Shooting star

Maya Moore has had quite a summer.

The 6-foot guard led her Georgia Metros team to championships at both the U.S. Junior Nationals in Washington, D.C., and the Nike Nationals in North Augusta, S.C., where she was named MVP. After exploding for 42 points in the semifinals of the Nike Nationals against The Family, Moore tied the title game with two seconds left, forcing overtime, where her team earned a 62-59 victory over the Tennessee Flight.

In addition to the on-court awards, Moore, a senior-to-be at Collins Hill High ( Suwanee, Ga.), has emerged from summer as the nation's No. 1-ranked senior, recruiting analyst Mike Flynn says.

"She won't let her team lose," Flynn said. "That's what she does. When it comes to crunch time, she gets it done."

Moore captained her Metros team -- the summer's best, according to Flynn -- and was its leading scorer. The Metros compiled a 35-3 record in five national tournaments, winning three of them and finishing second in the other two.

The athletic Moore has a 28-inch vertical and dunked regularly during summer practices. As a junior she averaged 23.2 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.4 steals and 5 assists as Collins Hill posted a 31-1 record and finished No. 2 in the final SI.com Power Rankings. Moore edged out New Yorker Tina Charles to win the prestigious Naismith Trophy.

Despite her current success, Moore is ready to spring her new and improved game on the nation this winter.

"I worked on different parts of my game -- defense and rebounding," Moore said. "A lot of people have seen me score. I just became more of a leader."

Moore also worked hard at improving her ball-handling, and that effort was not lost on Collins Hill coach Tracey Tipton, who revealed that she may switch Moore from shooting guard to the point and let her run the show. Tipton said she's "expecting great things out of her. I can count on 100 percent from her every time she touches the floor."

Moore recalls having a basketball at age 2 and starting organized play at the YMCA as a second-grader. "I've been blessed with natural ability," she said, "but when I was young I was not always the best. I was always taller [until ninth grade] and I always hustled and put in the time."