SE: Whatever it Takes to Win – Jada Moore Brings All-Around Game to Wildcats
Aug 19, 2020 | Women's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
A few years ago, Chris Paul shot a commercial for State Farm about two brothers who loved to assist.
The premise was that Paul, the all-star point guard, actually had a twin brother, Cliff Paul, who became an insurance agent for State Farm because both brothers "were born to assist."
It was all made-up of course and "Cliff Paul" was just the NBA player in a fake mustache and a sweater vest.
Jada Moore hasn't been moonlighting as an insurance agent around Manhattan this summer, but the Wildcats freshman point guard has spent her career redefining one of the most important stats in college basketball.
"I love, love, love getting assists," she said. "I was a four-year varsity starter in high school, so going in as a freshman, I led my team as a point guard. I took matters into my own hands, made sure every girl was at practice five minutes early, if they needed a ride or anything to eat, I made sure they had it, because I wanted them to know they could depend on me."
Moore arrived in Manhattan as a top-100 recruit and McDonald's All-American Game nominee, the kind of accolades that would get any college basketball fan excited.
Her on-the-court approach though, offers another glimpse into why Jeff Mittie and his coaching staff were so excited to add the Colorado native in 2020.
"It depends on what I need to do, but whatever it takes to win, I'm willing to do that. Just find the open girl," Moore said. "That's why I'm excited to play with the posts this year because I know they're going to dominate. I'm excited to share the court with players like Yokie [Ayoka Lee] and Taylor [Lauterbach]."
The Wildcats will welcome Moore and senior transfer Sydney Goodson as the newest members of the K-State backcourt this season, providing the team with a mix of youth and experience.
But recruiting Moore and Lauterbach together also allowed the Wildcats to lock down what could be a pick-and-roll combination for the next four years of K-State women's basketball.
The freshman roommates have already gotten a head-start on building that chemistry.
"Both of us are from different states, so it's really nice and kind of comforting to understand that we might miss home a little bit but we're both happy to be here," Moore said. "Just knowing that we're both new to this, new to college and everything here, having someone to go through it with is really nice"
Like her roommate, Moore committed to the Wildcats ahead of her senior year of high school, giving her plenty of time to prepare for the challenges of the Big 12 stage.
She said the coaching staff was her most important reason for choosing K-State, something that helped her throughout the 2019-20 season.
"I really appreciated the coaches telling me what I needed to work on in my senior season. I went from averaging 10 points a game to about 18 points and worked on different aspects of my game," Moore said. "I added a lot more shooting to my game. I really took the advice of the coaches as much as I could so I can be ready for the team this year."
In high school, Moore helped lead Regis Jesuit to two semifinals appearances in the Colorado state tournament, playing alongside future D1 teammates like Stanford's Fran Belibi.
She's no stranger to defying expectations either, taking Regis Jesuit into the 2019-20 season as the team's only senior in the starting five and helping power the Raiders to an Elite 8 appearance.
"Being a leader has always felt pretty natural to me and I really enjoyed that role and took pride in that," she said. "I remember on my official visit, Coach Mittie showed me some film and said, 'I could see you thriving in this role.' It didn't matter whether or not I was a freshman, he just wanted me to come in and help lead my team like I had the last few years."
The 5-11 Moore said she has looked to WNBA stars like Skylar Diggins-Smith, someone who can take over a game as a point guard, to help her improve as an all-around player.
"I actually got to watch her in 2012 and ever since then I modeled my game after her and tried to implement some of those moves in my game," Moore said.
Following the Wildcats from Colorado as a senior in high school, Moore could tell her future teammates were a close-knit group. That feeling was confirmed when she arrived on campus and joined a group of players that she said are fun to be around.
Moore is also quick to point out that she not only earned an athletic scholarship to Kansas State, but an academic scholarship as well.
She's still deciding on a major, but knows one thing for sure after just a few months in Manhattan.
"I knew I wanted to go to college away from home, but I still wanted to feel at home with people that care, just good people," Moore said. "That's what stood out about K-State."
A few years ago, Chris Paul shot a commercial for State Farm about two brothers who loved to assist.
The premise was that Paul, the all-star point guard, actually had a twin brother, Cliff Paul, who became an insurance agent for State Farm because both brothers "were born to assist."
It was all made-up of course and "Cliff Paul" was just the NBA player in a fake mustache and a sweater vest.
Jada Moore hasn't been moonlighting as an insurance agent around Manhattan this summer, but the Wildcats freshman point guard has spent her career redefining one of the most important stats in college basketball.
"I love, love, love getting assists," she said. "I was a four-year varsity starter in high school, so going in as a freshman, I led my team as a point guard. I took matters into my own hands, made sure every girl was at practice five minutes early, if they needed a ride or anything to eat, I made sure they had it, because I wanted them to know they could depend on me."
Moore arrived in Manhattan as a top-100 recruit and McDonald's All-American Game nominee, the kind of accolades that would get any college basketball fan excited.
Her on-the-court approach though, offers another glimpse into why Jeff Mittie and his coaching staff were so excited to add the Colorado native in 2020.
"It depends on what I need to do, but whatever it takes to win, I'm willing to do that. Just find the open girl," Moore said. "That's why I'm excited to play with the posts this year because I know they're going to dominate. I'm excited to share the court with players like Yokie [Ayoka Lee] and Taylor [Lauterbach]."
The Wildcats will welcome Moore and senior transfer Sydney Goodson as the newest members of the K-State backcourt this season, providing the team with a mix of youth and experience.
But recruiting Moore and Lauterbach together also allowed the Wildcats to lock down what could be a pick-and-roll combination for the next four years of K-State women's basketball.
The freshman roommates have already gotten a head-start on building that chemistry.
"Both of us are from different states, so it's really nice and kind of comforting to understand that we might miss home a little bit but we're both happy to be here," Moore said. "Just knowing that we're both new to this, new to college and everything here, having someone to go through it with is really nice"
Like her roommate, Moore committed to the Wildcats ahead of her senior year of high school, giving her plenty of time to prepare for the challenges of the Big 12 stage.
She said the coaching staff was her most important reason for choosing K-State, something that helped her throughout the 2019-20 season.
"I really appreciated the coaches telling me what I needed to work on in my senior season. I went from averaging 10 points a game to about 18 points and worked on different aspects of my game," Moore said. "I added a lot more shooting to my game. I really took the advice of the coaches as much as I could so I can be ready for the team this year."
In high school, Moore helped lead Regis Jesuit to two semifinals appearances in the Colorado state tournament, playing alongside future D1 teammates like Stanford's Fran Belibi.
She's no stranger to defying expectations either, taking Regis Jesuit into the 2019-20 season as the team's only senior in the starting five and helping power the Raiders to an Elite 8 appearance.
"Being a leader has always felt pretty natural to me and I really enjoyed that role and took pride in that," she said. "I remember on my official visit, Coach Mittie showed me some film and said, 'I could see you thriving in this role.' It didn't matter whether or not I was a freshman, he just wanted me to come in and help lead my team like I had the last few years."
The 5-11 Moore said she has looked to WNBA stars like Skylar Diggins-Smith, someone who can take over a game as a point guard, to help her improve as an all-around player.
"I actually got to watch her in 2012 and ever since then I modeled my game after her and tried to implement some of those moves in my game," Moore said.
Following the Wildcats from Colorado as a senior in high school, Moore could tell her future teammates were a close-knit group. That feeling was confirmed when she arrived on campus and joined a group of players that she said are fun to be around.
Moore is also quick to point out that she not only earned an athletic scholarship to Kansas State, but an academic scholarship as well.
She's still deciding on a major, but knows one thing for sure after just a few months in Manhattan.
"I knew I wanted to go to college away from home, but I still wanted to feel at home with people that care, just good people," Moore said. "That's what stood out about K-State."
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