Veteran guard ISO brings a great nickname, growth mindset and an aura that has upstart Griffins believing
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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11 | 22 | 18 | 18 | 69 |
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16 | 9 | 5 | 17 | 47 |
Team Stats
Thompson Rivers
| Game Statistics | Thompson Rivers | MacEwan University |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (24-66) | (18-48) |
| Field Goal % | 36.4% | 37.5% |
| Rebounds | 34 | 27 |
| Assists | 6 | 6 |
| Turnovers | 18 | 30 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 32 | 14 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 9 | 8 |
| Pts in the Paint | 34 | 24 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 13 | 3 |
| Bench Pts | 25 | 15 |
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Every great superhero has an origin story.
We aren't talking comic books here, but in the case of Marcus ISO Moore, he has had some Superman moments for the upstart Griffins men's basketball team in 2025-26.
With ISO tattooed on his left shin, the Scarborough, Ont. native has engrained the nickname into everything he does.
The origin of his superpower began when he went against fellow GTA product Malik Grant, who has since gone on to play professionally in the CEBL with the Brampton Honey Badgers, in a one-on-one pickup game at age 15.
"I was playing one on one against a pro basketball player and I beat him," said Moore. "He said 'yo, you're actually a good ISO player.' I thought, 'hmmm, ISO, that's a good name.' Guys like Joe Johnson (nicknamed ISO Joe), Allonzo Trier (nicknamed IsoZO), I fit that mould where I could get a bucket and I could score on anyone in isolation.
"I would say that's how I got my name. And it just stuck. Everyone calls me ISO. I feel it's a good name to have because it shows the work I put in and it shows what I do best, which is scoring and playmaking."
Moore will lead the Griffins into home action this weekend vs. Thompson Rivers (Friday, 7 p.m. and Saturday, 5 p.m., both David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV).
The Griffins have needed to rely on both aspects of ISO's game so far this season, especially in light of Elisha Ampofo's injury suffered on opening weekend at Saskatchewan.
In last Saturday's 79-70 win over then-U SPORTS No. 5 Winnipeg, Moore led the Griffins with 16 points and five steals.
ISO Moore with a great individual effort puts @MacEwanGriffins up by 11 in the second quarter.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/PRdgCNwVzZ
— MacEwan Griffins Men's Basketball Team (@Griffins_MBB) November 1, 2025
"We've been working on him becoming more of a playmaker than a scorer," said Griffins head coach David Kapinga. "It was a part of his game I wasn't sure that he had but it's what he needed. That's what he's going to need to play professionally after here. He was willing to learn those things.
"For me, it's not score-score," he continued. "It's 'on your way to scoring, if someone helps, then you've got to pass the ball. On your way to scoring, if no one helps, then you score yourself.'
"I think me simplifying things like that with him has been 'oh, I've been doing this the whole time, but people haven't been helping so I've been finishing myself.'
"Now that they're helping, we show him on film .. the process of finding out who's open when someone picks you up."
That, in turn, has helped open up the entire Griffins' offence. Against Winnipeg, they had 10 players find the hoop, exhibiting the kind of balanced attack that the top Canada West teams have. However, Moore rightly points out their victory came about just as much because of their intensity defending.
"We beat Winnipeg because of our defence," he said. "Our defence leads into our offence. It leads into transition and us scoring easier baskets. I feel we need to start off with defence first and then once we play hard defence our offence will come and get better."
Marcus ISO Moore looks for an opening against Winnipeg last Friday (Husain Dhooma photo).
That's an area that's growing in his game, as well. Kapinga admits pushing Moore's buttons on this topic.
"I had to challenge him," he said. "Everyone has these thoughts of you. That's what we said, 'We heard from people that you can't play defence.' I knew I was pushing a button a little bit.
" 'No, no, I can play defence.'
'Well, I haven't seen it, to be honest with you.'
"Just understanding the kind of person and player he is, he took on the challenge. We just watched film and showed him the progress he's done from the first couple of games to this weekend and the progress that I need him to keep making for us to become the team that I envision.
"He was really pleased with that and accepted the challenge head on."
That Moore is still showing a willingness to grow speaks to his character. He's a veteran guy of three different post-secondary leagues who probably could have decided he has it all figured out.
The basketball team MVP and Male Athlete of the Year at his high school Pine Ridge Secondary initially took him game south of the border, joining Vincennes University (NJCAA) in Indiana in 2021-22. It didn't work out.
"I ended up playing for a coach that … we just didn't see eye to eye," explained Moore. "So, I left kind of early. I just stayed home. I took that year off. I was kind of in a low spot. I then went to Humber. I love coach Omar Miles. I have to shout out him because he's a great human being. It ended up not working there because I got a concussion. So now it's two years I didn't play.
"Coach Thomas Cory at Nipissing took a chance on me. I played there two years and was rookie of the year my first year. After that, I just thought it was time for a change. I met coach Kapinga, loved him. We have a great relationship and now I'm here at MacEwan."
M��| SIGNED
— MacEwan Griffins (@MacEwanGriffins) June 30, 2025
The first announcement in @Griffins_MBB coach David Kapinga's 2025 recruiting class is transfer Marcus Moore, who has previous @USPORTS_Bball experience as rookie of the year for @nulakers in 2023-24.
Welcome to @MacEwanU!#GriffNation
STORY➡️https://t.co/lyKKHQDs9R pic.twitter.com/MBo3mWClFx
It was actually through Griffins assistant coach Eliel Lukusa, who is from Moore's hometown, where the connection was made.
"We always had a thing where if 'I ever get a coaching job, I'm bringing you with me.' He was able to get that coaching job and he just brought me in," said Moore. "From then, I talked to coach Kapinga, and everything is perfect. He's a great guy."
Kapinga said Moore is willing to make improvements in his game because he loves basketball, which isn't something you can say for everyone who plays the game.
"I liked Marcus' maturity and his want to play basketball," he said of his initial impression. "The love of basketball, people think it's easy to find, but it's not. Me and Marcus have had a lot of conversations about things he probably doesn't like – to improve his game. But he loves basketball so much, he's ready to forgo the things that he thought to help the team win because he wants to play basketball.
"I think that passion, that love for the game is something that really, really intrigued me in getting him here. The next thing is just his aura. He's such a confident person and I think that's important when you're trying to build a program is having pillars that are stable."
Even having the nickname ISO exudes confidence. And it's infectious on a Griffins team that is trying to get back to the Canada West playoffs for the first time since 2022.
"I love this team," said Moore. "I feel like we're engaged, they're easy to talk to and they're really good guys. You don't really get that often where everyone likes each other.
"But I feel like that's how we have so much success now is because we like each other and we want each other to succeed. I feel that's what it starts off with. We're going to keep winning more games because we like each other. That's all it is. When you love your teammates, it can go a long way."
