You want to be entertained? Watch the Morgan Park backcourt tandem of Charlie Moore and Jarrin Randle.
Moore and Randle don’t have the name recognition and hype that accompanied the 2012-2013 Morgan Park backcourt of Billy Garrett, Jr. (DePaul) and Kyle Davis (Dayton), but it’s the best backcourt you’ll find in the Class of 2016.
With the offensive capabilities these two possess, this guard tandem will flourish in the up-and-down, frenetic pace the two-time defending Class 3A champs play. Plus, there is an all-important chemistry there that continues to get stronger the more the two play with one another.
“We’ve known each other since we were kids,” Moore said. “We like playing with each other, we like to have fun out there playing together, and we both want to attack offensively.”
Despite heavy losses in talent the past couple of years, Morgan Park’s future remains bright with Moore and Randle in the backcourt together. These two will be the ones to stir the drink with their defensive pressure, perimeter shooting and drive-and-kick game.
Moore has already been an integral part of two state championships, which puts him in a position to do something only one other Chicago prep player, Jabari Parker, has ever done: win four state championships in four years.
“I think about that all the time,” Moore says of the possibility of going four-for-four in his career. “Just to have that opportunity to do that heading into my junior year is a great feeling.”
Moore entered high school with some fanfare and contributed as a young freshman playing behind Garrett and Davis. He has grown immeasurably over the course of the past two seasons playing with the talent that has gone through Morgan Park.
“I’m much more comfortable right now than I’ve ever been after having played with some major players like Billy [Garrett], Kyle [Davis], Lamont [Walker], Josh [Cunningham],’’ Moore said. “I learned so much from them. Playing with them has made me a better player.”
Now Moore is poised to become a more dominant piece of the puzzle for the Mustangs, yet the 5-9 point guard doesn’t view it as “his team” heading into the 2014-2015 season.
“I don’t think about it like that,” Moore said. “I think about getting better and what I can do to win games.”
Randle, meanwhile, is this little well-kept secret, even as a player who plays for high-profile high school and AAU programs. He’s talked little about but carries a big game with a smooth, natural shooting stroke and terrific scoring potential.
“I do feel like I kind of have something to prove,” said Randle, who played a key role as a sophomore for the state champs. “I think a lot of kids in my class have gotten a lot of attention and been talked about a lot. I just have to keep working.”
