HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS : It Took Time, but Moore Developed Perspective

Etienne Moore rubs his eyes as he speaks, appropriately enough, about a lack of focus.

For the first time in years, Moore’s vision is clear. His eyes are wide-open. He no longer is sleepwalking through school or sloughing off responsibilities.

Describing his first three years of high school, he chooses his words carefully. One that pops up repeatedly is focus, in reference to his lack thereof.

Moore, a 6-foot-5 senior forward, will start for Faith Baptist High (27-6) against Ripon Christian (33-1) in the state Division V championship game today at Arco Arena in Sacramento. Few would have believed--Moore included--that it could happen.

Rub, rub, rub.

Can it be the same person?

Before he transferred to Faith Baptist, a private school of 176 students in grades 9-12 in Canoga Park, Moore was not the most diligent of students. He was irresponsible. He underachieved. He drove his mother nuts.

If truancy were a class, he would have passed with flying colors. In reality, he struggled in almost every legitimate course. Moore, who grew up in Reseda, has attended three schools in as many years.

“I don’t blame it on the influence of my friends and it wasn’t the area I grew up in,” Moore said. “It’s just that school wasn’t exactly a priority.”

What topped his personal list? Moore’s top five, circa 1989-91: “Partying around, kicking back, kickin’ it with friends, listening to music, talking to girls.”

Moore smiles when he discusses his flightiness of the past, because he apparently has righted the ship and weathered the self-imposed storm.

If nothing else, it’s a sign that he is now accountable for his actions.

It wasn’t always so. Moore was academically ineligible for most of his sophomore season at Cleveland. When he was a junior, his family moved across town and Moore enrolled at Reseda, where he quickly found himself in hot water because of his spotty attendance record.

“I spent so much time talking with him, but it didn’t work out,” Reseda Coach Jeff Halpern said. “He needed to cut loose from the outside influences. He had too many kids pulling him in the opposite direction.”

Said Moore: “(Reseda administrators) told me, ‘You’re a nice guy, but you have to go to school.’ ”

But not this school. He was sent back to Cleveland on an opportunity transfer, which is the Los Angeles Unified School District’s way of giving a student the boot, another chance and a change of scenery, all in one motion.

The result of the transfer was the same, if not predictable. Moore was declared academically ineligible, and he considered dropping out of school. He was a ship without a rudder.

“When I left Reseda, I was really down,” Moore said. “I didn’t care about anything. I wasn’t focused.”

Moore was never a street tough or ne’er-do-well, but he wasn’t helping old ladies cross the street, either. He soon reached his crossroads. Play-by-play announcers would term what followed a change in momentum.

Rub, rub, rub.

“Last summer was the turning point,” he said.

Last June, Moore ran into an old friend who suggested that Moore check out Faith Baptist. The friend explained that the school, which he attended, offered the guidance and structure Moore needed.

The environment was perfect, in the hallways and on the hardwood. Although it had been nearly two years since he had played in an official game, Moore fit into place like a Snap-On tool.

“He’s definitely the missing link that we didn’t have last year,” teammate Darren Wyre said.

Moore made his mark immediately. Faith Baptist, which had won a Southern Section 1-A Division title in 1989-90, struggled the following season and finished 13-11, even though Peter Rasmussen, Alex Estrada and Wyre were returning starters.

The trio, now seniors, formed the core of a strong team, but an ingredient was missing. In 1989-90, burly senior forward Bob Reed was a rebounding force inside. His departure left a substantial hole and Moore emerged last summer as the definitive power forward to complement the team’s three-guard attack. Rebounding has been his season-long forte.

“A lot of guys are like, ‘Get me the ball and I’ll score,’ ” Wyre said. “E.T. is like, ‘Shoot the ball and I’ll go get it.’ He’s so unselfish.”

Moore has been nicknamed “E.T.” by teammates--it’s short for Etienne--which, in keeping with the acronym theme, is pronounced “E.T.N.” On the boards, Moore has been as explosive as TNT, even though he is still learning the game.

In the regular season, Moore averaged 18.5 rebounds a game, best among all Southern Section players. Heading into today’s game, he is averaging 15.8 points and 17.9 rebounds. A rival coach called him “a Dennis Rodman” clone. “He really opens the game up on the outside,” Wyre said. “He gives us two big men (along with the 6-8 Rasmussen) down low for the other team to worry about.”

At times, Moore’s down-low lowdown has been the difference. In last Saturday’s 63-60 victory over Campbell Hall in the Division V Southern regional final, Moore had 18 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Often, he stands out as the most athletic player on the floor.

For that, he is kicking himself?

“Sometimes, when I think about how much more experience, how much more coaching I could have received, I really feel pretty bad,” Moore said in reference to the academic deficiencies that kept him from playing. “I cheated myself.”

The guy who once felt out of sorts in an academic environment feels at home at Faith Baptist, which demands adherence to rules prohibiting everything from untucked shirts to hand-holding.

“The people here are very nice and they seemed to care about me even before they knew I was a basketball player,” Moore said. “If I had to thank all the people who’ve helped me, I’d have to start a list.

“If I wasn’t at Faith, I don’t know where I’d be,” Moore said. “Continuation school, probably. Or worse.”

In short, he has turned around his attitude and improved a basketball team, all in one fell swoop.

A rebound to be proud of.