Tag: Howard Moore

Wisconsin faithful, college basketball world react to Howard Moore’s emotional return to Kohl Center

The college basketball joined together to react to Howard Moore’s emotional return to Kohl Center:

Wisconsin basketball fell 91-83 to the No. 13 Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday afternoon.

The game was a subscript to the pregame and halftime ceremonies, as former Wisconsin player and assistant coach Howard Moore made an emotional return to the Kohl Center for the first time since the tragic car accident nearly five years ago.

Related: Takeaways from Wisconsin’s crushing loss to No. 13 Illinois

Moore was accompanied by Rashard Griffith, his longtime friend and Wisconsin teammate. Griffith brought him onto the court after Wisconsin aired a video tribute on the scoreboard, where he was met with a nearly three-minute standing ovation. It was a powerful moment that nobody will soon forget:

The college basketball world joined together to express support and love for Moore on Saturday afternoon. Here are some of those responses:

4 Moore: The Badgers season goes from “tragic to magic”

With a 60-56 win at Indiana, Wisconsin completed one of the most improbable regular season Big Ten championship wins in the history of the conference. At 6-6 in the Big Ten, most people counted them out. Winning eight straight Big Ten games to claim …

With a 60-56 win at Indiana, Wisconsin completed one of the most improbable regular season Big Ten championship wins in the history of the conference. At 6-6 in the Big Ten, most people counted them out. Winning eight straight Big Ten games to claim at least a share of the crown was nothing compared to the circumstances under which this year began. Adversity has been a way of life for the 2019-20 Badgers, in a season that started with unimaginable tragedy. This past summer, Wisconsin assistant coach Howard Moore and his family were involved in a crash with a wrong-way drunk driver that took the lives of Moore’s wife Jennifer and 9-year old daughter Jaidyn. Coach Moore and his teenage son Jerell survived the accident.

Although Moore has taken this season away from the team, his spirit has been with them from the beginning. Wisconsin has been wearing a “4Moore” patch on their jerseys as well as having his son Jerell around the team for all home games. Jerell was even introduced in the Badger starting lineup for their November 8th home opener against Eastern Illinois.

It was fitting that this afternoon, when the Badger bus rolled up to the front of the Kohl Center to the cheers of hundreds of elated fans, Jerell Moore boarded the team bus before the Badgers exited. All we could hear outside were loud cheers as Moore’s son was greeted by the 2019-20 Big Ten Champions. From there, the team exited alongside Jerell and the raucous celebration began. At Greg Gard’s post-parade interview he summed this season up in one phrase: “tragic to magic.” Here is Gard on this team overcoming adversity to make a magical run: