Globe Profile on Moiso

[Hironaka <j.hironaka@unesco.org>]

Moiso is set to pick up the pace
By Shira Springer, Globe Staff, 10/2/2000

LOS ANGELES - Set against the modern architecture that covers the UCLA
campus, the Men's Gym appears borrowed from a nearby Hollywood back lot.
The basketball courts located on the top floor of the ivy-covered brick
building reinforce first impressions. In an area shaped like a barn with
a pointed wood roof, blocks of dimpled windowpanes, and thickly finished
hardwood floors, you half expect players dressed in 1950s-style uniforms
to appear for a game.

But only the setting is outdated. During the summer, players from the
NBA and top college programs gather for pickup games at the Men's Gym,
Monday through Thursday, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Games filled with equal parts
intensity and trash talk take place on three full-length courts, with
the top two teams facing off in the middle. Antoine Walker spent a week
playing there in August. Paul Pierce is a regular. Magic Johnson. Chris
Webber. Tracy Murray. Chris Mills. The list goes on and changes every
day, drawing new competition and small crowds.

The Celtics' top draft pick, forward Jerome Moiso, used games at the
Men's Gym as an informal introduction to the NBA this summer, receiving
friendly advice from players who will soon be opponents. With his
graceful strides and easily moved 6-foot-10-inch, 232-pound frame, Moiso
was not hard to spot on the Men's Gym floor. Although his squad of
former UCLA teammates rarely made it to the middle show court, Moiso
happily learned what will be expected from him as a professional, the
next step in his unexpected journey from the island of Guadeloupe.

''I recognize how intense the game is going to be and it's not even real
elite players,'' said Moiso of his summertime experience. ''I'm learning
from it by playing against big guys like Chris Webber. He gave me some
tips for when you face somebody in the post. You always get something
out of it. Everyone's trying to help out. These guys know who they are
and everybody looks up to them here. It's like they are big brothers.
They [current and former NBA players] see I can do something good in the
NBA and they try to encourage me, get me to be more serious in these
games. It's the first lesson in the NBA that I got.''

Making adjustments