US BASKETBALL: Irish basketball phenomenon Susan Moran crowned a remarkable US college career at St Joseph's, Philadelphia, with a 38-point performance against St Bonaventure, New York, in her last regular-season game.
The Philadelphia-based Irish international hit 33 second-half points, making 10 of 13 jump-shots to inspire her side to a comeback which leaves them tying for first place at the conclusion of the season in the Atlantic 10.
The points haul makes Moran the highest scorer in St Joseph's University history, with a total of 2,223 points since she won a scholarship after doing her Leaving Certificate in Tullamore in 1998.
Moran was only the fifth foreign player recruited by the SJU women's basketball programme and although her strength and skills around the basket had made her something of an underage sensation in this country, nobody had anticipated that she would thrive as she has done against US competition.
Her performance pushed her towards a record eighth Atlantic 10 Player of the Week award. She is also an Academic All-American of the Year candidate and an All-American candidate, based on sporting prowess alone. In addition she is only the second SJU player to lead her team in both scoring and rebounding for three consecutive seasons.
SJU will play the winners of Dayton-Fordham in the Atlantic 10 quarter-final and hope to repeat their visit to the annual "March Madness" tournament, now regarded by many as the premier basketball event on the US sporting schedule.
While Moran is pursuing a degree in marketing, the possibility of her being drafted for the WNBA has been mooted since she started compiling startling statistics at college level during her freshman season.
Although the women's professional league is still in its fledgling years and is afforded nothing like the exposure of the men's NBA, it is growing in popularity. The one factor not in Moran's favour is her height - she is 5ft 11ins - but throughout her college career she has outwitted taller inside opponents through unconventional rebounding methods and seems to have a natural gift for finding a way to win.
For an Irish player to be drafted at professional level would be astonishing. Asked about going professional, Moran always light-heartedly replies that she would love the opportunity, but college is her immediate priority.
