and ability to score,” Rice said. “One of the biggest things for him is he has a 4.0 GPA. They know he’s going to be a qualifier. It’s somebody they can put a lot of effort and time into and know it’s not going to be wasted.”

On the court, Rice said Moody has some of their traits – like Beard’s toughness and Allen’s athleticism – but the thing that sets him apart is his size. He is 6-foot-5 and could still grow another inch.

“Moses brings a little bit of all of that,” Rice said. “I think his ceiling and reaching his potential could be higher than both of them because of his size.”

As a sophomore at North Little Rock, he averaged 18.8 points and 7.3 rebounds and helped his team beat Arkansas signee Isaiah Joe and Fort Smith Northside in the Class 7A state championship game.

Moody is also a solid defender capable of defending anyone, from big men to point guards, at the high school level. However, his ability to score is what stands out in his game.

“His biggest plus is how he shoots the basketball,” Rice said. “I never remember him having an off day shooting it. He can score at all three levels. Your elite players can do that and he can do that.”

During their individual meeting after the season, Rice said he and Moody agreed that one area of his game that could use some work is his ball handling against pressure defense. He could also improve in the weight room in terms of strength and athleticism.

Rice is confident he will get better in those areas because of what he’s seen from him in practices already at this stage of his career.

“He’s the first one in the gym and the last one to leave,” Rice said. “He always wants to put in the extra work. He wants to do the little things to be elite, the sacrifices with time and work.

“As the season went on, he could do things for us toward the end of the year that he couldn’t do at the beginning of the year. Now what he’s doing in his summer stuff, he’s going to blow up.”