WINDSOR – Sometimes it’s a simple as finding the right fit.

Last week, Keon Moore did just that and selected Catawba College as his destination to continue his stellar basketball career. Moore, a senior at Bertie High School, was the All-Roanoke-Chowan Player of the Year in basketball and was named twice to the All-Northeastern Coastal Conference team.

“The relationship I have with (Catawba assistant coach) Marvin Moore and the opportunity to success it gave me were too much to pass up,” Moore said. “On top of that, when I went to visit, it just felt like everyone was a big family.”

Keon Moore, who is related to Marvin Moore, said he was pleased with everything about the Catawba program, including is opportunity to play early.

“They are graduating four 1,000 point scorers including a 2,000 point scorer,” he said. “That will give me an opportunity to play early, which was important to me.”

Bertie High School Head Boy’s Basketball Coach Lester Lyons said he also felt like Moore would have the chance to play early.

“Catawba is in a very competitive league,” Lyons said. “They’re top scorer is graduating, which should give Keon an opportunity to step in and play right away. It’s always good when you get a chance to play your first year.”

Moore said he began playing basketball at 13 years of age and had enjoyed the sport ever since. He played two years on the varsity team at Bertie, both under Lyons. He said the experience taught him a lot.

“I learned work ethic,” he said. “You have to earn everything you get.”

He said Lyons had been an influence on his career.

“He changed my whole mindset towards basketball,” Moore stressed. “He helped me become a student of the game.”

Earning a collegiate scholarship to play basketball was important to Moore as well.

“Number one, it put my parents in a position that they don’t have to pay for school and secondly, it gives me the opportunity to continue playing a game I love,” he said.

Lyons said the opportunity to play college basketball was well-deserved after the fine career Moore had at Bertie.

“We depended on Keon quite a lot,” the coach said. “In many of our games, the team went the same way Keon did. If he played well, we played well.

“He was an asset on both ends of the floor,” Lyons continued. “Offensively, he could score or he could draw the defense around him and create opportunities for others. Defensively, he could guard the best person on the other team if we needed him to.”

At Bertie, Moore has been involved with Teen Court, the Student Government Association and the TRU club.

In his senior season, he was named All-Conference and third team All-State as well as being district Player of the Year.

Moore is the son of Stacy and Billy Cutler.