The reality sunk in as she put pen to paper.
Midwood senior guard Jai Moore’s dreams of playing Division-I basketball became a reality when she signed a National Letter of Intent to Niagara University on Nov. 12.
“It felt like my dreams had come true,” Moore said. “Growing up I never thought that the day would come, but it did.”
Niagara was one of several schools that made Moore an offer after watching her play for New Heights this summer — she chose the Purple Eagles over Long Island University and the University of Detroit.
She hit it off with head coach Jada Pierce and really enjoyed the long takes she had with staff during an official visit in October. The passion and genuineness she encountered left her certain that Niagara was the best place for her.
“I felt that Niagara was the place where I would grow and mature into a young women and become a better athlete,” Moore said.
The Purple Eagles are getting one of the city’s best pure shooters. Moore averaged 15.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game for Midwood, thanks to a mid-range shooting game most players don’t posses at this stage of their careers. Moore wowed coaches at a Blue Chip event in April with New Heights by averaging 20 points and seven assists per game there, and her time at Midwood and New Heights proved she can handle point guard duties, as well.
Moore believes she will fit in perfectly with Niagara’s up-tempo offense but acknowledged that her work is not over.
“I am really fortunate for being able to earn a scholarship this summer, and I am not taking anything for granted, and I am really humbling myself,” she said.
Moore led Midwood to two straight Public School Athletic League Class AA semifinal appearances, and now that her college is squared away, she can shift her entire focus on the rest of the season at Midwood.
“I found myself stressing,” Moore said. “But once I visited Niagara, everything felt right.”
