Loss gives Moye perspective

The tattoo on A.J. Moye's right bicep -- the words "one luv" and "No. 40" in hunter green ink -- serves as a daily reminder.\nA reminder of his best friend Travis Davenport, who died last September of a heart attack. Moye and Davenport were hanging out in the gym, and Davenport wanted to play basketball. Moye wouldn't let him because he knew Davenport had a heart condition.\nThe next day, Moye found out from his mother that Davenport had died of a heart attack. Minutes later former coach Bob Knight and then-assistant coach Mike Davis walked through the door as part of a recruiting visit. It was the first time he met Knight.\nWhen the two coaches knocked, Moye was ready to quit basketball for good. And he had no idea how Knight would react to his sudden change of heart. \n"I didn't know what to expect. I was wondering if (Knight) was going to come in and rip my head off and curse me out and say 'suck it up,' but the first thing we did was hug," Moye said. "We stood there hugging for about five minutes, and I cried like a baby on Coach's shoulder. He just said 'Think of all the good times the Lord blessed you with and just be thankful that you did get to have interaction with him.'"\n"For weeks, Coach and I just talked about my friend. Other schools were like 'We're sorry about your friend, but when are you committing?' With this institution I actually had people at the funeral from Indiana."\nMoye, Davenport and freshman Jeffrey Newton were inseparable since childhood in Atlanta. Davis said he met Davenport when he was at Newton's house on a recruiting trip.\n"When I watched A.J. play in high school, he played (Davenport's) team," Davis said. "It was sad to see a young guy die like that. A.J. was really hurt by it. He's a really emotional kid, so it was pretty sad."\nDavenport died Sept. 16. Moye couldn't bear to say goodbye to another best friend, so when he had the opportunity to go to college and play basketball with Newton, there was no hesitation.\n"That taught me so much about life," said Moye, a freshman guard. "I was always NBA or bust. Losing my friend taught me that life's about being happy, so when I had the opportunity to be around a childhood friend, I just had to go for it."\nHe also wanted to be with freshman Jared Jeffries, who he has known since he was about 14. But as the three top recruits were watched closely, it was difficult to tell if they would commit to IU or Duke.\n"(Jeffries) started it," Moye said, laughing. "I was like, 'Man, I don't wanna go to Indiana, that coach is crazy.' Jared was like, 'No he's cool.' And then I met Coach and decided to go. But he met Coach K(rzyzewski) and said he wanted to go to Duke. (But), we we're here now."\nThe move to IU meant a whole new lifestyle adjustment for Moye, on the court and off the court. He was used to city life and clubs, not the laid-back pace of Bloomington. But Jeffries, a graduate of Bloomington High School North, showed him the ropes.\n"When I got here, I was a tough, street, inner city kid," Moye said. "I really didn't know how to act in this environment. I was running around, acting crazy, and (Jeffries) really calmed me down. He instilled a lot of values in my life. It is so rare that you find a kid that has so much going for him."\nIn high school, the 6-foot-3 Moye was the best in the state of Georgia, averaging 31 points, 14 rebounds and five assists in his senior year to earn the title of Mr. Basketball. He was a Parade All-American with a 4.0 grade point average and a 40-inch vertical jump. But he quickly learned that it takes more than a three-point shot to survive in the Big Ten.\n"I just ripped and rammed my way through high school," Moye said. "The biggest struggle is learning the floor of the game, when to do certain things. I'm not picking it up as fast as Jared. He's been around this system since he was little. He grew up in this structure. \n"I just ran up the court and knocked down three-pointers. I have the talent to do it, but it's so much more experience I have to get under my belt. Being a high school recruit, people have a lot of expectations of you, but it's almost unfair because for one, you're a freshman. Right off the top, I'm not going to be what people want me to be. I'm capable of it, but it's not going to come overnight."\nAlthough Moye is in the midst of a learning process, he's also in the best shape he's ever been. He's lost 14 pounds since becoming a Hoosier, and Moye often leads the sprints at practice, instead of trailing behind. But he knows he has a long way to go, and he's working hard to get there. But Newton is the main reason Moye is at IU, not the basketball.\n"It provided me with a bigger picture. My coaches tell me I have the talent to get to the NBA in a matter of three or four years but that's not the biggest thing to me," he said. "I don't want to play this forever … Life is so short"