Coach: Josh Hall, Shakeel Moore to make instant impact

Hickory (N.C.) Moravian Prep head coach Antonio Lowe wasn’t anticipating having two future NC State players in his program.

NC State fans will now be paying close attention to Lowe’s program, thanks to signing Rivals.com No. 26-ranked senior Josh Hall and three-star prospect Shakeel Moore. Hall, a 6-foot-7 and 195-pound small forward, is originally from Durham, N.C., and the 6-1, 185-pound Moore is a combo guard from Greensboro, N.C. Both are reclassified seniors, who turned down the option of playing college basketball this season with the hope of earning more high-profile offers. The move worked and NC State offered both following what was their original senior years.

“I think what will make both of those kids special when they get to the next level is that they still have that underdog mentality,” Lowe said. “They will always play with that mentality. Both of them have played basketball at a high level.”

The recruiting process has also helped Lowe get to know NCSU head coach Kevin Keatts and his staff better. Lowe and his two star players took in the St. Francis Brooklyn game last Saturday at Reynolds Coliseum.

“I’ve known of him but never really talked to him until they started recruiting Josh and Shakeel,” Lowe said. “Just his story [being a former prep school coach], I look at Keatts and I see a little bit of myself in where he started from and where he has coached. It has been pretty good to get to know him.”

Lowe has had a front row seat in watching Hall emerge, coaching him last year and watching numerous colleges start to pursue him. NC State offered him April 3, 2019.

“It’s a testament to the work that he has put in,” Lowe said. “We just laid the foundation and he took it by storm on his own. He’s locked in right now.

“I coached him all last year and all summer, and what I’m most impressed with is, is April until now.”