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Cashing In: Moutry signs D-I commitment after prolific scoring season
By Andrew Snyder, asnyder@starlocalnews.com
McKinney senior A.J. Moutry became just the third player during head basketball coach Wes Watson’s 12-year tenure at McKinney to sign with a Division I school when he put pen to paper and inked a letter on intent to the University of Texas–Pan American on Wednesday.
“There are programs that have had the good fortune to produce a lot of those Division I guys, but they don’t grow on trees,” Watson said. “When you get one you have to savor it a little bit.”
Moutry put up some of the most productive scoring numbers in program history during his senior season with the Lions, averaging 24.2 points per game and scoring a season-high 54 points in a 97-94 double-overtime win over Richardson Pearce. He followed that performance with a 42-point showing in an 83-80 overtime win over Wylie East.
Moutry started the season by scoring 25 points in a 73-48 loss to Little Elm, a quality performance that marked an increase over the numbers he put up his junior year. During that season, Moutry averaged 10.9 points per game as a third option behind seniors Kaleb Kite and Hunter Edwards, and their graduation gave him the opportunity to take over the offense his senior season.
“This year they left, so I had to step up and score more,” Moutry said.
Between Kite and Edwards, the Lions needed to replace over 30 points per game. The coaching staff knew some of that scoring would come from Moutry and they told him as much, but they didn't anticipate there being times when he would make up for the whole amount by himself – plus some.
“Once you get into district, everybody has scouted you and everybody knows this is the guy you have to slow down or stop, but no one was doing it,” Watson said. “He did whatever we needed him to. If we needed him to score 54, he scored 54 – and he followed that one up with 42.”
Watson said that Moutry's 24 points per game average was about as legitimate as you'll see at the high school level, as he didn't boost his numbers by taking ill-advised shots or playing garbage time minutes.
“You’d think for a guy that scored that many points that he was probably a selfish player or that he probably hogs the ball,” Watson said. “But he was the most unselfish player I’ve ever seen for a kid that scores that many points. You look at his last game against South Oak Cliff and he had eight assists in that game.”
Even an injury late in the year, which forced him to miss three games and slowed his pace when he returned, didn’t cripple Moutry’s numbers, as he had already accrued enough 30-plus scoring games to compensate.
For his efforts, Moutry was able to sift through a number of offers before settling on UT-Pan American. He visited the school, which is located in Edinburg near the Texas-Mexico border and Golf Coast, last week and quickly decided it was the right choice.
“My mindset was it was just another visit,” Moutry said. “But when I got there, I thought this might be it for me.”
The coaching staff, headed by Ryan Marks, was a drawing point for Moutry, who plans on studying business finance or engineering. His first game with the Broncos will be played against Iowa.
“I like the coaches,” Moutry said. “They understand me. They understand where I’m coming from. They like me as the player that I am and don’t want to change me.”
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