Villanova guard Justin Moore just heard some magic words from his doctor

Villanova guard Justin Moore listens for nuances. He has gotten periodic signs of progress after his surgery on the torn right Achilles tendon he suffered in the NCAA Tournament, all pointing in the proper direction.

Last week, to his ears, the recovery bar was raised a fair bit.

“Just saw the doctor,” Moore said, sitting in Finneran Pavilion. “He let me know that really it’s anything I can tolerate at this point.”

Big words after such an injury. Let’s stipulate that Moore is a rise-and-grinder. How hard should you go? Where’s the bar? For these recent months, not his call.

So “anything I can tolerate” … kind of magic words.

This is all worth noting because Moore on the court would be the top returning player for Villanova — maybe in the Big East. That’s no great revelation. He’s that strong of a two-way guard. You saw how Villanova’s chances of beating Kansas in the Final Four plummeted when Moore had to sit and watch. How depressing must that have been? Moore admitted he was still pretty much in shock.

Before that Achilles popped during the last moments of Villanova’s Elite Eight victory, Moore had missed only one game in his college career, and even that blip included a quick return after a sprained ankle last February.

This is not to suggest Moore could be at full strength for the start of October workouts. An Achilles tendon tear doesn’t offer that quick of a recovery. (It used to be career-ending.) A return by early 2023 sounds like it remains something of a fair target. Not rushing back too soon is a mantra for Moore.

“I think I’m right on schedule,” Moore said. “It’s hard to tell when I’ll be able to play. It’s just taking it how it goes. There’s no set date when I’ll be back to play. It’s basically how I’m feeling, how it’s going.”

A further sign not just of progress, but of Moore’s excitement with it, came in the form of a social media post Moore put out late last week, a video showing a workout. He typed only one word, “PROGRESSION,” plus a hammer emoji. There were 16 seconds of jumping into hoops set on the ground, including landing on his once-injured right foot.

“Looking good, looking good, man,” Villanova strength and conditioning coach John Shackleton said in the background.

“Progressing on the court — running on the court — maybe the beginning of next month,” Moore said of what he’s hoping to be his next step.

Right now, he runs on a specialized treadmill that allows his foot to bear only 80 or 85% of his body weight.

“In three months, they’ll come and check on me again,” Moore said.

What is still a little tough to tolerate?

“It’s not as strong — it’s also mental,” Moore said. “I think yesterday was my first time jumping. It’s like, ‘Oh, it’s been awhile.’ It just feels weird. It’s also just getting the strength all the way back.”

Those little jumps …

“Just awkward … weak, of course. Not as strong as the left,” Moore said. “Just awkward.”

The next bar, maybe after that next doctor’s appointment in 10 or 12 weeks, could clear him for contact on the court.

“You don’t want to rush it and not be ready to play,” Moore said. “That’s going to be bad for the team and myself, reinjuring things, something like that. So I’m definitely taking it at a slow pace but also just pushing myself, knowing what I could tolerate.”

He’s taking a summer Japanese class, after some morning weightlifting, then he’s out there for the beginning of the practice, doing some form shooting, getting some dribbling in, before heading inside with trainer Dan Erickson for some treatment.

» READ MORE: Gillespie's shadow didn't keep Moore from shining bright

Another recent social media post from Moore maybe was more surprising, quote-tweeting another Moore, Jason Moore, tweeting his commitment to play football for Ohio State, Justin adding, “OHIO STATE HERE WE COME!! WE OUTCHEAAA BABYBOY.”

Wait, Justin has a star 6-foot-6, 255-pound defensive end for a brother? If Justin will admit Jason being the better football player, and Jason will admit Justin being the better basketball player, what do they compete at?

They compete at competing.

“We compete at all the little things,” Justin said. “Little stats here and there. We always push each other. He’ll challenge me, ‘Bet you can’t get three steals next game,’ little stuff like that. Or I’ll go, ‘I need you to get five sacks this game.’”

Back to the injury … such agony at what should have been the high point of his basketball life, reaching the Final Four.

“I didn’t really get past it until after the Final Four and I got back home and got to really sit and think about things and sit with my family,” Moore said. “In the moment, I was just so upset. Why would this happen to me? We were doing so good. I was doing so good. I saw a future for myself. I was getting better and better each game.”

At home, leg in a cast, Moore said he got over it “finally” … just a lot of reminders, most famously from Kevin Durant, that he would be OK. Even a couple of NBA coaches reached out and said they still had their eyes on him. Big relief right there.

» READ MORE: "I want him to know that he's not done"

“We actually keep in contact,” Moore said of Durant, who had ruptured his Achilles tendon during the 2019 NBA Finals and did not play the entire 2019-20 season. “We text back and forth, here and there. He’ll reach out, see how I’m doing. I’ll text him, asking questions about the process. I just want to get knowledge from anybody who has gone through this process. He’s a great source.”

What does Moore want the 2022-23 season to be?

“Continuing the culture,” Moore said. “I know a lot of things have changed here.”

Have to give him that. Head coach Kyle Neptune had just walked by with Shackleton before Moore came out of the basketball office. The Jay Wright era ended one game after Moore’s injury. Jermaine Samuels and Collin Gillespie officially have moved on, although Moore stays in almost daily contact with them.

“We don’t want anything to change,” Moore said. “Changes happen, but we still want it to be the same.”

That’s his first thought, feeling that leadership responsibility, Moore said, but he also acknowledged, “Focusing on myself, really, right now. The team thing is important but I want to make sure I’m getting myself ready, my body ready, in the best shape possible, so when I do come back, I’m ready to help the team in any way.”

He’s essentially competing at preparing to compete, most happy to report some progress.