She may not remember the exact time, but the date and location is imprinted in Loree Moore’s mind.
The scene was set – No. 2 Tennessee at No. 1 Duke. A sold-out Cameron Indoor Stadium and a national television audience were primed for a matchup of two women’s basketball powers.
What they saw was a Lady Vol team knocking the Devils off their perch at the top. But they also saw Moore hobble off the court with a knee injury later diagnosed as an ACL tear. Her season was over and a long rehab season began.
That rehab season ended when Moore took back her place as the starting point guard in UT’s exhibition opener against Carson-Newman.
“It was really exciting to get back out there and play again,” Moore said. “Jan. 24 was the last time that I played in a real game against another team. So it feels good to be getting back into that.”
Though UT pulled together and scrapped its way into the national championship game, no one knows what a healthy Moore might have added to Lady Vols’ charge in the NCAA tournament.
But Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said having Moore back definitely adds to the caliber of the 2004-2005 team.
“When she is on the court,” Summitt said, “we are a better basketball team.”
Getting her back into prime condition, though, was a big part of preparing for the season. Sometimes knees don’t react quite the same after the injury, but Moore’s apparently is holding up to early season tests.
“I think when you have an ACL injury, most people experience stiffness and it takes a little bit longer to get loose to play,” Summitt said. “I’m very pleased with how she’s playing, she’s playing very confident.”
Nationally, people are aware of Moore’s potential impact on the Lady Vols. She was named as a preseason All-SEC second team member and to the Naismith award watch list.
For Moore’s part, though, she is determined to not only better herself on the court this season but also to act as a leader to her teammates.
“I have to make sure our team is on the same page with the same goals, same motivation and same urgency,” Moore said.
Part of that leadership comes from helping to mold two young Lady Vol guards in freshmen Sa’de Wiley-Gatewood and Alexis Hornbuckle.
“I have been trying to work with them because it is so important to know all the plays,” Moore said. “Everything that happens with us on the court falls back on the point guard, good or bad.”
As one of the leaders of this year’s team, Moore thinks that taking the names off the back of the jerseys helps the chemistry of the team.
“I like not having names on the jerseys,” Moore said. “It helps to bring us together as a team on and off the court.”
Summitt said she is just happy to have back a significant piece of her team – her point guard and leader on the court.
“It’s just great to have her back again,” Summitt said.
