Moss heads to NBL of Canada
Former University of Indianapolis point guard Adrian Moss will take his basketball skills to the professional level this fall as he begins his career with the defending champions of the National Basketball League of Canada, the London Lightning.
The 2012 NBL draft took place on Aug. 27 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Present at the NBL draft, according to Moss, were 170 total prospects for the league, including 85 American players, from which only 24 were selected.
When talking about the draft process, Moss turned the negative aspects into positives.
“Pressure just makes you better,” he said.
According to Moss, his current position with the London Lightning came about following a trade that was made with the original team that had drafted Moss with the sixth overall pick in the draft, Kebs de Leval.
In that trade, the London Lightning acquired both Moss and the Kebs de Leval’s second-round draft choice in exchange for cash considerations.
The London Lightning, being the defending champions of the NBL, did not have a pick in the first round of the draft. Shortly after being drafted by Kebs de Leval, Moss received word that he had been traded to the defending champions.
Moss said that being traded was not something that he looked at in a negative way but instead was rather excited about the move.
“It couldn’t be a better situation for me,” he said. “I will be going to an established team that really takes care of their players. And the trade really shows how badly they wanted me.”
Before signing his contract on Sept. 17, Moss said that he had been preparing himself for his first season as a professional basketball player.
“I have always treated basketball like my job,” Moss said.
Basketball, he said, has required much of his time and devotion. Moss said that he was appreciative of both the University of Indianapolis and the Head Men’s Basketball Coach Stan Gouard for their support throughout the process.
Gouard said Moss has handled the process extremely well.
“He [Moss] has done a great job of being professional,” Gouard said. “Adrian understands that basketball is his career now and is doing a great job getting up every day and getting his work in.”
Gouard described Moss as someone with a real “coach’s mentality,” as a result of his extra study with film to prepare for games. He said that through his knowledge for the flow of the game, Moss had a way of knowing what the opponent was running.
Moss said that two individuals have stood out the most in helping him reach his goal of being a professional basketball player.
“Coach G and my dad have been my biggest mentors throughout this whole process [the NBL draft],” Moss said.
Gouard said that the men’s basketball team will certainly miss having Moss on the team.
“We will miss him on and off the court,” Gouard said. “Making sure everyone gets better and sharing his knowledge of how everything flows.”
Moss’s season begins Nov. 3, against the Halifax Rainmen, at the John Labatt Centre in London, Ontario.
