Golden Valley’s Moore signs with UC San Diego

When it came time to make a decision, the choice wasn’t very hard for Stephanie Moore.

The Golden Valley High School senior quickly became fond of the coaches, players and the city of San Diego. So UC San Diego was the perfect fit.

Moore made her decision official Friday afternoon when she signed her national letter of intent to accept a basketball scholarship to UC San Diego in the principal’s office in front of family and friends.

“I love the team, I love the coaches, I love the school,” Moore said. “It was an academic and athletic opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”

Moore said her decision came down to UC San Diego and Dominican University, but after a recent official visit to San Diego her mind was made up.

“San Diego was the first official campus visit I took and I wasn’t sure I was going to love it as much as I did,” Moore said. “After visiting the campus I knew it was the right place.”

Moore started her prep career at Modesto Christian, where she helped lead the Crusaders to a Division III state championship her sophomore season.

Moore transferred to Golden Valley last season and helped lead the Cougars to their first Central California Conference championship since 2006. Moore was named the conference MVP after averaging 15.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2.7 steals per game.

“She’s an extremely complete player,” Golden Valley coach Matt Thissen said. “She’s going to be able to play guard or small forward. If she’s a little smaller or not as fast as the person she’s going up against, she will outwork them.”

Thissen said he has never seen any player work harder than Moore in his 19 years coaching at Golden Valley.

“We’ve had some really good players over the years, but the one thing that sets Stephanie apart is her work ethic,” Thissen said. “She works probably harder than any player we’ve ever had, whether it’s with the game of basketball or in the weight room. Her self-discipline is off the charts.”

Moore is excited to have the decision out of the way.

“Last night it finally clicked that this is where I’m going – I’m going to spend the next four years there,” Moore said. “It’s great to finally have that off my chest.”

This story was originally published November 13, 2015 at 4:49 PM with the headline "Golden Valley’s Moore signs with UC San Diego."