At South Mecklenburg, Peter Moye quietly having the type of season you should know about

He looks like one of those linebackers that is the foundation for the South Mecklenburg High football coach’s Joe Evans rugged defenses.

But he’s not a linebacker.

Meet Peter Moye, possibly the best Mecklenburg County high school basketball player you haven’t heard of.

“Because he’s playing on a team with a losing record, some people simply don’t know about him,” Sabres’ head coach Christopher McDonald said. “But once you see him, that all changes.”

Moye is a 6-3, 215-pound junior wing for a Sabres’ team that has a 5-13 record but has played a murderers’ row type of schedule.

He had 32 points and 10 rebounds in a December game against Palisades and scored 32 points on an Indian Land team that is 16-4 and among the best in South Carolina.

Moye’s season high was 38 points, earlier this month against Harding, and he put up 22 points in a December game against Varina, a Virginia powerhouse.

Moye hasn’t suddenly burst on the scene. He earned SoMeck 4A all-conference honors as a sophomore and was among the top players with the Elite One summer basketball program.

And he looks like a linebacker.

“Yeah, I get that a lot,” Moye said with a smile. “Everybody says I look like a football player.”

That includes the South Mecklenburg High coaching staff.

“They tried to talk me into playing,” said Moye, who did play a year of football while at Carmel Middle School. “But I’m a basketball player. That’s my sport.”

So what does Moye do well?

He fearlessly attacks the basket, McDonald said. He is an accurate jump-shooter and can shoot from distance, Moye’s coach added.

A Phenom Hoops Report analysis said Moye “plays much bigger than his size” and that he “understands how to fill gaps.”

He is averaging 21.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game and is getting attention from a number of Division I college programs.

In short, Moye does anything he can to help.

Moye said he started playing basketball around the age of 5. His dad, Simon, was a standout golfer at East Carolina, and encouraged his son to try something in athletics. Peter Moye said basketball seemed to fit best.

He became a standout shooter and rebounder in middle school and carried that with him to South Mecklenburg.

Moye said he enjoys rebounding but gets special joy when his shots are falling.

“When that happens, it’s really fun,” he said. “It feels like I’m in the gym by myself. It feels like every shot is going to go in.”

He said McDonald has told him to take the shot when he has it.

“I know I can score with the best of them,” Moye said.

For example, there was the Nov. 29 game against East Mecklenburg and the Eagles’ standout 3-point shooter, Jordon Nevill. A 3-pointer in the final seconds by Nevill lifted the Eagles to a 74-71 victory, but Moye outscored Nevill 27-23 in that contest.

McDonald said Moye is still learning how to use his skills best.

“Part of the learning process is figuring out when to shoot and when to pass,” McDonald said. “That’s not easy sometimes, and Peter is working on that. He is capable of helping a team in many ways.”

Lately, Moye has been getting a lot of attention from opponents.

“I’m getting double- and triple-teamed a lot,” he said.

Myers Park’s defense focused on Moye in a Jan. 12 game and held him to 12 points. It was much the same Friday night, when Palisades held Moye to 11 points and upset the Sabres 57-56.

“I’ve got to learn how to adjust to that,” Moye said. “I know that other teams will be defending me closely.”

He said he is working on learning when to trust his shot, and when to pass to a teammate.

“It wasn’t my best night,” Moye said after Friday’s loss to Palisades. “But when you’re a shooter, you need a short memory.”

“I believe that every shot has its own life,” he added.

He said the Sabres, loaded with juniors, have a lot of potential.

“We’ve lost close games to really good teams, but we have a lot of fight in us,” he said. “We’ve had a ridiculously tough schedule. But we’ve never quit fighting. We’re learning and developing. I think we’ll get there.”

Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle

PHOTOS: South Mecklenburg’s Peter Moye

This story was originally published January 27, 2023 at 5:30 AM.