Moore puts knee injury behind her [Basketball]
Six months ago, Alaska’s Jessica Moore suffered the kind of knee injury that forces a lot of players her age to retire from the rigors of professional basketball.
At 29, did she really want to rehab for six months as a free agent without a WNBA contract?
Damn straight she did.
Moore, of Colony High fame, underwent full microfracture surgery and then six months of rehab before signing with the Atlanta Dream last week.
“After the surgery, I went hard with the therapy and talked to my strength coach and doctor and they said I was ready to go, if I felt ready to play,” she told the Hartford Courant.
“I am out here in Atlanta now and I feel blessed and fortunate to be here and part of a great team.
The Atlanta Dream is the two-time defending Eastern Conference champion.
For Moore, this is her fifth WNBA team since turning pro in 2005 out of the University of Connecticut. She has also played professionally in Turkey and Russia.
It was in Turkey when she injured her knee.
“I was finally beginning to feel 100 percent again and to get injured again was unfortunate. It was very frustrating.”
So why did she come back? She still loves it.
In fact, Moore wants to play another three seasons. But she’s also planning for the future as well.
“I’m actually going back to school in the fall to begin my Master’s in communications and public relations,” she said. “I will be doing that online from wherever I am; it’s the great thing about education now. So many schools are beginning to offer these programs to working professionals who just can’t drop everything and be confined to a classroom.
“So I guess you can say I am beginning my transition to life after basketball.”