Angie Hembree only coached Maya Moore for two years, her first two at Collins Hill High School in Georgia. Hembree then moved on to become an assistant coach at the University of Miami in April of 2005. Moore went on to become the best high school player in the country.
But the time Hembree spent with Moore was enough for her to develop an admiration and a true appreciation for Moore both as a player and as a person. Just like the lives of virtually everyone else she touched during her seven-year stay in Georgia before heading to UConn, Moore has become a veritable icon. An individual that is respected, and an individual that will be a major reason why the Georgia Tech women’s basketball team could set a new team attendance record Sunday at the Alexander Memorial Coliseum when Moore returns for the first time as a member of the top-ranked Huskies.
Hembree, who is now the head coach at Norcross High, said she is bringing her entire program to the game. That’s about 70 people, including UConn 2013 target Diamond DeShields. There had been about 6,300 tickets distributed for the game as of Friday afternoon, already making it just the fourth crowd of more than 6,000 that will be on hand to see a Yellowjackets’ home game.
The team record is 6,621 set against North Carolina Feb. 8, 1995.
“Everybody is fired up about the fact that she is coming down here to play,’’ Hembree said. “Everyone down here feels great pride that she’s coming back and wants to go see her play. Maya Moore is a very special person. She is arguably the best player out of Georgia ever, probably her and Teresa Edwards. Maya is a very special person so the kids just revere her and with good reason. There is incredible pride down there not just because of her skills as a basketball player but because of the kind of person she is. Everybody loves her, especially those people down here who knew her and knew what kind of person she is. We have all followed her and rooted for her. When you have a kid who is as genuine and hard-working as she is, it’s easy to root for folks like that.’’
Hembree got the chance to see Moore last April at the Final Four in San Antonio when she was a coach in the WBCA All-America Game at the Alamodome. That was a special day for her.
“Maya was named an All-American and got the Wade Trophy that day,’’ Hembree said. “It brought tears to my eyes. I feel like I was very blessed to have been able to have spent time with her. She did a lot more for me than I ever did for her. Because of the kind of person she is, she impacts people’s lives. She gets it. She understands it. She sees the big picture, and she helps others see it. She is grounded and spiritual and a team player. She enjoys her life, and that kind of thing is contagious with the other kids, the coaches and everyone she deals with. She blessed us all very, very much.’’
The fans that show up tomorrow to see Moore likely will not go home disappointed. She scored 30 points in Tuesday’s win over Baylor, including two off of a blocked shot by Brittney Griner that she tipped in off the bounce in one fluid motion with 4:10 left in the first half.
Moore is averaging 25.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 4.5 steals in 33.5 minutes through the first two games this season.
Rich
