Photo by: Samuel Marshall
Moore Anticipates Happy Homecoming
02/13/20 | Women's Basketball, @GoDucksMoseley
UO senior guard Minyon Moore will be on familiar turf this week when the No. 3 Ducks play at No. 7 UCLA on Friday, and then against her former school, USC, on Sunday.
Minyon Moore is anticipating a happy homecoming this week.
The graduate transfer for the UO women's basketball team is looking forward to seeing some familiar faces at her former school, Southern California, as the No. 3 Ducks venture south to play at UCLA on Friday (8 p.m., Pac-12) and USC on Sunday. And she's looking forward to keeping her new school, Oregon, on its current trajectory — directly into the thick of the NCAA Championship race.
Moore, a 5-foot-8 guard from Hercules in the San Francisco Bay Area, started 63 games for USC from 2016-19. She reunited with former club teammate Sabrina Ionescu this season at Oregon, and has developed into the Ducks' defensive stopper in recent weeks.
First up on this road trip for Oregon (22-2, 11-1 Pac-12) is a showdown with first place in the Pac-12 on the line Friday at No. 7 UCLA (21-2, 10-2). Then, on Sunday, Moore will make her homecoming at the Galen Center against USC (12-11, 4-8).
"I don't think it's gonna faze her at all being back home; she's in her element there," UO coach Kelly Graves said. "I think she's proud she's a Duck; she's also proud she was a Trojan for three years, and did great things there.
"I don't think anybody has any ill will towards her for leaving — and that's not always the case. I think they were happy for her because of the reason: She knew she could have an impact on a team that had a chance of winning the national championship."
Oregon enters this week's trip to Los Angeles on a 10-game winning streak, looking very much like a team capable of cutting down the nets in New Orleans come April. The Ducks have beaten four top-10 teams and seven top-25 teams overall during the streak, beating those seven by an average margin of 20.3 points per game.
The Ducks are dominating on the offensive end as usual, and entered this week with the No. 1 scoring offense in the NCAA at 85.9 points per game. That's about in line with Oregon's scoring average a year ago, 84.9 points per game. But defensively, the Ducks are a different team — they're allowing 56.4 points, a drop from 63.0 last season.
A big reason for that is Moore, whose individual scoring average from last season has been cut nearly in half — from 14.8 points per game as a USC junior to 7.7 per game as a UO senior — but who has given Oregon a defense capable of complementing its elite offense.
"Last year I had to help the guards a little more," UO senior center Ruthy Hebard said. "This year, I remember our first few days at practice she was like, 'I got it, I got it.' I was like, OK, what am I supposed to do now? I don't need to help you that much. It's definitely helped us a lot, and I'm thankful for that."
Moore and the Ducks have taken their defense to a new level during the 10-game winning streak. She had five steals during a home sweep of California and Stanford, then six in one game at Utah two weeks after that, and another six in one game last week against Arizona State.
Moore's tenacity was key to keeping Connecticut from mounting a fourth-quarter comeback in Oregon's win over the Huskies on Feb. 3. And all that defensive energy has resulted in more transition opportunities for the Ducks offensively.
"I don't have to produce 25 points per game to get a win, or to help my team win," Moore said. "I have other players on my team that can do that. So it's just kind of impacting the game where I can, do what I can.
"I know Oregon hasn't been known for great defensive teams, so it's just coming here and being able to step into that role and putting it on my shoulders."
Moore averaged about 38 minutes per game the past two seasons at USC. She's playing closer to 24 per game at Oregon, and in recent weeks she's adjusted her mindset accordingly.
Earlier in the year, she said, she found herself conserving some energy because she was used to a bigger workload. Lately, she's mashing the pedal to the metal every moment she's on the floor.
"We've picked up a lot more full-court (pressure) than we normally do," Graves said. "We've trapped in the halfcourt a lot more. We've changed our defenses. … She's good at double-teaming at the low post. She's good on the perimeter. She's just a nuisance — a little pest."
USC didn't need to scout this year's Ducks to know that. In each of the past two years, Moore was named a member of the Pac-12's all-defensive team while playing for the Women of Troy.
This weekend, she'll be on the other side of a matchup with USC. She's anticipating a return to the Galen Center filled with "mixed emotions," she said. But all of them, she said, will be positive.
"I needed those three years (at USC) to become the player that I am today," Moore said. "Without those three years, I wouldn't be the player I am. I learned so much and got to be myself and grow as a person, not only on the basketball court but also off the court. I got my education, got my undergrad there. So it's amazing.
"And now everything's coming along here. Everything with my goals in the initial decision to come here is all coming true. So it's all working out."
The graduate transfer for the UO women's basketball team is looking forward to seeing some familiar faces at her former school, Southern California, as the No. 3 Ducks venture south to play at UCLA on Friday (8 p.m., Pac-12) and USC on Sunday. And she's looking forward to keeping her new school, Oregon, on its current trajectory — directly into the thick of the NCAA Championship race.
Moore, a 5-foot-8 guard from Hercules in the San Francisco Bay Area, started 63 games for USC from 2016-19. She reunited with former club teammate Sabrina Ionescu this season at Oregon, and has developed into the Ducks' defensive stopper in recent weeks.
First up on this road trip for Oregon (22-2, 11-1 Pac-12) is a showdown with first place in the Pac-12 on the line Friday at No. 7 UCLA (21-2, 10-2). Then, on Sunday, Moore will make her homecoming at the Galen Center against USC (12-11, 4-8).
"I don't think it's gonna faze her at all being back home; she's in her element there," UO coach Kelly Graves said. "I think she's proud she's a Duck; she's also proud she was a Trojan for three years, and did great things there.
"I don't think anybody has any ill will towards her for leaving — and that's not always the case. I think they were happy for her because of the reason: She knew she could have an impact on a team that had a chance of winning the national championship."
Oregon enters this week's trip to Los Angeles on a 10-game winning streak, looking very much like a team capable of cutting down the nets in New Orleans come April. The Ducks have beaten four top-10 teams and seven top-25 teams overall during the streak, beating those seven by an average margin of 20.3 points per game.
The Ducks are dominating on the offensive end as usual, and entered this week with the No. 1 scoring offense in the NCAA at 85.9 points per game. That's about in line with Oregon's scoring average a year ago, 84.9 points per game. But defensively, the Ducks are a different team — they're allowing 56.4 points, a drop from 63.0 last season.
A big reason for that is Moore, whose individual scoring average from last season has been cut nearly in half — from 14.8 points per game as a USC junior to 7.7 per game as a UO senior — but who has given Oregon a defense capable of complementing its elite offense.
"Last year I had to help the guards a little more," UO senior center Ruthy Hebard said. "This year, I remember our first few days at practice she was like, 'I got it, I got it.' I was like, OK, what am I supposed to do now? I don't need to help you that much. It's definitely helped us a lot, and I'm thankful for that."
Moore and the Ducks have taken their defense to a new level during the 10-game winning streak. She had five steals during a home sweep of California and Stanford, then six in one game at Utah two weeks after that, and another six in one game last week against Arizona State.
Moore's tenacity was key to keeping Connecticut from mounting a fourth-quarter comeback in Oregon's win over the Huskies on Feb. 3. And all that defensive energy has resulted in more transition opportunities for the Ducks offensively.
"I don't have to produce 25 points per game to get a win, or to help my team win," Moore said. "I have other players on my team that can do that. So it's just kind of impacting the game where I can, do what I can.
"I know Oregon hasn't been known for great defensive teams, so it's just coming here and being able to step into that role and putting it on my shoulders."
Moore averaged about 38 minutes per game the past two seasons at USC. She's playing closer to 24 per game at Oregon, and in recent weeks she's adjusted her mindset accordingly.
Earlier in the year, she said, she found herself conserving some energy because she was used to a bigger workload. Lately, she's mashing the pedal to the metal every moment she's on the floor.
"We've picked up a lot more full-court (pressure) than we normally do," Graves said. "We've trapped in the halfcourt a lot more. We've changed our defenses. … She's good at double-teaming at the low post. She's good on the perimeter. She's just a nuisance — a little pest."
USC didn't need to scout this year's Ducks to know that. In each of the past two years, Moore was named a member of the Pac-12's all-defensive team while playing for the Women of Troy.
This weekend, she'll be on the other side of a matchup with USC. She's anticipating a return to the Galen Center filled with "mixed emotions," she said. But all of them, she said, will be positive.
"I needed those three years (at USC) to become the player that I am today," Moore said. "Without those three years, I wouldn't be the player I am. I learned so much and got to be myself and grow as a person, not only on the basketball court but also off the court. I got my education, got my undergrad there. So it's amazing.
"And now everything's coming along here. Everything with my goals in the initial decision to come here is all coming true. So it's all working out."
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