Moore tells her story in Greenville

December 7, 2016

WNBA star inspires by describing journey

As Maya Moore entered The Kroc Center's gymnasium Tuesday for the Coaches 4 Character speaker series, hundreds of young people stood, cheered and chanted her name.

Moore, the WNBA star, two time Olympic gold medalist and former standout at the University of Conneticut, showed up to speak about her journey and encourage the audience to partner their passion with their gifts -- in basketball or other area they choose,

Moore admits basketball players may relate to her more than others, but says her story can translate to anyone

"I'm not that old... yet," she said as she started her speech, and went on to talk about the way she grew up, bouncing around from city to city early on and having extended family to pitch in and help raise her.

"My story is their story as far as humble beginnings." Moore said "(I had) people to help me and support me. I worked hard and I'm able to live out my dream now."

Prior to Moore's speech, two Southside High School students, junior Brinton Gambrell and senior Ashley Oliver, were honored with The Greenville News Coaches 4 Character Executive Director Greg Blatt and Southside principal Brad Griffith for their leadership, work ethic and commitment to their community.

Oliver serves as a Tiger Mentor, facilitating character education classes for freshman. She also is a cheerleader, as well as a member of the school's track-and-field and soccer teams. Gambrell is the top-enlisted cadet in the school's ROTC program and Griffith spoke about Gambrell's leadership role in many areas in school.

Moore's last professional game was Oct. 20, a loss to the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA Finals. Normally at this time of the year she'd be playing overseas, as many WNBA players do during the offseason, but she took this international season off to rest.

Moore said she's been looking forward to the time off. So far, she has enjoyed time with family and finds every change to give back to kids and share her experiences.

"That itch for basketball I'm sure will come as as the season gets closer, but I've been enjoying the holiday for now, " she said.

This is the first speaking engagement for Moore since her season ended, and though Blatt has been trying for years to get her to the Upstate, she said his passion for the program and the kids in the Greenville area solidified her decision to come to South Carolina once she had time.

"This is definitely one of the most unique recruiting experiences I've had, with a six year process," Moore said. "This program has over the last 10 years had so many kids, (tonight there's) hundreds of kids. To have this many young people in the room is really a unique experience that I wanted to be a part of."

By: Bria N. Felicien -- Greenville Online

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