There are 10,086 people in the Thompson-Boling Arena. Louisiana Tech is playing Tennessee in the State Farm Classic and ESPN is televising the game. The date is Nov. 14, 1999, and it’s Bev Moore’s first game.

Moore is a freshman point guard, not expecting any time on the floor but still relishing in the excitement and the atmosphere. But with a minute and a half left in the first half, the starting point guard, Tamicha Jackson, picks up her third foul.

Louisiana Tech coach Leon Barmore comes over to the bench and says, “Beverly, are you ready?”

Moore’s eyes grew big and she responds, “Yes, sir.”

The Hype

“Here was this little freshman on the bench…I reached out and grabbed Beverly and put her in that game and I know her heart must have jumped slam out of her jersey,” Barmore said of Moore’s first game. “She was always going to be ready, but I don’t think she was expecting it right then.”

Moore only played out the half—but the player she was defending didn’t score on her, and she even managed to dish out an assist. Her dream of playing for the Lady Techsters had been realized.

Flash forward three years and the 5’1 point guard is still on the court, only it’s Lavietes Pavilion and the attendance is 523. Though few in numbers, the fans are loud and fired up, as the Harvard women’s basketball team pummels Princeton. The scene could not be more different from where Moore began her college career, but the thrill that accompanies the game remains.

“At first, it was kind of hard because you’re used to all that hype,” Moore said. “But it’s so much of a different kind of excitement. I would much rather be in our arena when it’s a packed house on an Ivy League night.”

The Tigers are no match for Moore’s quick hands, and she is running the floor. Moore finishes the game with career-highs in points (16) and steals (5).

“I still feel an equal amount of excitement as I did at Tech, partly just because I’m actually out there [and] getting to play,” Moore said.

No Games For You

This season is Moore’s first playing for the Crimson, as she had to sit out last year due to the NCAA Transfer Rule. After a year of rigorous practice but no games, Moore’s first performances in a Harvard uniform were marked with ball-handling problems that Harvard coach Kathy Delaney-Smith and Moore attribute to adjustment and low confidence.

“Basically what I ask from any point guard is leadership and poise on the floor,” Delany-Smith said. “I think when she started the season, she probably fell into the trying-too-hard category.”

Constant encouragement to shoot brought Moore back into the starting lineup, where she has cruised into the Crimson offensive schemes. Moore’s year off gave her the time she needed to adjust to Harvard’s style.