University of Minnesota Athletics
The Class Clown; St. Paul native Maurice Hargrow
12/19/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Off the court, Hargrow himself cannot even keep straight the crazy things he has done. There have been so many that recalling each of them would require hours of free time, which is something he does not have a lot of. However, taking his role off the court - to be the crazy one - you can imagine that his stories are anything but ordinary. His favorite involves a ritual many teams partake in - having the freshmen perform the school song in an original manner.
"My role off the court is just to be crazy, goofy Moe. Ask anyone and they'll probably tell you that I'm the crazy one. One of the craziest things I've ever done off the court was singing the school song with some of the other guys on the team and we were dressed up kind of like girls. We weren't wearing dresses or anything, but we acted like girls," Hargrow said. "It was a competition thing. It was kind of embarrassing, but it was like a family thing with the team. But I've done so many crazy things that I just can't begin to tell them all."
Hargrow's Golden Gopher teammates and coaches certainly agree that he is the jokester on the squad.
"He is most definitely the class clown," junior guard Kevin Burleson said. "He has that contagious laugh where you might not think what he's saying or doing is funny, but when he's laughing you just have to laugh with him. When he's around, there is always comedy around. He makes things fun."
"He really is the class clown," assistant coach Bill Walker added. "Coaches and players always appreciate a good laugh and Moe is always there to give it to them, but he also understands when to be serious and can really turn around and get things done."
"A family thing." It's something that, by looking at the current Golden Gopher squad, tends to abound in their game time chemistry. It is one of those things that require all types of people to collaborate and make the experience exciting for all. Moe may not be the only "class clown" on the team, but one thing is for sure when they all work together, immaturity is transformed into mature productivity.
"The chemistry on this team is really different. I like it. It's real immature, but it's also very mature at the same time," Hargrow explained. "We all have our times when we all get sidetracked, but we will get it together and listen to what coach is saying. When it is time for business, we all know how to buckle up and get ready."
Hargrow's teammates can vouch for Moe's ability to change from joking to serious on the fly.
"He's the kind of guy where if you tell him to be serious, he'll act all serious but he still has that joking look on his face," Burleson added. "He'll be telling jokes one minute or teasing guys on the team, and you tell him `Hey, we got to get to work,' but he still has that smirk on his face. He really lightens the mood sometimes."
In terms of the chemistry, the ability to get serious and take care of business needs to be accompanied by some level of excitement, and, in the case of Golden Gopher basketball, intimidation.
Maurice Hargrow hopes to bring both of those to the team in the years to come. While his idea of contributing to the intimidation may not be sheer fear or brute force, it's the type of thing that Golden Gopher fans can truly deal with - a winning team.
"I hope to bring a lot of excitement to the team. When I come in, I want to spark the team for however long I'm in there. I just want to have a lot of fun and give the most I have to give," Hargrow said. "In years to come, I want to win. I want to help make this a winning program, like a powerhouse name, so when people know they're playing the Gophers, they don't just think `Eh, we're playing Minnesota. No big deal.' I want them to think `Hey, we're playing Minnesota!' I want our level of competition to really mean something."
As a coach, you have that same idea in mind, make your opponent fear your team's attitude, playing style and level of competition. Maybe it is that similarity that draws Moe to a desire to know everything for a day, giving him the ability to outwit Coach Monson. Or maybe it is just the class clown pulling another one of his humorous ploys.
"I'd like to know everything for a day, so that when we're in practice, I would know when I'm going to mess up and I could become the coach. Then I could reverse roles with coach for a day," Hargrow said. "I think I could definitely get under his skin if I started saying `No coach, it works better like this.' Just for a joke, I'd think it would be more fun to know everything for a day."
Even though he is always looking for a laugh or dreams of being able to outwit the coach, Moe does have a somewhat more serious side to him. For example, the average outsider may not be aware of the fact that Moe did not even enjoy basketball until he was in eighth grade and decided to let football take a backseat to hoops. He took up basketball simply because he did not want to be left out of all the fun his friends were having.
"I started playing in third grade. I didn't even like basketball until about eighth grade. I was just playing because all of my friends were playing and I didn't want to be home bored out of my mind while they were at practice having fun," Hargrow said. "So, I decided to go out and play with them. I played for a rec center in St. Paul."
When growing up in St. Paul, Minn., playing for the rec centers, it would be understood if Moe Hargrow had always wanted to wear the Maroon and Gold. However, not every child has a favorite college team; they just want to contribute wherever they go. In this case, that holds true. Hargrow did not always imagine himself as a Gopher, but rather wanted to be able to contribute as much as possible where ever he ended up. Now that he is a member of a Minnesota team, that over the past couple of years, has gained more and more national attention, it means a great deal to be able to play for his home state. "It means a lot to be able to represent the state on a national scale and especially to help prove that Minnesota is back," Hargrow said.
Having such a talented local student-athlete contributing right away is a great positive for the program as a whole. "He is a local kid with a lot of admirers locally and otherwise. Watching him play, you can tell that his best days are yet to come, which brings a big upside to our program," Walker commented. "Just knowing that we have Moe and his productivity is a big plus for the future of this program."
One of the aspects of Golden Gopher basketball that, for many, is the best part of playing for Minnesota is the atmosphere at Williams Arena, which is undeniably one of the best college arenas in the nation. The first step onto the raised floor can be nerve-racking for some, but others, such as Hargrow, take it and turn it into one of the most memorable, exciting moments yet to be experienced. Instead of keeping track of what he could have done or the mistakes he may have made, he looked at all the firsts that began his career at Minnesota.
"The first time I played at Williams I was very excited. I think I was overly excited because I was really antsy. I wasn't nervous I was just excited and ready to get something going. I just kept thinking `This is my first college game.' So, every time I did something, I thought, `That was my first college rebound,'" Hargrow said. "It was just things like that going through my head, so it was really exciting."
Despite initially forcing himself to enjoy the game that began as something to pass the time, Moe Hargrow has developed a love for basketball so much so that he turned into a two-time all-state selection at Highland Park High School in St. Paul and earned himself a vital role on the Golden Gopher roster. As a member of the team, he has shown a side of himself that can only be likened to that of the class clown. With the way he teases (according to Moe, Kevin Burleson is the worst dressed on the team) and his crazy antics, he brings that element of laughter and excitement, which help build the team's chemistry and liven up the on-court playing style. Moe Hargrow may not be the most mature member of the team, but just like we all looked forward to the class clown's next move, the Golden Gopher fans can always look to Moe Hargrow for that added level of enthusiasm.
Written by Men's Athletics Media Relations Student Assistant Tarcy Thompson
The class clown is typically seen as that individual who is notoriously known for creating laughter, pulling pranks, endless teasing, a dare-devilish attitude or the one who has the ability to lighten the mood of any given situation. They do it all with a great deal of wit, ease, excitement and much planning and organization. We have all known one at some point in our life, some of us may have actually been them. However, no matter how crazy they may get, most people enjoy having them around. If the title were defined in Webster's Dictionary, there would most likely be a picture of Golden Gopher Moe Hargrow right next to it. Why? It is because he is just that - a crazy prankster who is always looking for two things - to have fun and get a good laugh, which is evident in his attitude on and off the court.
Off the court, Hargrow himself cannot even keep straight the crazy things he has done. There have been so many that recalling each of them would require hours of free time, which is something he does not have a lot of. However, taking his role off the court - to be the crazy one - you can imagine that his stories are anything but ordinary. His favorite involves a ritual many teams partake in - having the freshmen perform the school song in an original manner.
"My role off the court is just to be crazy, goofy Moe. Ask anyone and they'll probably tell you that I'm the crazy one. One of the craziest things I've ever done off the court was singing the school song with some of the other guys on the team and we were dressed up kind of like girls. We weren't wearing dresses or anything, but we acted like girls," Hargrow said. "It was a competition thing. It was kind of embarrassing, but it was like a family thing with the team. But I've done so many crazy things that I just can't begin to tell them all."
Hargrow's Golden Gopher teammates and coaches certainly agree that he is the jokester on the squad.
"He is most definitely the class clown," junior guard Kevin Burleson said. "He has that contagious laugh where you might not think what he's saying or doing is funny, but when he's laughing you just have to laugh with him. When he's around, there is always comedy around. He makes things fun."
"He really is the class clown," assistant coach Bill Walker added. "Coaches and players always appreciate a good laugh and Moe is always there to give it to them, but he also understands when to be serious and can really turn around and get things done."
"A family thing." It's something that, by looking at the current Golden Gopher squad, tends to abound in their game time chemistry. It is one of those things that require all types of people to collaborate and make the experience exciting for all. Moe may not be the only "class clown" on the team, but one thing is for sure when they all work together, immaturity is transformed into mature productivity.
"The chemistry on this team is really different. I like it. It's real immature, but it's also very mature at the same time," Hargrow explained. "We all have our times when we all get sidetracked, but we will get it together and listen to what coach is saying. When it is time for business, we all know how to buckle up and get ready."
Hargrow's teammates can vouch for Moe's ability to change from joking to serious on the fly.
"He's the kind of guy where if you tell him to be serious, he'll act all serious but he still has that joking look on his face," Burleson added. "He'll be telling jokes one minute or teasing guys on the team, and you tell him `Hey, we got to get to work,' but he still has that smirk on his face. He really lightens the mood sometimes."
In terms of the chemistry, the ability to get serious and take care of business needs to be accompanied by some level of excitement, and, in the case of Golden Gopher basketball, intimidation.
Maurice Hargrow hopes to bring both of those to the team in the years to come. While his idea of contributing to the intimidation may not be sheer fear or brute force, it's the type of thing that Golden Gopher fans can truly deal with - a winning team.
"I hope to bring a lot of excitement to the team. When I come in, I want to spark the team for however long I'm in there. I just want to have a lot of fun and give the most I have to give," Hargrow said. "In years to come, I want to win. I want to help make this a winning program, like a powerhouse name, so when people know they're playing the Gophers, they don't just think `Eh, we're playing Minnesota. No big deal.' I want them to think `Hey, we're playing Minnesota!' I want our level of competition to really mean something."
As a coach, you have that same idea in mind, make your opponent fear your team's attitude, playing style and level of competition. Maybe it is that similarity that draws Moe to a desire to know everything for a day, giving him the ability to outwit Coach Monson. Or maybe it is just the class clown pulling another one of his humorous ploys.
"I'd like to know everything for a day, so that when we're in practice, I would know when I'm going to mess up and I could become the coach. Then I could reverse roles with coach for a day," Hargrow said. "I think I could definitely get under his skin if I started saying `No coach, it works better like this.' Just for a joke, I'd think it would be more fun to know everything for a day."
Even though he is always looking for a laugh or dreams of being able to outwit the coach, Moe does have a somewhat more serious side to him. For example, the average outsider may not be aware of the fact that Moe did not even enjoy basketball until he was in eighth grade and decided to let football take a backseat to hoops. He took up basketball simply because he did not want to be left out of all the fun his friends were having.
"I started playing in third grade. I didn't even like basketball until about eighth grade. I was just playing because all of my friends were playing and I didn't want to be home bored out of my mind while they were at practice having fun," Hargrow said. "So, I decided to go out and play with them. I played for a rec center in St. Paul."
When growing up in St. Paul, Minn., playing for the rec centers, it would be understood if Moe Hargrow had always wanted to wear the Maroon and Gold. However, not every child has a favorite college team; they just want to contribute wherever they go. In this case, that holds true. Hargrow did not always imagine himself as a Gopher, but rather wanted to be able to contribute as much as possible where ever he ended up. Now that he is a member of a Minnesota team, that over the past couple of years, has gained more and more national attention, it means a great deal to be able to play for his home state. "It means a lot to be able to represent the state on a national scale and especially to help prove that Minnesota is back," Hargrow said.
Having such a talented local student-athlete contributing right away is a great positive for the program as a whole. "He is a local kid with a lot of admirers locally and otherwise. Watching him play, you can tell that his best days are yet to come, which brings a big upside to our program," Walker commented. "Just knowing that we have Moe and his productivity is a big plus for the future of this program."
One of the aspects of Golden Gopher basketball that, for many, is the best part of playing for Minnesota is the atmosphere at Williams Arena, which is undeniably one of the best college arenas in the nation. The first step onto the raised floor can be nerve-racking for some, but others, such as Hargrow, take it and turn it into one of the most memorable, exciting moments yet to be experienced. Instead of keeping track of what he could have done or the mistakes he may have made, he looked at all the firsts that began his career at Minnesota.
"The first time I played at Williams I was very excited. I think I was overly excited because I was really antsy. I wasn't nervous I was just excited and ready to get something going. I just kept thinking `This is my first college game.' So, every time I did something, I thought, `That was my first college rebound,'" Hargrow said. "It was just things like that going through my head, so it was really exciting."
Despite initially forcing himself to enjoy the game that began as something to pass the time, Moe Hargrow has developed a love for basketball so much so that he turned into a two-time all-state selection at Highland Park High School in St. Paul and earned himself a vital role on the Golden Gopher roster. As a member of the team, he has shown a side of himself that can only be likened to that of the class clown. With the way he teases (according to Moe, Kevin Burleson is the worst dressed on the team) and his crazy antics, he brings that element of laughter and excitement, which help build the team's chemistry and liven up the on-court playing style. Moe Hargrow may not be the most mature member of the team, but just like we all looked forward to the class clown's next move, the Golden Gopher fans can always look to Moe Hargrow for that added level of enthusiasm.
Written by Men's Athletics Media Relations Student Assistant Tarcy Thompson
