5 Minutes with Khalid Moore

The latest in a line of Georgia Tech recruits from the New York area, Khalid Moore was the first scholarship player from Archbishop Molloy High School to enroll at Tech since Kenny Anderson in 1989. A versatile player recruited to play small forward, he can guard other positions with his lengthy, athletic (7-foot, 0.5-inch wingspan) body and basketball IQ. He does a lot of things that don’t show up in the box score, is good passer, moves well without the ball, keeps Tech offense moving, and his length and activity is an asset on defense. Moore played on the same AAU team (New York Rens) as teammate Jose Alvarado. The second-youngest of five children, Moore is studying business administration.

Moore played in all but one game as a freshman, starting 10 times, including the regular-season finale at NC State and the ACC Tournament game vs. Notre Dame. He finished the season with eight points at NC State and 11 against Notre Dame, hitting 7-of-14 shots from the floor with three assists and no turnovers in 68 minutes. He scored a career-high 14 points (6-6 FG, 2-2 on 3s) vs. Florida A&M, 10 at Arkansas. His top ACC regular-season games were eight points vs. North Carolina (2-2 FG, 4-4 FT) and at NC State (3-5 FG, 2-6 FT).

What is your nickname?

“’K-Dolla’ is what everybody on the team usually calls me. One of our managers started calling me that, and it just started to catch on. It’s been a recent thing.”

Why did you choose Georgia Tech?

“Because it’s good both academically and for athletics. And they’re in the ACC, which is one of the best conferences in the nation, so I felt like it would have been the best position for me.”

What are your hobbies off the court?

“I really like going shopping for clothes. I like clothes a lot. And just playing video games or hanging out with my friends. I’m big into ‘Fortnite’, ‘Call of Duty’, ‘NBA2K’, that kind of stuff.”

What players did you grow up watching/modeling your game after?

“My favorite players growing up were Paul George, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. I just really like their skill sets, especially KD and Paul George with what they’re able to do with the ball at their size. I feel like it’s very rare, so, that’s why I like them.”

What are your personal goals for the year?

“I’m just trying to be as successful as possible, get as many wins and bring my team as far as possible. So, whatever I can do to do that is what I’m going to do. And I’m working on being more consistent shooting the ball, and just getting stronger and continuing to get better.”

What is something people might not know about you?

“Probably that I’m a good dancer. Pretty much any kind of dancing, I just like dancing a lot.

If you could meet one famous person who would it be?

“LeBron James because he has such a big impact on the world right now. He’s one of my biggest idols, somebody I’d look forward to meeting.”

If you could have one super power what would it be?

“I’d say the ability to read people’s minds. I feel like that would help me with anything that I’m going through, to know what somebody else is thinking. I could outsmart them or be able to find my way out of any situation.”

What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten?

“My dad used to tell me, ’Great responsibilities are given to great people.’ Just to never fold when I have a lot of responsibility, just to keep fighting and get through it.”

What is your favorite sports movie?

“I would say ‘He Got Game’. I just like that one as a movie, especially coming from New York. I just felt like I related to it.”