Senior Spotlight: Q&A with Bobby Moorehead

Prior to the conclusion fo the 2018-19 men's basketball season, Glenn Junkert of GoGriz.com sat with each departing senior to reflect on his Montana career, his favorite memories and more. Junkert's entire senior feature about the players' continued focus on academics and athletics can be found online.

Bobby Moorehead / Tacoma, Wash.

On developing into Montana's defensive stopper: This is definitely not how I would have pictured it would go down. I think my role is a lot different than I'd envisioned it being out of high school. I scored a lot of points during my high school career and I thought that's what I was going to do when I got here. I shot pretty well from three my freshman year, and I think our team needed shooting. But as a sophomore I didn't shoot very well, so in order to keep on the floor I had to morph my game into a game where I had to play defense. Now we don't really have plays drawn for me since I'm not a top-four option when I'm on the floor. As a freshman, if you told me that, I probably wouldn't have come here; just being honest, that's the truth. But now, I love my role. It's who I am, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I remember going into Coach DeCuire's office a few times since I wasn't shooting well, and so I started losing minutes. Then, toward the end of the year, I started playing better on defense and that's when I got my starting job back. That's about when I started taking pride in my defense, and so that summer we talked in meetings about defense with coaches. I realized there's always minutes on the court for a guy who's going to guard. I decided that could be my role, and I took it and I've accepted that role, and every day try to do the best in that role. Sometimes it's hard because you see other guys getting all the attention and getting points. That bothered me a little bit early on, but not anymore. I love my role now and wouldn't have it any other way. I think it's a sort of a pre-game decision to get ready for a game and knowing that it's OK knowing that you're not scoring the ball and that you can control your efforts on the defensive end, whereas you can't always control scoring the ball. In truth, you can control your defensive effort almost always. Play hard and it usually works out.

On his favorite Griz Hoops memories: Obviously, going to the NCAA tournament is my top memory. There's no feeling like that in hoops; it's pretty crazy. I talked to people who hadn't talked to me in 15 years, texting me and encouraging me. And the way we did it… the game against Northern Colorado last year was probably the craziest game I've ever been a part of. Just to come out of that game on top and to know we had another game to play was kind of wild. That whole tournament last year, we could have lost all three games, but we won all three, and so that's my best memory of all time. The other thing is getting to know these guys on this team and meeting some of the very best people.

On his relationship with his teammates: All the guys on this team are awesome, but I've roomed with Mike (Oguine) ever since we've been freshmen. When we first came here, in the dorms and then in an apartment, we've roomed together and he's been one of my better friends on the team, and it's been awesome. And Jamar (Akoh), since Jamar's been here, he's been one of my good buddies, just one of the best dudes I know.

On his relationship with the Montana coaches: Our coaches have been amazing. They've been really good to us and they care about us. I'm almost positive players don't get that in many other places because it's a business. It is a business here, too but more than anything else, our coaches really care about us. Even if we're not winning, they care about academics, they care about you outside basketball, that you're doing the right thing. I'm going to talk to these guys the rest of my life. Travis (DeCuire) taught me a lot of lessons, and I'm really grateful that I chose to come here, especially because of the coaching staff as well as the players.

On his experience as a business marketing major: I've really benefited from classes here at UM. There have been several who have been awesome, but my business law teacher, professor Michael Harrington, was awesome. He was always a big fan of ours. It was a really hard class, but he really took pride in his teaching, and I really respect that when a teacher really cares, because when a teacher really cares it makes you care a little bit more.

On the role his faith plays in his life: My dad's actually a pastor, so I was raised in a Christian home. It wasn't until I got here that I started considering things on my own. At first it's kind of hard, you know deciding that I have a personal choice. At first it was kind of hard, then you work through things and then realizing that one of the best things that has happened to me since I got here is my faith. I've met a lot of people here, I get coffee every Friday morning with three other dudes and do a little study. Some of the guys on the team meet before games, coach Rachi (Wortham) and Donaven (Dorsey) and Freddy (Brown) and a few other guys will come and we'll do a 10-minute study before every home game. So that's been really cool.

On his post-Montana goals: I still really don't know what I'm going to do after I graduate. Everybody keeps asking me that, but I'm not super focused on that right now. I'm not really stressed over it right now, but it's not really in my control and I really want to focus on basketball right now. And I recently got engaged and we're going to get married this summer or next fall. So (grin) winning the championship and getting married are the first two things. I have thought about finding a job. I don't know if I want to return to Tacoma, or look around here or somewhere else. It took me awhile for me to get used to Missoula, but I really love it now. It's been good to me.

Head coach Travis DeCuire on Moorehead: I think certain kids fit certain coaches, so it's important for a young man, when he picks a school, to find a program that's about what he's about, but also finds a coaching staff that has a personality that fits him. A lot of times they ignore that, and that's why they transfer so much. I think Bob fits me; he's stubborn. He's going to do things his way sometimes, but his intent is on the same page as everyone else. He wants to win, probably more than everybody else in the gym. He's got a chip on his shoulder that helps him over-achieve, which fits me. You don't have to agree with me, ever. But we've got to be on the same page, and when the lights come on compete. If you do that, you can play for me, and that's Bob.

Bob has not missed a game or a practice. Bob's got a level of toughness that I don't know that anyone else in our program has reached. We have tough and committed kids, but – he's been banged up a few times and I've told him 'Take this drill off. Take this day off.' You turn around, and you look back and Bob's on the floor. That's how he is when the lights go on. That's how he is with school, that's how he is with everything in life.

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