SMU hoops great Nic Moore in France: 'Right now, the streets are empty'

Nic Moore went grocery shopping Monday in Reims, France, roughly 90 minutes outside of Paris. He was able to get some items for his family, which includes a wife, Michelle, pregnant with twins, and a 1-year-old son, Landon.

The former SMU basketball standout, now a pro basketball point guard in the top French league, returned home with some necessities. Some, not all. He wanted to return with bread, but with the coronvirus (COVID-19) pandemic sweeping through multiple countries globally -- France in particular -- bread was not an option on Monday.

According to Worldometer, nearly 197,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported globally, including more than 7,700 in France. Nearly 1,100 of those cases are new, which forced French President Emmanuel Marcon to announce Tuesday afternoon that the country would go on a strict, 15-day lockdown.

France is the third European country -- the others being Italy and Spain -- to be placed on mandatory lockdown. And for Moore, the former two-time American Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2005 and 2006 who was raised in Indiana and spent 2012-16 at SMU, the experience becomes something of a horror story in that if he wanted to come back to the U.S. today, he couldn't.

"Right now, the streets are empty," Moore told The HillTopics. "Only one person can leave to go to the grocery store or pharmacy or doctor if needed. No more than five people are allowed in a place at a time.

"If you get caught outside, you get a fine. I believe its 38 euros (roughly $42), but going to jump to 150 euros (roughly $165) soon."

Exactly how strict is France's current containment? Moore said the family has to sign and have present a certificate of derogatory movement to go outside. Residents have to specify why a trip is being made, whether it involves going to work, shopping or, in his case, to exercise for the use of professional activity.

France's lockdown is expected to come to an end at the beginning of April. For now, Moore, one of the greatest guards to put on an SMU uniform, and his family are -- well -- just there.

Play in the LNB Pro A, the top men's pro league in France, has been suspended, as players in the league have been exposed to individuals with the virus. Some have been tested, others have not.

For Moore, the objective is simple -- do all he can to keep his family healthy and keep himself healthy for the sake of his wife, son and unborn children.

"I hope that if the league does decide to start back up that all players are tested," Moore said. "Without testing, we are putting our families and ourselves at risk."

Moore said that he wouldn't be opposed to the Pro A canceling this season. All that he'd want in return is to be able to travel back to the U.S. The uncertainty of being able to immediately come home is an unsettling feeling.

"It's really sad, to be honest," Moore said. "I have a lot of respect for the teams within our league and other country leagues who allowed their Americans to leave before it got crazy over here with the travel restrictions and what not."

France will make its next move before the start of April. Until then, Moore is in limbo -- like the rest of 65 million-plus residents in the country.