Maya Moore - University of Connecticut

University of Connecticut

Moore led the Huskies to a 36–1 record in the 2007–08 NCAA season, their best record since their Final Four appearance of 2004. During the season, Moore averaged a team-high 17.8 points per game, and hit 42% of her three point shots. She was second to Candace Parker in the Associated Press Player of the Year voting. Moore also placed second on the team in rebounds with 7.6 per game and blocks with 1.6 per game. She was the first freshman, male or female, to be named the Big East Player of the Year. Moore won the award again as a sophomore. Moore's teammate, Tina Charles, won the award in 2010, while Moore went on to win the award in 2011, joining Villanova's Shelly Pennefather and former UConn player Kerry Bascom as three-time recipients.

In 2010, Moore lead the team in scoring and steals, and tied Charles for total rebounds en route to a 39–0 season, culminating in an NCAA National Championship.

On March 7, against Syracuse, Maya Moore scored the 2,000th point of her college career. She is the first player at UConn to accomplish this feat as a junior.

During the 2009–10 season, some of the sports media considered whether the dominance of the UConn program was bad for women’s basketball. Some concluded it was not bad for the game, and supported the notions of playing hard and trying to play a beautiful game.

Moore was the subject of an ESPN Sports Science video clip, discussing her vertical leap, court vision, and muscle memory. They discussed her ability to steal, noting that she can move her hands faster than the striking speed of a rattlesnake.

Moore was named an AP First team All-American, the fourth time she has earned the honor, and only the second player in history to earn First Team honors for four years. The first such recipient was Courtney Paris.