St. Joseph Catholic School basketball player Jaleel Moore has been named the Planters Bank Player of the Week for his excellent play at the Diocese of Jackson Tournament — hosted by St. Joseph — this past weekend.
Moore, a sophomore, hit the game-winning 3-pointer with nine seconds left in his team’s 53-52 victory over St. Aloysius Friday in the semifinals of the tournament. The Irish would fall in the finals on Saturday to Madison St. Joseph, who is ranked second in the state in the MAIS.
“Jaleel is growing up right in front of our eyes. He still has a long way to go, but he has a chance to be one of the best basketball players I have ever coached,” St. Joseph Coach James Hunter said. “He may be just a sophomore but he plays with a senior mentality.”
Moore finished with 15 points in the victory over St. Aloysius.
The game-winning basket scored by Moore was called by St. Joseph assistant coach Ladarrien Evans, who Coach Hunter says has been a great asset to his program.
Moore is just one of several St. Joe players who have shown steady improvement this season. John Haggard is the team’s senior leader who contributed 21 points in the win over St. Aloysius.
Jaleel’s older brother, Jayden, has also been a key to the Irish’s recent success which includes a 59-49 victory over Manchester Academy on Dec. 20. St. Joseph has a 1-2 record in district play.
Senior Tristan Beckworth and junior Victor Baker are two other Fighting Irish hoopsters having strong seasons.
Despite never playing organized basketball before, Beckworth has shown a natural ability for the game, especially in his determination to pull down rebounds.
As for Baker, Coach Hunter calls him the true ‘spark’ for his team who leads by his steady play and his strong work ethic.
Coach Hunter and his Irish got off to a slow start to the season, in a large part because a number of the Irish players were unavailable for the start of the season because of football responsibilities.
“As we have gotten players back, we have shown steady improvement,” Coach Hunter said.
Catholic Tournament a resounding success
The four-team Diocese of Jackson Tournament that St. Joseph hosted this past weekend was, by all accounts, truly successful. The four teams in the tournament were Greenville St. Joseph, Madison St. Joseph, St. Aloysius and Natchez Cathedral School.
This is the first time the Mississippi Catholic tournament has been played in 14 years. St. Joseph coaches and administrators decided to restart the tournament after the completion of their new basketball facility this fall.
Thanks to the generosity of Salvador Sarullo, athletes competing for St. Joseph Catholic School now have an upgrade in their athletic facilities. The school held a ribbon cutting ceremony in October for their new athletic complex that began with a blessing of the facility by Bishop Joseph Kopacz.
The new facility adds over 4,700 square feet to the rear of the existing gym and includes new and expanded locker room for the boys and girls basketball, soccer, baseball and softball teams. The expanded locker rooms allow St. Joseph to host tournaments, like the Diocese of Jackson Tournament.
The complex also features a separate training and recovery rooms for athletes and school trainers to minimize injury and enhance performance.
“The Diocese of Jackson Tournament is something that we did when I was playing, and it is great for all these schools to come together and to see these rivalries renewed,” Coach Hunter said.
