Rutgers added one of the highest-rated high school signees in program history on Wednesday, landing four-star guard R.J. Moore and giving Steve Pikiell another big-name piece for the future.
Moore, a 6-foot-7, 190-pound senior at Ambassador Christian School in Charlotte, North Carolina, signed a National Letter of Intent and will arrive in Piscataway for the 2027-28 season. ESPN lists him at No. 42 nationally, which makes him the fourth-highest-ranked Rutgers recruit since ESPN’s database began in 2007. Rivals has him at No. 44 in the Rivals150.
Rutgers beat out Alabama, Texas Tech, Utah, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest for Moore, who made an official visit to campus in September. The Scarlet Knights had been in the mix with him since 10th grade, and Moore said the program’s consistent contact played a major role in his decision.
“Right when I got to Rutgers, I just knew it could be home,” Moore said. “This is where I needed to be and this is where I wanted to be. The situation is great and it fits my game, so I definitely think Rutgers is the perfect choice for me.”
Pikiell didn’t hide how highly he thinks of the Charlotte-area scorer.
“R.J. is a versatile, multi-positional scorer, and he’s really good,” Pikiell said. “He shoots the ball and he knows how to play.
He has good size, deep range, a post-up game and toughness. He’s a true three-level scorer.
He also comes from a great basketball family. His dad was a great player, so RJ has basketball in his genes.
I think he’s a top-25 player in the country. He just had a 40-point game, and by the end of the year I think he could be a McDonald’s All-American, or close to it.
We love him, and we’re thrilled to have him at Rutgers.”
Moore has been on the radar for a while. He broke through as a sophomore, when he buried a buzzer-beating winner in overtime of the North Carolina state championship game to finish off a 27-3 season. That title came after his team had fallen in the state championship game the year before on a foul call with two seconds left.
“We knew we had something to prove,” Moore said. “We were down like 10 at halftime, came out, started scoring and made it a game.
We went into overtime, got the ball with 10 seconds, held it for a second and got the game-winner. I definitely can’t forget that experience.”
Basketball is very much a family business for Moore. He is the son of Ricky Moore, a former UConn point guard who was a co-captain on the Huskies’ first national championship team in 1999. Pikiell also has a UConn connection, having been Jim Calhoun’s first recruit at the school.
Moore said his father has been a constant presence throughout his development.
“My dad has always been by my side, always coaching me and always making me go hard,” Moore said. “Good or bad games, he’s going to tell me what I did good and what I did bad.
I think that’s a big piece of who I am today. I’ve always been around the game, and I took everything I’ve seen and put it into my game as much as possible.”
Moore said he wants to leave his own imprint at Rutgers, which has recently produced two top-five NBA Draft picks in Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey.
“It means a lot,” Moore said. “It’s all the hard work and dedication I’ve put in.
I definitely want to make a mark when I get to Rutgers. I want people to remember who I am, and it’s definitely a blessing.”
He described himself as a scorer who can stretch the floor and compete with edge.
“I’m a three-level scorer,” Moore said. “My biggest strength is my shooting, being able to get to my spot and catch-and-shoot.
I’m going to give my all and play as hard as possible every single game. Rutgers is getting a player that wants to win, wants to help turn the program around and get to March Madness.”
And for Rutgers fans, he kept the message simple.
“Coming to Rutgers is a dream come true,” Moore said. “I get to play for a great fan base at a great school. I want to tell Rutgers Nation that I’m going to do everything in my power to get to March Madness and help us get these wins.”
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