Photo by: Tommy Martino/UM Athletics
Moody finds home at Montana
10/21/2022 1:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
There is something that immediately stands out when you meet Aanen Moody. It isn't the long hair that he has pulled back into a ponytail, or the bright smile that seemingly never disappears. It's not the silky smooth jump shot, which has generated thousands of points and more made baskets than you could count. In fact, it isn't a physical characteristic at all.
The thing that stands out is what he talks about the second you ask him a question: his love for family.
It isn't something unique to Moody, one of Montana men's basketball's newest transfer portal additions. But it is something that drives the decisions in his life. His family ties have molded the morals that guide him. And, as a father of one with another child on the way, it helped lead him down the road that now sees him in Missoula, preparing for his final collegiate basketball season.
It's been a long road, but one worth every step. It doesn't start at Southern Utah, where Moody won a Big Sky championship in 2020-21 while losing just four games. To get the full picture of Moody you have to go all the way back to Dickinson, North Dakota, in the early 2000s, when a 6 year old made a decision that shaped the course of his life.
Hockey is the sport in North Dakota, and it's one that Moody grew up playing. His family was all involved in athletics. His parents coached the Dickinson State volleyball team, winning multiple national championships that led to his father, Dave, being elected to the NAIA Hall of Fame.
His brother Nate - six years Aanen's elder - excelled in sports growing up, which eventually led him to a decorated career playing football at North Dakota State. His older sister Ali gravitated to volleyball and turned that into a scholarship, also at North Dakota State.
Dave Moody also worked as a teacher. One night, as Aanen sat with him in his office grading papers, the 6 year old made a decision wise beyond his years. He chose basketball. He had access to gyms year-round. He had the support of his family. And, crucially, he had the determination to be the best he could possibly be. He forgot about hockey, forgot about football or track and field, and poured all his time into hoops.
"I went to the gym every single day from 4 until 9 o'clock," Moody said. "I played with the kids my age. When they left, I played with the middle schoolers. When they left, I tried to play with the high schoolers. They wouldn't always let me play, but it just became a lifestyle."
The hours didn't go to waste. As Moody's older siblings graduated high school and went on to their collegiate careers, he was in the gym working on becoming the best scorer in North Dakota's history.
Moody scored 2,139 points in his career, averaging over 30 per game as a senior. He had multiple 50-point games on his way to becoming Mr. Basketball in North Dakota and also earning back-to-back Gatorade Player of the Year honors.
As it came time to decide where to play collegiately, there seemed to be a path laid out for him. But despite how much love and respect he had for his older siblings, Moody blazed his own trail. He instead went to rival North Dakota, then a member of the Big Sky Conference.
To say athletics are important to the Moody family would be an understatement. For a family of coaches, who raised three college athletes, sports, and the lessons they offer, can show you how to live your life.
"My whole family, our morals are predicated on the life lessons that you can take from the adversity you go through in athletics," Moody said. "You go through things in such an acute form, where in real life it might take years and years for you to go through this trial and then learn from it. In athletics, it could be a day, a week, a month where you go through this struggle and have to come out on the other side."
At North Dakota, he quickly found a role as a scorer off the bench. His freshman year he averaged nearly 10 points per game while making over 40 percent of his three-point attempts. His sophomore season brought with it injuries and a tough decision.
He left UND, rejoining the Big Sky with a move to an up-and-coming Southern Utah team. In his first year with the Thunderbirds, they made a run to a regular season championship behind a 20-4 overall record. The next year, Southern Utah finished second in the Big Sky. Both seasons ended abruptly at the Big Sky Conference tournament.
As Southern Utah prepared for a move to the WAC, Moody had a major decision of his own to make. Just like so much else in his life, it came down to family. Moody and his wife Gabby are expecting a child. With thoughts of moving closer to home, he entered his name into the transfer portal.
He had several schools in mind and, he will admit, "Montana didn't seem like a good option." He had played against the Grizzlies before, but while western Montana was closer to his home than Cedar City, it still put a lot of miles between Moody and his family. Then he visited Missoula. After that, he was sold.
Sure, the winning culture, facilities, potential teammates, those all helped make the decision easier. After all, he watched as Montana cut down the nets in Reno in 2018. Then again in 2019 in Boise. For someone who has always wanted to compete in the NCAA Tournament, that stuck with him.
But the aspect of his visit that sealed the deal was the coaching staff. They provided welcoming feedback to him about his family. They related to him, as many have young kids of their own. The entire situation made him feel like his family wouldn't be stuck all alone.
"When it comes to missing time because of the baby, it's not something that at my old program any of those coaches could relate to," Moody said. "I wouldn't know how to negotiate that. But here, it's like they are pushing me to take time off because of how important that is because they've been through it."
He was sold on Montana. The coaching staff was also sold on Moody. He fit a need for a team that experienced significant turnover in the transfer portal. The Grizzlies finished in the bottom four of the Big Sky in threes made and scoring offense. Moody can help provide both.
The three-point shooting ability (Moody made 47 percent from deep in Big Sky play last season) isn't the only attribute that head coach Travis DeCuire and his coaching staff liked in Moody. They see him as far more than just a scorer.
"Statistically, (his three-point shooting) does jump out. Guys that can make threes are always going to be important," DeCuire said. "You can never have too many of those guys, especially at the guard position.
"But his versatility is the biggest thing for us that stood out on both sides of the ball. He can guard multiple positions. He's tough. He's physical. Good rebounder from the guard position. These were all things we needed to improve upon, and then he's just driven competitively which also generates more wins than not."
The progression of Moody's game has taken years. The hours in the gym countless. As the all-time leading scorer in North Dakota high school history, it would be easy to hang his hat on his scoring ability and know that's enough for him to have a successful college career.
Moody has bigger dreams than that. He wants to continue his playing career after college. In order to do that, he realized he had aspects of his game that he needed to work on. It started at Southern Utah, where he played with several high-level, ball-dominant guards. He knew that defense and passing would be crucial if he wanted time in the rotation.
So, every summer he added new skills to his game. He watched players like Steve Nash, Trae Young, John Stockton. His game started to grow.
"Up to my time in high school and my first couple of years in college, the only way I was able to impact the game was to shoot the ball. I wanted to complete my game, to round my game," Moody said. "Now coming here, the coaching staff has given me the opportunity to play freely with the ball so I can see those skillsets shine."
The Montana coaching staff has taken notice of his efforts. Moody said his passing ability also surprised his new Montana teammates when he arrived. DeCuire and his staff had seen Moody play for several years, but having him in the gym on a day-to-day basis has shown them new aspects to his game.
"We realized that there is more that he has to offer than maybe we thought in terms of his playmaking ability," DeCuire said. "I wasn't sure if he could play point, and he's jumped right in and been competitive at that position for us which allows some other guys to be aggressive and play their game."
Moody hopes that it all works out to his plan. He should see a significant role for a Montana team looking to make its way back to the top of the Big Sky this year. He doesn't have any specific numbers in mind for himself, he said. He just wants to cut down the nets come March.
After that, hopefully he can continue his playing career professionally. There is a long list of former Grizzlies playing professionally – Martin Breunig, Sayeed Pridgett, Michael Oguine and many others – but for Moody there is a specific person that he looks up to as inspiration.
He's done so since watching him play in high school, Moody then just a young kid with big dreams. The "twin towers" came to town. Brian and Brent Qvale. Brian should need no introduction to Grizzly fans. One of the best centers in Montana history grew up in Williston, North Dakota – just a two-hour drive from Dickinson.
Qvale was the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year in 2010-11. He has the career record for blocks and is top 10 in rebounding, while also scoring over 1,000 career points. He played in an NCAA Tournament, and he has put together a long and impressive career playing overseas.
Qvale provided just another figure in Moody's life to show that he can do it. He can make it big. His brother did it. His sister, too. Now, he's at the same school as one of his childhood idols, hoping to follow in his footsteps.
"Being successful has a completely different definition when you're from Dickinson, North Dakota. Being successful is just playing a college sport, or going to college, or just making it out of the city," Moody said. "But I just knew that there was more for me when I saw my brother do those things, when I saw my sister do the exact same things.
"Guys like (Qvale) just inspired me and gave me a new idea of what was possible, which inspired me to work harder."
Athletics provided him a way out. His route includes many stops. Now, as his college career enters its final year, he also prepares for another major life moment with the birth of a new child. He feels like Montana is the place he is supposed to be.
It can be hard at times, but he has the support of his wife Gabby, who ran track for North Dakota State and understands the grind of athletics. He has his family, who as he says are now a car ride instead of a plane ticket away. And he has his new family, the Montana men's team and coaching staff, who understand his situation and will be with him every step of the way.
He plans on raising his children with the same morals he grew up on. The lessons to be learned from competing, from winning and losing, from working as hard as you can to be successful at what you do. They have a good role model in their dad.
His 3 year old is already dunking on a mini hoop. He's celebrating made shots in dramatic fashion. But his favorite thing? It's to be in the gym with his dad, watching him do what he's poured so many hours into. Moody should have another chance to compete for a Big Sky championship this season. He will have an extended role and a chance to show the abilities he's spent his summers working to expand.
The feeling of fatherhood, though. Watching your children take after your passions? Moody says it can't be beat.
"It just, honestly, it brings a tear to your eye when you see your kid having passion for something that you love so much and that has done so much for you."
The thing that stands out is what he talks about the second you ask him a question: his love for family.
It isn't something unique to Moody, one of Montana men's basketball's newest transfer portal additions. But it is something that drives the decisions in his life. His family ties have molded the morals that guide him. And, as a father of one with another child on the way, it helped lead him down the road that now sees him in Missoula, preparing for his final collegiate basketball season.
It's been a long road, but one worth every step. It doesn't start at Southern Utah, where Moody won a Big Sky championship in 2020-21 while losing just four games. To get the full picture of Moody you have to go all the way back to Dickinson, North Dakota, in the early 2000s, when a 6 year old made a decision that shaped the course of his life.
Hockey is the sport in North Dakota, and it's one that Moody grew up playing. His family was all involved in athletics. His parents coached the Dickinson State volleyball team, winning multiple national championships that led to his father, Dave, being elected to the NAIA Hall of Fame.
His brother Nate - six years Aanen's elder - excelled in sports growing up, which eventually led him to a decorated career playing football at North Dakota State. His older sister Ali gravitated to volleyball and turned that into a scholarship, also at North Dakota State.
Dave Moody also worked as a teacher. One night, as Aanen sat with him in his office grading papers, the 6 year old made a decision wise beyond his years. He chose basketball. He had access to gyms year-round. He had the support of his family. And, crucially, he had the determination to be the best he could possibly be. He forgot about hockey, forgot about football or track and field, and poured all his time into hoops.
"I went to the gym every single day from 4 until 9 o'clock," Moody said. "I played with the kids my age. When they left, I played with the middle schoolers. When they left, I tried to play with the high schoolers. They wouldn't always let me play, but it just became a lifestyle."
The hours didn't go to waste. As Moody's older siblings graduated high school and went on to their collegiate careers, he was in the gym working on becoming the best scorer in North Dakota's history.
Moody scored 2,139 points in his career, averaging over 30 per game as a senior. He had multiple 50-point games on his way to becoming Mr. Basketball in North Dakota and also earning back-to-back Gatorade Player of the Year honors.
As it came time to decide where to play collegiately, there seemed to be a path laid out for him. But despite how much love and respect he had for his older siblings, Moody blazed his own trail. He instead went to rival North Dakota, then a member of the Big Sky Conference.
To say athletics are important to the Moody family would be an understatement. For a family of coaches, who raised three college athletes, sports, and the lessons they offer, can show you how to live your life.
"My whole family, our morals are predicated on the life lessons that you can take from the adversity you go through in athletics," Moody said. "You go through things in such an acute form, where in real life it might take years and years for you to go through this trial and then learn from it. In athletics, it could be a day, a week, a month where you go through this struggle and have to come out on the other side."
At North Dakota, he quickly found a role as a scorer off the bench. His freshman year he averaged nearly 10 points per game while making over 40 percent of his three-point attempts. His sophomore season brought with it injuries and a tough decision.
He left UND, rejoining the Big Sky with a move to an up-and-coming Southern Utah team. In his first year with the Thunderbirds, they made a run to a regular season championship behind a 20-4 overall record. The next year, Southern Utah finished second in the Big Sky. Both seasons ended abruptly at the Big Sky Conference tournament.
As Southern Utah prepared for a move to the WAC, Moody had a major decision of his own to make. Just like so much else in his life, it came down to family. Moody and his wife Gabby are expecting a child. With thoughts of moving closer to home, he entered his name into the transfer portal.
He had several schools in mind and, he will admit, "Montana didn't seem like a good option." He had played against the Grizzlies before, but while western Montana was closer to his home than Cedar City, it still put a lot of miles between Moody and his family. Then he visited Missoula. After that, he was sold.
Sure, the winning culture, facilities, potential teammates, those all helped make the decision easier. After all, he watched as Montana cut down the nets in Reno in 2018. Then again in 2019 in Boise. For someone who has always wanted to compete in the NCAA Tournament, that stuck with him.
But the aspect of his visit that sealed the deal was the coaching staff. They provided welcoming feedback to him about his family. They related to him, as many have young kids of their own. The entire situation made him feel like his family wouldn't be stuck all alone.
"When it comes to missing time because of the baby, it's not something that at my old program any of those coaches could relate to," Moody said. "I wouldn't know how to negotiate that. But here, it's like they are pushing me to take time off because of how important that is because they've been through it."
He was sold on Montana. The coaching staff was also sold on Moody. He fit a need for a team that experienced significant turnover in the transfer portal. The Grizzlies finished in the bottom four of the Big Sky in threes made and scoring offense. Moody can help provide both.
The three-point shooting ability (Moody made 47 percent from deep in Big Sky play last season) isn't the only attribute that head coach Travis DeCuire and his coaching staff liked in Moody. They see him as far more than just a scorer.
"Statistically, (his three-point shooting) does jump out. Guys that can make threes are always going to be important," DeCuire said. "You can never have too many of those guys, especially at the guard position.
"But his versatility is the biggest thing for us that stood out on both sides of the ball. He can guard multiple positions. He's tough. He's physical. Good rebounder from the guard position. These were all things we needed to improve upon, and then he's just driven competitively which also generates more wins than not."
The progression of Moody's game has taken years. The hours in the gym countless. As the all-time leading scorer in North Dakota high school history, it would be easy to hang his hat on his scoring ability and know that's enough for him to have a successful college career.
Moody has bigger dreams than that. He wants to continue his playing career after college. In order to do that, he realized he had aspects of his game that he needed to work on. It started at Southern Utah, where he played with several high-level, ball-dominant guards. He knew that defense and passing would be crucial if he wanted time in the rotation.
So, every summer he added new skills to his game. He watched players like Steve Nash, Trae Young, John Stockton. His game started to grow.
"Up to my time in high school and my first couple of years in college, the only way I was able to impact the game was to shoot the ball. I wanted to complete my game, to round my game," Moody said. "Now coming here, the coaching staff has given me the opportunity to play freely with the ball so I can see those skillsets shine."
The Montana coaching staff has taken notice of his efforts. Moody said his passing ability also surprised his new Montana teammates when he arrived. DeCuire and his staff had seen Moody play for several years, but having him in the gym on a day-to-day basis has shown them new aspects to his game.
"We realized that there is more that he has to offer than maybe we thought in terms of his playmaking ability," DeCuire said. "I wasn't sure if he could play point, and he's jumped right in and been competitive at that position for us which allows some other guys to be aggressive and play their game."
Moody hopes that it all works out to his plan. He should see a significant role for a Montana team looking to make its way back to the top of the Big Sky this year. He doesn't have any specific numbers in mind for himself, he said. He just wants to cut down the nets come March.
After that, hopefully he can continue his playing career professionally. There is a long list of former Grizzlies playing professionally – Martin Breunig, Sayeed Pridgett, Michael Oguine and many others – but for Moody there is a specific person that he looks up to as inspiration.
He's done so since watching him play in high school, Moody then just a young kid with big dreams. The "twin towers" came to town. Brian and Brent Qvale. Brian should need no introduction to Grizzly fans. One of the best centers in Montana history grew up in Williston, North Dakota – just a two-hour drive from Dickinson.
Qvale was the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year in 2010-11. He has the career record for blocks and is top 10 in rebounding, while also scoring over 1,000 career points. He played in an NCAA Tournament, and he has put together a long and impressive career playing overseas.
Qvale provided just another figure in Moody's life to show that he can do it. He can make it big. His brother did it. His sister, too. Now, he's at the same school as one of his childhood idols, hoping to follow in his footsteps.
"Being successful has a completely different definition when you're from Dickinson, North Dakota. Being successful is just playing a college sport, or going to college, or just making it out of the city," Moody said. "But I just knew that there was more for me when I saw my brother do those things, when I saw my sister do the exact same things.
"Guys like (Qvale) just inspired me and gave me a new idea of what was possible, which inspired me to work harder."
Athletics provided him a way out. His route includes many stops. Now, as his college career enters its final year, he also prepares for another major life moment with the birth of a new child. He feels like Montana is the place he is supposed to be.
It can be hard at times, but he has the support of his wife Gabby, who ran track for North Dakota State and understands the grind of athletics. He has his family, who as he says are now a car ride instead of a plane ticket away. And he has his new family, the Montana men's team and coaching staff, who understand his situation and will be with him every step of the way.
He plans on raising his children with the same morals he grew up on. The lessons to be learned from competing, from winning and losing, from working as hard as you can to be successful at what you do. They have a good role model in their dad.
His 3 year old is already dunking on a mini hoop. He's celebrating made shots in dramatic fashion. But his favorite thing? It's to be in the gym with his dad, watching him do what he's poured so many hours into. Moody should have another chance to compete for a Big Sky championship this season. He will have an extended role and a chance to show the abilities he's spent his summers working to expand.
The feeling of fatherhood, though. Watching your children take after your passions? Moody says it can't be beat.
"It just, honestly, it brings a tear to your eye when you see your kid having passion for something that you love so much and that has done so much for you."
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