by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
Lillie Moore is taking her skills to NCAA Division I basketball at Texas State University in San Marcos.
A 6-0 sophomore from Magnolia, Arkansas, Moore was a key contributor in Kansas City Kansas Community College’s winning the NJCAA DII national championship.
“Lillie is a welcome addition to our Bobcat family,” Texas State coach Zenarae Antoine said. “Not many student-athletes are able to say that they competed for and won a national championship at any level. Lillie can confidently say that. She comes from a strong community college program that is not only competitive on the basketball court but also in the classroom.”
A member of the Sun Belt Conference, Texas State finished 9-9 in conference play and 14-17 overall this past season.
“Lillie will add depth at the forward position and complement our team culture with a winning mentality on and off the floor,” Antoine said. “It is a great day to be a Bobcat.”
“I really felt welcome and was impressed by the basketball program and the educational set up,” said Moore, who had offers from several other colleges. “Texas State will not only help me be a better basketball player but in getting my education.”
Moore will enroll in the physical science program with plans to become a physical therapist.
“Lillie is a skilled forward who left an impact on our program that will last for many years,” KCKCC coach Joe McKinstry said. “We are very grateful for her dedication and hard work and excited to follow her journey as a Bobcat.”
A member of the All-Tournament team at the NJCAA national, Moore earned All-Region and All-Jayhawk Conference honors both seasons at KCKCC. Second in scoring (14.7) and third in rebounding (8.1), Moore shot 53.0 percent from the field. She started in 35 of KCKCC’s 36 games this season.
Two of her biggest games helped propel the Blue Devils to their second national championship in four years.
She scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in KCKCC’s 84-71 win over Highland in the Region VI championship game and had 22 and 11 rebounds in an 85-73 win over Cape Fear in the national semifinals.
“We knew we could beat Highland,” said Moore, whose Blue Devils had lost at Highland 94-88 less than two weeks earlier. “They didn’t beat us. We beat ourselves. We just knew we could win. The whole team came prepared.”
Three days earlier, Moore was involved in the most pivotal game of the season, a 79-76 overtime win over Johnson County in the regional semifinals.
Trailing 65-61 with 22 seconds left, Moore was fouled. She made the first of two free throws but missed the second which bounced out of bounds off a JCCC defender.
“I thought we were going to lose,” admitted Moore. “That was the most scary moment of the season. I thought ‘Oh, my gosh,’ but then we got another chance and Caitlyn (Stewart) banked in a 3-point shot to get overtime. I was not trying to miss the free throw. It was the best miss of my career.”
Winning the national was almost anti-climactic as the Blue Devils led every game by 20 or more points.
“We were very confident,” Moore said. “We had been through so much and overcome so many obstacles. We knew those other teams were not going to match our energy.”
Those obstacles included some homesickness and adjusting to the rigors of college basketball as directed by McKinstry.
“The overall picture I knew he (McKinstry) could make me better and when we needed help, he always had our back on and off the court,” she said.
Off the court, Moore was also active in the community, working as an adviser for Vacation Bible School and volunteering on the Make-A-Wish Community and with the Kansas City Royals.
Moore and teammate Kisi Young were on good but not championship teams at Magnolia. However, Moore was on three state championships in track in the shot, discus and 400-meter relay and was all conference and all-state in volleyball.
“My passion for basketball was far greater than volleyball,” she said.
She will receive her associate’s degree May 23.
“Coming here made me a better person and a better basketball player,” Moore said. “Sometimes it still fees unreal but at the same time, I know we really won.”