Seton Hall commit Darien Moore reflects on junior season, why he chose the Pirates
By SAM LANCE
FISHERS, IN — Toughness defines class of 2026 Seton Hall commit Darien Moore. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound guard has a skillset that directly translates to the next level and the conference he’ll be playing in.
“He’s a glue guy,” Brewster head coach Jason Smith told ZAGSBLOG. “He’s kind of like an old school Big East guard, a guard that you saw play at Pittsburgh in the early 2000s. He can play on the ball, can play off the ball. He plays bigger than his size because he’s really strong. He had a great season for us.”
In two games at Chipotle Nationals, Moore averaged 9.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.5 steals. He was a driving force for Brewster all season en route to a No. 4 seed at Chipotle. Brewster eventually fell to Columbus, 47-45, on a buzzer beater by Duke signee Cayden Boozer.
“We were a group that came together as a collective,” Moore said of his junior year. “We didn’t have like five-stars and all of that. We just all came together as a collective group, played defense. I’d say for us this year, we had a close bond. So I would say that was the success to our season. We were always close together.”
Moore describes himself as a hardworking player that will do whatever it takes to win. You can see that with the effort he displays on the court.
“I’m really active on defense,” Moore said. “I’m just trying to score, really hitting open shots and getting to the rim and just being a good teammate. Out there just playing hard. I’m best at getting downhill, facilitating for others. But I would definitely say one of my best attributes is defense and energy.”
Moore has been committed to Seton Hall for over a year now, as he made his decision in February 2024. But why did he choose the Pirates?
“Just the relationship I have with the coaches,” Moore said. “They are good people. They have just been on me a lot, and I like the culture there. Just like their coaching, how coach just coaches so hard and stuff. How he pushes his players. I feel like I’m the type of player he likes, and I just felt like it was the right fit for me.”
Shaheen Holloway has been the head coach of Seton Hall for the past three seasons. He came from St. Peter’s after its magical run to Elite Eight in 2021-22. As a player, Holloway was a four-year standout for Seton Hall and led the Pirates to the Sweet Sixteen as a senior in 2000. Moore said Holloway described his team as “hard-nosed” program where everybody is a family.
“He’s a little crazy,” Moore added. “But he’s a hardworking coach. He cares. He always keeps in contact with me, checking up on how I’m doing. That’s what I like about that, they are always catching up with me, seeing how I’m doing, just mentally and asking about the family. So I would just say its a family connection out there, and I just like being part of like a family.”
As Moore progresses through his high school career, Holloway has been there every step of the way to offer him advice.
“He just tells me keep working hard,” Moore said. “Don’t worry about like offense, missing shots. Just keep playing and keep being me. And he always says to keep the defensive mindset, always keep that mindset because that’s one of the best attributes of my game.”
When Moore gets to campus, he sees himself trying to facilitate while running the point guard. He’s also ready to learn and play in a tough conference.
“It’s a physical conference and stuff, but I feel like I’m a physical player so I’ll fit right into it,” Moore said of the Big East. “But I would say just getting mentally prepared for that, just being tough and just being mentally tough for sure.”
Right now, Moore isn’t necessarily recruiting anyone to join him. But he has been in the ear of his Brewster teammate, four-star forward Sebastian Wilkins.
“We’re going to see,” Moore said. “I’ve been trying.”
Moore, the Hudson (NY) native, is ranked the No. 116 overall prospect in the 2026 class by 247Sports. He’ll be playing on the EYBL circuit with City Rocks this summer.
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