Maya Moore Named 2007 Naismith Female High School Basketball Player of the Year
Uconn-bound Senior Becomes Second Repeat Winner

ATLANTA (March 14, 2007) – Maya Moore from Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, GA. has been named the 2007 Naismith Trophy Female High School Basketball Player of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today.  Moore, who signed a letter of intent to play college basketball for Connecticut, joins current Tennessee player Candace Parker (Naperville Central, Naperville, IL 2003-2004) as the only repeat winners of the award.

The Naismith Trophy, presented annually to the male and female high school players of the year, is the most prestigious national award in high school basketball. Moore will be presented with the Naismith Trophy at the Naismith Awards banquet April 5 in Atlanta.

Moore was selected by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, a collection of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country, based on his performance this season. Moore has also been named the 2007 “Miss Georgia Basketball” by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.

“Maya has been the top player on the consensus number-one ranked team in the nation so it’s only fitting that she wins this award,” said Gary Stokan, Atlanta Tipoff Club president. “We expect Maya to continue a long list of accomplishments at the next level.”

A 6-0 senior forward, Moore averaged 25.2 points, 12 rebounds, 5 steals, 5 assists and 2 blocked shots per game in leading the Eagles (31-0) to a third straight Class 5A state championship and a number-one ranking in USA Today. Collins Hill went 125-3 during Moore’s career.

Past Naismith Trophy winners have set a precedent for excellence at the collegiate level and include USC’s Lisa Leslie (1990), Tennessee’s Chamique Holdsclaw (1995), Connecticut’s Diana Taurasi (2000) and Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris (2005)

Contact:

Eric Oberman
Atlanta Tipoff Club
(404) 586-8506
eoberman@macoc.com