Former Nansemond River High School basketball standout Ashton Moore has been creating something special on the court for The Citadel for the last three years, but what he did during a home game on Thursday deserved special recognition.

Moore, a senior shooting guard, became the 31st basketball player in Bulldogs’ history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark in his Citadel career.

“It’s a great milestone, a heck of a feeling, because, especially in high school, I never got the chance to reach that,” Moore said.

With the Warriors, he amassed 915 points, averaging 16 per game. Now, he’s done even more at the NCAA Division I college level.

He said he was thankful for his teammates, and that his family was on hand, making it a special night in Charleston, S.C.

His coaches putting him in a position to score along with his teammates getting him the ball were factors Moore cited for why he has been able to pile up so many points during his college career.

Bulldogs coach Chuck Driesell knew Moore was going to reach the 1,000-point mark at some point in time, though he was not aware of it when it happened on Thursday.

“Obviously, that’s a great achievement for any college basketball player to get 1,000 points,” Driesell said. “He is a hard-working young man who puts a lot of time into the game and scoring a thousand points is a byproduct of that hard work.”

“When we need points, he’s always been a guy that can step up and give us that,” Driesell said.

Moore is averaging 16 points per game through nine games this season. He has had offensive success all four years at The Citadel, but his best production has come as an upperclassman.

“I started a few games my freshman year, as well, then sophomore year I started a few games, too, but I didn’t solidify my status as starter until my junior year,” Moore said.

As a junior at The Citadel, he ranked in the top three of 11 statistical categories, including first in minutes (1,070), field goals made (150), three-point field goal percentage (.412) and steals (33).

Nansemond River coach Ed Young was not surprised by Moore’s 1,000-point milestone in his senior year.

“The way he was playing, I knew he would get it,” Young said, adding that he was “really, really happy, excited for him because that kid has worked for every single thing he has obtained, both high school and college career.”

Despite Moore’s scoring prowess, he does not consider piling up points a priority.

“I’m just trying to win,” he said.

His next opportunity to help the Bulldogs (4-5) do that will be in his home state of Virginia as The Citadel visits Virginia Tech on Saturday.