Aaliyah Moore Picked Preseason Big 12 Women’s Basketball Freshman of the Year

Moore, a Top 10 national prospect, has the coaches’ votes as the best freshman entering the 2021-22 season

Matthew Postins | Oct 8, 2021

New Texas forward Aaliyah Moore is the Preseason Big 12 Women’s Basketball Freshman of the Year, amping up the expectations in advance of her first collegiate game.

Moore was the only Texas player to earn one of the three superlative awards, with the other two going to Baylor players — NaLyssa Smith as preseason player of the year and Jordan Lewis as preseason newcomer of the year.

Two other Texas players made the team — guard Joanne Allen-Taylor on the first team and another freshman, Rori Harmon, as an honorable mention.

But Moore, the 6-foot-1 national Top 10 prospect from Moore, Oklahoma, already has a reputation good enough for Big 12 coaches to respect her game and her potential impact on the league.

Moore was a McDonald's All-American and a finalist for the Naismith Trophy National Girls High School Player of the Year. The two-time Oklahoma Player of the Year averaged 25.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 2.2 blocked shots as a senior. She also has a gold medal with Team USA at the 2019 FIBA Americas U16 Championship.

Allen-Taylor led Texas in minutes played last season (35.4) and averaged 12.1 points, 2.6 assists, and 2.6 rebounds as a junior. She increased her scoring and assists during the NCAA Tournament, where Texas made the Elite Eight for the first time since 2016.

Harmon, like Moore, was a McDonald's All-American. She averaged 18.0 points, 5.8 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.2 steals per game at Cypress Creek High School in Houston while leading her team to the Class 6A state championship game. Like Moore, Harmon was a Top 10 prospect nationally.

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Published Oct 8, 2021

MATTHEW POSTINS

Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist writes for CowboyMaven. He also writes for Inside the Rangers, CowboyMaven,DallasBasketball.com, Longhorn Country, All Aggies, Inside The Texans, Washington Football, covers the Big 12 for HeartlandCollegeSports.com and is the Editor of the College Football America Yearbook.