PLAYER, DAD AND MOORE

IS THERE A COLLEGE basketball player in this city who exudes any more confidence than Temple's Ramone Moore? No matter what the situation, the 6-4, fifth-year senior guard mostly leaves the impression that he has a handle on things.

Yet it wasn't too long ago when that was anything but the reality.

"My first 2 years here were the hardest," he said. "They were some really tough times for me. I don't know how I got through it. When I look back I always say, 'Wow. Man, I made it this far.' At one point I probably thought I couldn't."

That was then. Not only has he survived, he's thrived. He leads the Owls (13-5, 2-2 Atlantic 10) in scoring, with a 17.2 average, heading into tonight's game at Charlotte (10-8, 2-3). But it goes way beyond the points. He has worked hard to make himself into a complete player and leader.

In short, he has grown up. If college is supposed to be the biggest learning experience of your life, then Moore's journey is certainly a prime example. Not that he really had much choice. That's what happens when you find out just before your final season at Southern High, where you're about to become the Public League Player of the Year, that you're also about to become a father.

"It was October of 2006," he recalled. "I was 17. [The mother] told me because she was scared to tell her mom, but she had to tell someone. So I told my mom. Then we had a meeting, with both parents. It wasn't too bad. I thought it was going to be even worse. They just said it was something we had to take care of, that there would be responsibilities and we had to prepare for stuff like that.

"We've had lots of help. I mean, I'm not always able to be there for her. It's hard dealing with the academics, the basketball and my family. But I put that on myself. College is something much different than high school. I'm just thankful that people understood what I was going through, and were there for me. I'm just trying to better myself, for [his daughter Simone].

"When I get to see her, hug her, little things like that, that's the best feeling."

He remains friends with Simone's mother, who is going to school herself. But as Moore said, it wasn't easy, especially at first. He redshirted as a freshman, to give himself more of a transitionary cushion. When he finally got on the court, he didn't disappoint. That was before he became an academic casualty.

"Being ineligible was very embarrassing," Moore said. "To myself, the university, my family, my teammates. In high school, you're the man. In college, everyone's the man. You have to make that adjustment.

"One thing I never complained about was playing time. I knew I had older guys in front of me, Mark [Tyndale] and Dionte [Christmas]. I was like, 'OK, I'm going to wait my turn, get acclimated.' My second year, I learned a lot from Chris Clark. He was my roommate, and mentor. Now the younger guys look up to me. If you had told me that a few years ago, I would have probably looked at you and said, 'Huh? What are you talking about?' "

This season he switched his uniform number from 23 to 10, which he wore his first 2 years at Southern, to honor the memory of his cousin Zaire, who died in March in a car accident at the age of 9.

"It's just something small that I could do to get the story out there," Moore explained. "It's sad. I was trying to help get his family through it. I think about it every time I put my jersey on."

The gesture revealed much about him, character traits his coach was already well aware of.

"He's so understanding of what life brings to all of us," Owls coach Fran Dunphy said. "He truly cares. I think why he made it is because he thought there was a chance that he wouldn't. He didn't think he had all the answers. He knew he was still a ways away from getting it. Now he gets it as good as anyone we've had. It's been an absolute pleasure to watch that transformation. He's really a man right now . . .

"He's always had great sensitivity. But I think he's developed into a great teammate. He knows how important his playing well is to our winning. Yet it's never about Ramone. It's always about everyone around him."

Maybe because he's been able to lean on so many for support when he's needed it most. Still, he's the one who had to ultimately make it happen.

"It sounds crazy, but as it became better on the court, I think it made me better as a father," Moore said. "There were times when I was unhappy, but I couldn't show my daughter. I'd be down and she'd say, 'What's wrong, dad?' She didn't understand. Now I'm always happy.

"My parents did a great job of raising me, leading me in the right direction. I have to give them credit. They were always behind me. My dad's been like my best friend. At 17, you really don't know what it's all about. I've seen a lot of guys who were big time in high school and didn't make it. I didn't want to be one of those guys.

"People always say how proud they are of me. It makes me feel good, knowing I'm doing something right. Any time I can be a motivation to anybody, that's what I want to do. Being part of a great team that's successful, two classes away from being the first in my family to graduate, it's everything a person could want in the world."

Almost like he knew what was coming his way all along.