Maya Moore, star of court and classroom, to address 2011 grads

Maya Moore, the top overall draft pick of the 2011 WNBA Draft, will be the keynote speaker next week at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder’s 16th Annual High School Graduation Celebration May 17 at the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. The Minnesota Lynx top rookie plans to speak on the importance of reaching an academic milestone, whether it’s high school or beyond.

“It is important to appreciate the accomplishment of making it through high school successfully,” notes Moore, who signed her first pro basketball contract April 14, three days after she was drafted by the Minnesota Lynx. She also wants to advise the grads “to take advantage of the opportunities that there are to go to college. There are so many different options and areas where you can have opportunities to go to school and do something you love.”

“I want to tell them how important education was for me,” continues Moore, who was a McDonald’s All-American at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Georgia. The six-foot Moore attended the University of Connecticut, where she reached milestones never seen before in women’s college basketball.

Moore is only the second four-time All-American in women’s college basketball history. She finished her illustrious collegiate playing career as UConn’s all-time leading scorer and a winner of multiple national awards.

Her hardwood success overshadowed her academic success, which also earned recognition. Moore was twice honored as academic All-American of the Year (2009 and 2010) by the nation’s college sports information directors. She was nominated for a Rhodes Scholarship and was named as one of Glamour Magazine’s Top 10 College Women of 2010.

“I tried to really set myself apart from the stereotype of being a really good athlete and kind of a sub-par student,” admits Moore, who graduated May 8 with a sports media and promotions degree from Connecticut. “I was a competitive athlete, but also a very capable student. I always loved school and learning.”

Moore’s mother, Kathryn Moore, and her grandparents, Robert and Katrina Moore, proudly watched the Minnesota Lynx rookie accept her college sheepskin in cap and gown last weekend. “I’ve been interested in sports broadcasting, and I picked classes that were relevant to what I thought my future would hold,” says the UConn graduate. “I combined journalism, communications and sports management [classes], and it worked out great.”

Now, Moore says she looks forward to “a new beginning” as a professional basketball player as well as relocating to the Twin Cities. “It’s part of my personality that I pour everything that I have into what I am doing.

“I like to make sure that I am taking advantage of every opportunity that God has given me. Just knowing that I have been blessed with intelligence and the opportunity to get an education at a university [after] high school, I wanted to make sure that I took advantage and worked my hardest at it.”

Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.