Minyon Moore a big factor in Oregon Ducks’ title hopes

The senior guard brings a different skillset to already potent Oregon offense.

Prior to the start of this NCAA season, the Oregon Ducks were already considered one of the favorites to contend for the national championship. Star point guard Sabrina Ionescu had announced her intent to return to Eugene for her senior year, and the rest of the team remained relatively intact except for Maite Cazorla who moved on to the WNBA.

But the team gained an even bigger boost just about a month after Ionescu announced her decision when point guard Minyon Moore declared that she would be transferring from the University of Southern California and joining the Ducks as a graduate transfer.

Moore’s arrival strengthened an already potent Ducks backcourt rotation that also included wing Satou Sabally who is capable of playing guard, and young players Jaz Shelly and Taylor Chavez. While this was already a strong team with set roles, the decision to transfer to Oregon was a no-brainer for Moore.

“I wanted to go to a team that had a championship mindset. I wanted to go to a team that already had postseason in mind. I’ve never been to NCAA tournament play at all,” Moore told High Post Hoops. “Just somewhere that had team players that were a family atmosphere. Also, somewhere where the fans are really involved, we have that in Eugene. Those were my goals.”

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During her three seasons at USC, Moore developed into a solid floor leader and one of the focal points of the team’s offense. She made an immediate impact as a freshman during the 2016-17 season when her 11.7 points per game were good enough for second-best on the team and her 4.0 assists per game led the team.

She was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team, and her strong play continued the following two seasons at USC. As a junior, she was named as an Honorable Mention to the All-Pac-12 Team and she was third in the conference in assists with 5.9 behind only Ionescu’s 8.2 and former Colorado point guard Kennedy Leonard’s 6.8.

This season, Moore has taken a backseat in scoring. With talented scorers such as Ionescu, Sabally, and Ruthy Hebard, she’s been able to focus a little more on being a playmaker and making sure the offense keeps moving.

“Our team is very pass-oriented and getting the ball to the shooters. I feel like I’m good in that area, finding the open shooters, finding the open man, the hot hand,” Moore said. “Obviously my role is much less than what I had at USC, but I’m fitting right in and having a lot of fun.”

On an Oregon team that has a plethora of shooters (five players are shooting 35 percent or better from the three-point line), Moore has given the Ducks a bit of a different look offensively. Throughout her three years at USC, she only shot 28.8 percent from three and is shooting 28 percent this season, but her strength lies in her ability to get to the basket.

She’s taken 57 free throws this season, fourth on the team behind Ionescu, Sabally, and Hebard, and has shot 75 percent from the stripe. Integrating her skill-set to the Ducks offense is something that provided a little bit of a challenge for Oregon head coach Kelly Graves.

“She can really attack the basket, she’s been really good for us there. Offensively, she gives us something different, but we haven’t really found that niche for her yet,” Graves told High Post Hoops. “She gives us a lot of defensive energy. She’s our best talker, she’s still got to continue to get us more organized defensively. She’s always on point, she’s got to carry that to the rest of the group.”

Being that it is Moore’s final year of college basketball, the inevitable question of what comes next has certainly come up. According to Graves, “Minyon, Satou, Sabrina, those are three pros out there playing.”

Sabally recently announced her intention of leaving Oregon at the end of the season and declaring for the WNBA draft. She is expected to be a top 3-5 pick. Ionescu, also a senior, is widely projected to be the No.1 pick in the draft. Moore’s future is a little less certain. She’s been projected as a possible second or third-round pick on some mock drafts.

While it’s certainly something she’s thought about, she’s focused on the season at hand and will weigh her options once the season is over.

“It’s obviously there just because I’m a senior, but I’m not pressured to focus on that right now,” Moore said. “I’m trying to focus on what’s at hand, what game we have next so I don’t stress myself out. It’s in the cards, but whatever opportunities I have, I’m blessed.”

As for the task at hand, the Ducks have enjoyed a top-four ranking in the AP polls for the majority of the season. They’re a near shoo-in for one of the top four seeds when the NCAA Tournament rolls around in March. What they’re hoping for is a trip to New Orleans in April and a Final Four berth.

While a chance to end her college career with a national championship is certainly on Moore’s mind, she’s just hoping to continue to grow as a player and as a person during her final days in Eugene.

“Just be the best that I can be, not only on the basketball court but developing well as a person. I’ve never gone outside of California for school. I grew up in California, went to college for three years at USC,” Moore said. “Just growing as a person, getting experiences, just being able to see what it’s like to be on a real high-level Division 1 basketball team. Whatever experiences I have will just push me to a professional career or a personal career.”

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