Former Scott County basketball stars reunited and ready to roll for Eastern Kentucky
When the Eastern Kentucky University men’s basketball team tips off the season Wednesday against North Florida in the Wolfpack Invitational at North Carolina State, a new chapter will open in the storied friendship between a pair of Colonels.
Michael Moreno and Cooper Robb developed a deep bond while leading Scott County High School to consecutive region titles and an appearance in the Kentucky state championship game in Rupp Arena in 2018. Their paths diverged the following season when Robb headed to Charlotte for college and Moreno as a high school senior led the Cardinals to another runner-up finish in the Sweet Sixteen.
Last year as a freshman, Moreno helped spark a major turnaround at EKU while Robb averaged 21 minutes per game as a sophomore at Charlotte and shot a team-best 44 percent from three-point range.
Robb transferred into the Colonels’ program in the offseason and was granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA. He and Moreno have reunited under the tutelage of EKU second-year head coach A.W. Hamilton, himself a former star at Scott County. Though Hamilton is nearly two decades older than Moreno and Robb, all three cut their teeth as Cardinals under legendary Scott County coach Billy Hicks.
“It was easy,” Robb told the Herald-Leader of his decision to choose EKU after entering the transfer portal. “Having Mike in the system, having Coach coming from our high school, I kind of have a thought process of how he wants to play ... A lot of the principles he stands on is what Coach Hicks stood on.”
Set to ride together again in Richmond, Moreno and Robb hope to help the Colonels improve on last season’s 16-17 overall record.
“They have unbelievable chemistry. They’re like two in the same,” Hamilton said. “Both of them have a great understanding of the game, they have high basketball IQs.”
‘He makes me a lot better’
Moreno was elated when he got the news that Robb was heading to Richmond.
“I was really excited,” Moreno said. “We’ve been friends for a very long time. We never played against each other, we always played together. And I know that with him being on the court with me it really ups my level of play. He makes me a lot better ... I wouldn’t have gotten where I’ve gotten if he wasn’t the type of impact player he is.”
Moreno’s college career got off to a slow start as he spent the first chunk of last season nursing a foot injury. Once the 6-foot-7 forward recovered fully and broke into the starting lineup, the team’s fortunes changed.
Moreno helped spark a six-game OVC win streak that saw the Colonels climb the conference standings. They finished fourth in the league with a 12-6 record and qualified for the conference tournament for the first time since 2015, falling to No. 1 seed Belmont in the semifinals.
“We didn’t really have Michael Moreno healthy at the beginning of our season. As he got healthy, he moves into the starting lineup and that gives us a big boost in OVC play,” Hamilton said. “He had a great conference slate and did a really good job.”
EKU had a chance to finish the season above .500 when it accepted an invitation to play in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, but that opportunity was derailed when the season was shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our season was cut short last year, so that was a blow for us,” Hamilton said. “It’s been an interesting time, but we’re excited to get it going again.”
Moreno averaged 8.6 points and a team-high 6.1 rebounds per game as he proved to be a dangerous inside-outside threat. He was the team’s most accurate three-point shooter, hitting 35 percent from behind the arc.
Perhaps even more illustrative of his impact than those numbers is the fact Moreno was voted team captain by his fellow Colonels.
“That probably says all you need to know about Michael Moreno,” Hamilton said. “That’s how well-respected he is in our locker room ... He’s a special person and a tremendous player.”
Robb will bring an extra element of toughness to the table for the Colonels. Hamilton described the 6-foot-1 guard, who was a three-sport star in high school, as an “ultimate competitor.”
“We’re getting a hell of a player in Cooper Robb,” Hamilton said. “He’s tough, he works his tail off. So, everybody respects him ... He fits in perfectly for us.”
Moreno said Robb’s impact on the team has has been swift and thorough.
“When he first got here, after workouts he was windmill dunking and everybody was so shocked. But I’ve seen him do it, so I wasn’t surprised,” Moreno said. “He’s looked tremendous. He’s our best defender, he’s our best shooter and he really gets after our guards. I think he’s made all of our guards 10 times better.”
‘We want to win our league’
Moreno and Robb will have plenty of help. Jomaru Brown returns for his junior season after leading the Colonels in scoring at 18.4 points per game last year on his way to earning All-OVC First Team honors. The 6-2 guard was named to the Preseason All-OVC team this month along with fellow junior Tre King, a 6-9 forward from Lexington who was voted to the All-OVC Second Team last year after averaging 11.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 52 percent from the field.
Add it all up, and Hamilton believes the Colonels have a great shot to outperform the predictions of the OVC coaches and sports information directors, who in the league’s preseason poll projected the Colonels to finish fourth.
“We’ve done a lot of really great things establishing our program ... but as we look forward, we don’t want to be the fourth-best team in the OVC,” Hamilton said. “Ultimately, our goal is we want to win our league.”
2020-21 EKU men’s basketball schedule
Home games in all capital letters. All times Eastern and p.m.
Nov. 25: North Florida, 4:30-x
Nov. 27: Charleston Southern, 2-x
Nov. 30: At Xavier, 7
Dec. 2: At USC-Upstate, TBA
Dec. 7: MOREHEAD STATE, 7
Dec. 10: BOYCE, 7
Dec. 14: At Morehead State, 6
Dec. 17: CAMPBELLSVILLE-HARRODSBURG, 7
Dec. 22: HIGH POINT, 7
Dec. 30: EASTERN ILLINOIS, 8
Jan. 2: At Austin Peay, 5
Jan. 7: JACKSONVILLE STATE, 8
Jan. 9: TENNESSEE TECH, 7
Jan. 14: At SIU-Edwardsville, 6
Jan. 16: At Eastern Illinois, 5
Jan. 21: TENNESSEE MARTIN, 8
Jan. 23: SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE, 4
Jan. 28: At Tennessee Tech, 9
Jan. 30: At Jacksonville State, 5
Feb. 4: AUSTIN PEAY, 8
Feb. 6: MURRAY STATE, 4
Feb. 11: At Belmont, 8
Feb. 13: At Tennessee State, 5
Feb. 18: At Southeast Missouri State, 9
Feb. 20: At Tennessee Martin, 5
Feb. 25: BELMONT, 8
Feb. 27: TENNESSEE STATE, 7
x-Wolfpack Invitational at Raleigh, N.C.
