Standout Freshman Leaving Illinois State
By: WMBD/WYZZ-TV STAFF
Updated: May 9, 2012
WMBD/WYZZ-TV - NORMAL, Ill. -- Illinois State just filled a hole by hiring a new coach. Now there's another hole to fill.
ISU point guard Nic Moore has been granted his release and will be transferring from the Redbird men's basketball program, the university announced Wednesday. The move comes one day after ISU introduced Dan Muller as its coach.
Moore says he wants to transfer to a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) program. BCS schools are those in the Big Ten, Big 12, Atlantic Coast, Big East, Pac 12 and Southeastern Conferences.
"As soon as Coach (Tim) Jankovich left, I made up my mind and knew I wanted to go play for a BCS program," Moore said in a statement. "It didn't matter who was going to be the head coach. My decision had already been made."
Jankovich, the coach who recruited Moore to ISU, left the Redbirds last month to become the associate coach at Southern Methodist University.
Moore surged at the end of the season, scoring at least 20 points in each of the Redbirds' final three games. The 5-9 guard from Winona Lake, Ind. averaged 10 points per game for the season and led the team with 135 assists in being named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman team.
On May 3, Moore sent an email to Illinois State Director of Athletics Gary Friedman asking to discuss his release. However, with the hiring and announcement of a new head coach, the release process was not started and granted until Wednesday.
"As a proud alumnus and new head coach here at Illinois State, I appreciate all Nic did for this program on-and-off the court," Muller said. "I have really enjoyed getting to know Nic over the past couple of days and wish him nothing but the best of luck."
It is unknown to which BCS school Moore will be transferring.
