Height & Weight: 6'11" | 220 lb.
School: College of Central Florida
Position: Center
Rating: 2-Star
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Long Journey Leaves Moeller At Dunk City's Doorstep
Ocala, Fla. is a three hour drive from the sunny beaches of Florida Gulf Coast. St. Louis, Mo? That takes a little longer, about 16 hours to be exact.
For 2014 FGCU commit Eric Moeller, it has been a long journey to say the least. Out of De Smet Jesuit High School (St. Louis), the 6'11" center was initially recruited by the Florida Gulf Coast, among others.
"My dream was always to play at a big school," said Moeller, who decided to forgo other offers and walk onto the Missouri basketball team for the 2012-13 season.
But his stint with Tigers didn't work out, and eventually he had another decision to make. Coming out of high school, FGCU was Moeller's No. 1 and an obvious choice, but he had some eligibility issues to sort out.
"Florida Gulf Coast suggested I went to Central Florida [Ocala, Fla.] for a year - somewhere close," Moeller said.
Beginning the 2013-14 JUCO season with the Patriots, Moeller put up consistent numbers including a season high 13 points against State College of Florida on Dec. 14. But due to some more eligibility issues, the 6'11" big man didn't see any time in the new year.
"It was tough not being able to play the 2nd half of the season," Moeller said. "I'm really just trying to focus on getting stronger. I've still been working despite the fact that I haven't been able to play."
Now getting into the gym more often, Moeller feels he can add more strength and weight to make him a bigger threat on the glass. As well as improve his rebounding, the De Smet grad is looking to regain his shot blocking abilities.
"I was a good shot blocker in high school and then I got to the college level and it was a lot faster and I kind of lost my timing," Moeller said. "Hopefully I can get some of that back."
But when Moeller starts his career with the Eagles, expect him to live up to the FGCU adopted hash tag: #RainingThrees.
"Biggest thing for me that has come about has been my shooting. I was always a good shooter in high school but I never played on the perimeter. I was always the five man," Moeller said. "When I came here to Central Florida, I became one of the best shooters on the team in terms of 3 point shooting."
He continued by saying "I'm definitely a mismatch nightmare. I can play on the outside if they put a big man on me. If they put me down low and a smaller guy guards me, I have post moves to score. I can work inside and out."
So around two years removed from the end of his high school days, Moeller is primed to begin his FGCU career. Who do Eagle fans have to thank for the much needed front court depth?
"Coach Richter, he's done everything to recruit me. He stuck with me for the past couple years - I've been pretty happy about that," Moeller said.
While he'll be training in the gym prior to joining the team for the 2nd session in July, Moeller is also working hard for the Eagles in another way. He'll be trying to get Butler transfer and former high school teammate Nolan Berry to join him in the friendly confines of Alico Arena.
"He knew I wanted him to come down to Florida Gulf Coast and play with me. I was really excited about that possibility and he agreed with me, he would love to play with me again and said FGCU was definitely near the top of his list," Moeller said.
Both standing at 6'10" at the time, Berry and Moeller proved to be dominant teammates at De Smet Jesuit.
"Playing with Nolan was amazing. One of the best parts of his game is being such a great passer," Moeller said. "Also, having another 6-10 guy made it pretty tough to guard both of us."
Regardless of Berry's future, Moeller is anxious to turn the page and begin the next chapter of his story.
"I'm definitely ready to get there," Moeller said.
For more on FGCU recruiting, make sure to follow us on Twitter (@FGCUEaglesNest)
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