With UConn playing in the national championship game Tuesday evening, junior forward Maya Moore couldn't be on hand to accept the Wade Trophy at Tuesday afternoon's WBCA Awards Luncheon.

Her uncle Preston Moore more than admirably filled in and accepted the award on Maya's behalf. The highlight of the speech was Uncle Preston's recalling when he realized his days of being able to beat his niece in basketball.

"I came home from Kathryn and Maya for Thanksgiving and every Thanksgiving we would have this little routine where we would play a little bit of basketball," Preston Moore said. "She was shorter than I was, she was junior high at best and I was quite dominant. One Thanksgiving I came down and she did a fadeaway 3-point shot and
I said 'that was interesting, I didn't see that last year.' So I decided if I guarded her a little bit closer, I put my hand up she couldn't get that shot off. So I did that and then she drove right past me and at that point I knew my basketball days with Maya were over.

"I want to thank all the people in her life who helped her leverage that very, very special gift. First of all her family, the people in Jefferson City (Missouri), the people in Atlanta and I want to thank all of her teammates, not only her current ones but he ones in high school and (since) her freshman year at UConn, especially those seniors Meghan, Kaili, Tina and all the other seniors, they had very, very special roles in her development. I want to thank all the coaches from high school up to Geno. Geno is a special guy so I don't have to spend too much time on him and I want to close this with a very valuable Maya phrpase. She is very strong in her (beliefs) so she quotes this many times, 'whatever you do, work with it with all
your heart, you are working for the Lord and not for me and I think that epitomizes Maya."

OFFICIALS SET
Dee Kantner, Eric Brewton and Lisa Jones are the officials with Marianne Karp the standby official.