Moore to offer ESPN followers close look at all-star weekend

At the start of the season, I heard that ESPN was facinated with Maya Moore. Made sense. She played for UConn and ESPN's broadcast studios are in Bristol, Conn.

ESPN saw Moore lead the Huskies to a 150-4 record and two NCAA titles in her four seasons with the Huskies.

Now Moore, a rookie forward for the Lynx, is in Saturday's all-star game. Fans chose her to be one of the starting forwards for the Western Conference team.

And ESPN has chosen her as their face of the all-star game. She was on ESPNEWS on Thurs. afternoon. To see her interview click here.

Moore will be blogging this weekend on espnW.com. ESPN also will be shooting behind-the-scenes videos of her and posting them on that web site, too.

* The Lynx are 10-4, off to the best start in franchise history, with Moore starting at small forward. Except for the four Lynx players in the all-star game -- starter Moore and reserves Rebekkah Brunson, Seimone Augustus and Lindsay Whalen -- the other seven players have Thurs., Fri. and Sat. off. Will practice again Sun.

Team's next game is Tuesday against Los Angeles at Target Center,

* Four starters on Western Conference team, picked by fan balloting, went to UConn. They are Moore, Sue Bird and Swin Cash of Seattle and Diana Taurasi of Phoenix.

In Wed. interview on ESPN, Moore was teased about finding a fifth UConn player to start. Actually, the fifth starter could be her teammate, forward Rebekkah Brunson. The Western Conference coach, Brian Agler, will either pick a center or a forward to start in place of LA's Candace Parker, out with a knee injury.

Brunson rebounds like a center. Has eight double doubles.

"I am excited to play with them," Moore said, referring to the other UConn players, "rather than against them. Plus they got [Olympic] gold medals. I want one."

(Moore should get her shot at Olympic gold in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.)

Moore said the biggest difference from college basketball to the pros is on the defensive end of the court. "Every night there is a tough matchup," she said, mentioning Taurasi, Penny Taylor Tamika Catching and Angel McCoughtry as formidable foes.

She said UConn's Geno Auriemma is the coach who has yelled at her the most, but she appreciates Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve.

"Coach Reeve is a great coach, perfect for the situation we have at Minnesota," Moore said. "She is all about little details like coach Auriemma."

* Ten players for the Western or Eastern Conference teams, including four starters, are playing in their first all-star game. That's the most since nine debuted in the 2000 all-star game.