CLEMSON, S.C. (FOX Carolina) – Clemson women’s basketball added guard Mia Moore to its roster days before the college basketball season begins, after the NCAA granted the all-conference player another year of eligibility.
Moore’s eligibility request took seven months to resolve.
Coach, team react to the news
“She’s pretty good,” head coach Shawn Poppie joked. “Anytime you can get an All-American, our ceiling raises much, much higher.”
Head coach Shawn Poppie said he told Moore and her mother the news over FaceTime.
“I’ve won a couple championships. I’ve been in a lot of winning locker rooms. I’ve had a lot of really neat moments as a basketball coach,” Poppie said. “I’m not sure very many beat that FaceTime call when I was able to share the news that she got this year back with her and her mom.”
Poppie went on to explain how they surprised the team.
“We definitely caught them off guard…But again, it shows how much, again, Mia’s presence matters.”
Adding Mia to Game Plan
The addition comes with challenges, Coach Poppie said.
“I would say we’re probably behind, naturally…We found out last Thursday that Mia is back. So now we can plan with Mia, right?”
Poppie said Moore was with the team through the summer and fall, but planning was difficult without knowing whether she would return. He said he did not want to put in an offense built around Moore if she was not on the team.
“She’s that good,” Poppie said.
Johnson-Matthews out for season
Clemson also lost a veteran player. Poppie announced that guard Taylor Johnson-Matthews suffered a season-ending lower leg injury. Johnson Matthews had been in her own fight for eligibility.
Season debut Monday
The new Tigers roster will be on display for the first time Monday at noon in a doubleheader at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson. Clemson men’s basketball follows at 7 p.m.
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