Where things stand with coveted point guard TJ Moss ahead of South Carolina visit
A week and a half after South Carolina landed its second basketball commitment in the 2018 class, Coach Frank Martin and the Gamecocks will be hosting a potential third pledge.
Terrance Moss said Tuesday that he’s scheduled to arrive in Columbia around 2 p.m. Friday with his wife and son, T.J., an ESPN-rated four-star point guard prospect from Memphis. They’ll stay the weekend, exploring the USC campus and chatting with Martin and others in the Carolina program.
It’s a key official visit late in the recruiting season.
“I think we’ve built a pretty good relationship with them over the phone,” Terrance Moss said. “I’ll be glad to sit down and talk to them face to face, get to see the campus life and see where we go with this. We’ll see how T.J. fits into the program and what their plans are for coming to the program.”
T.J. Moss is a listed 6-foot-4, 180-pounder who played this past season for Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada. A perennial power, Findlay Prep lost to eventual champion Montverde Academy (Florida) on March 30 in the GEICO High School Nationals. Moss scored seven points, had six assists and five rebounds in a quarterfinal win over La Lumiere (Indiana) on March 29.
South Carolina is the favorite for Moss, according for 247Sports’ “Crystal Ball” predictions. Martin visited him last month.
“It’s been good,” Terrance Moss said of the growing relationship with the Gamecocks. “They’ve been very active in communication. T.J. had a very, very long conversation out at Findlay in Nevada. He really likes Frank. That was his first time talking to him. He told me it went well. So he was excited to get his visit and come to campus.”
Moss played for Penny Hardaway at Memphis East High School before transferring to Findlay. University of Memphis, where Hardaway was named head coach March 20, counts among the schools to offer Moss.
“Over the last couple weeks, there’s been a bunch of interest,” Terrance Moss said. “Minnesota has been around quite a lot. And Oregon State has been around quite a lot. So they’ve been expressed a lot of interest in him – Minnesota and Oregon State. And just here recently, Nevada has come into play. So we’ll see that goes, if they want to set up some stuff to see him or visit with him. We’ll see how that goes.
“But right now, that’s the strongest interest outside of South Carolina.”
Terrance Moss said the Golden Gophers and Beavers have offered, but no visits have been scheduled beyond this weekend.
Terrance Moss has yet to meet Frank Martin, but he’s had conversations with both Chuck Martin and Perry Clark. The USC assistants have made it clear why they’re pursuing his son.
“They got a chance to see him play the point guard position and play it at a high level,” Terrance Moss said of Findlay’s appearance in the Chick-fil-A Classic. “He’s been able to get guys involved and making his teammates happy, just being an overall team player. He’s been able to manage the games. … So I think they see he’s more than capable of coming in and making an impact. And we’re excited to see if we can make the train go a little faster, a little better.”
New Jersey forward Alanzo Frink recently joined Florida guard Jermaine Couisnard as members of Carolina’s ’18 class. Both will sign their national letters of intent Wednesday at their high schools.
The spring signing period lasts until May 16. When will Moss make his decision?
“I want to make it as soon as possible, but it’s based on how he feels and what he thinks,” said Terrance Moss. “I’m definitely giving him a lot of input in his decision, but it is his. I think he should get it over with and get it behind him as soon as he can, so he can move forward.”
This story was originally published April 11, 2018 at 8:59 AM with the headline "Where things stand with coveted point guard TJ Moss ahead of South Carolina visit."