Anchorage Daily News

Almost every day, Jessica Moore is reminded just how far she is from her hometown of Palmer.

Living in Los Angeles and playing professional basketball for the WNBA's L.A. Sparks, Moore sees it all the time when she leaves her condo -- people doing yoga on the sidewalk in a park in front of her building.

"You'll see people at like 7 o'clock in the morning Zening out," Moore said with a laugh during a recent phone interview. "You see people carrying their dogs in their purse like Paris Hilton on TV. People really do that.

"That's a far cry from the Valley."

Yeah, Moore isn't in Palmer anymore. But she is in hoops heaven.

The 25-year-old, 6-foot-3 center is a potential starter on one of the WNBA's premier teams. The Sparks should compete for the league championship with the return of future Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie, who missed last season because she was pregnant, and the addition of Candace Parker, this year's No. 1 draft pick and reigning college player of the year.

"We're going to be very good this year," Moore said. "It's gonna be really exciting."

Moore -- a two-time Gatorade Alaska Player of the Year at Colony High and a three-time NCAA champion at the University of Connecticut -- is beginning her fourth season in the WNBA, mostly with the Sparks. Charlotte drafted Moore in the second round (24th overall) in 2005.

She has started 50 of 84 career games, averaging 3.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, 14.9 minutes per game in a limited role. She has blossomed with more playing time the last two years, racking up career-high totals of 12 points and nine rebounds, and averaging a career-high 4.3 points in 2006 and a career-high 3.0 rebounds in 2007.

"Every single season I feel like I get a little bit better," said Moore, who plays pro ball in Latvia in the winter during the WBNA's offseason.

This season Moore believes more than ever she can make an impact with the Sparks while playing alongside the established face of the league (Leslie) and the new face of the league (Parker). She's healthy. She's hungry. She's a proven winner.

Recently, Moore took a break to talk to the Daily News about living in Los Angeles, playing for the Sparks and why she still considers Alaska home.

Q: What's it like playing for pro teams in Latvia and Los Angeles one after another?

A: It's really hard to have to go from the overseas season to the WNBA season, but it's just something that has to be done. It wasn't too bad this year because I took half of the season off. I didn't go overseas until January.

Q: What's it like playing with arguably the WNBA's biggest star in Leslie?

A: To be able to play with Lisa is a dream come true for any women's basketball player. I remember watching the first WNBA game and seeing her on TV and idolizing her. I never thought I'd actually get the chance to play with her.

Q: Are you ever in awe of her?

A: My rookie season when I came to Los Angeles from Charlotte, I was like, "Wow," for those first couple days. But she's just like any other player. After awhile, you get used to it.

Q: Are you putting Candace Parker through the rookie treatment?

A: (Laughs) She gets a little bit of it from everybody. The rookies have to make sure everything is clean and grab the water bottles off the ground and the towels. We don't do too much to our rookies. I think she has it made compared to most rookies.

Q: I heard you have a dog.

A: Yes. He's a Maltese. He's really small. He's cute. His name is Coby -- not like Kobe Bryant.

Q: What's it like living in Los Angeles?

A: I love it here. I do a lot of shopping. There are so many little boutiques here and sidewalk shops and things. I've been to a lot of fashion shows. You can go to Venice Beach and find some real funky stuff. It's a lot of fun.

Q: How much pride do you take in being a WBNA player?

A: It's very exciting and I'm very proud of myself because this is something that I've always wanted to do. A lot of girls, you know, can only play a couple seasons because it is so competitive. To still be around and to still be on the same team for another season, it's a great thing. I feel very lucky.

Q: Are there any perks to being Alaska's most famous women's basketball player?

A: Whenever I go home it's a really big warm welcome for me. I make sure I go back to Colony and see everyone. In the spring (of 2006) I spoke to kids at Palmer Middle School. It is very hard to stay connected with Alaska in that way because I am busy. I don't get to go home as often as I would like, but I'd like to think people still remember me. It's about the relationships I have built. I could care if my name is on a billboard or anything like that. It's not about that.

Q: Do you still consider Alaska home or are you an L.A. girl now?

A: People ask me now, "Where are you from?" I always say Alaska. I never say I'm from L.A. I say I live in L.A., but I'm from Alaska. Alaska is my home. I wear my "Alaska Grown" sweaters that you get in Palmer. Wherever I go -- and it doesn't matter how long I've been gone -- Alaska will always be by home.

Find assistant sports editor Van Williams online at adn.com/contact/vwilliams or call him at 257-4335.

ON TV

SEASON OPENER: Watch Jessica Moore (jersey No. 31) and the Los Angeles Sparks in action today on national TV (11:30 a.m, ABC) when they take on the defending champion Phoenix Mercury.

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