Amyah Moore Allen etched her name into the record books with a dominant redshirt-senior season, averaging 21 points and 6 rebounds while earning honors such as WBCA All-America Honorable Mention, D2CCA All-South-Central Region First Team and All-RMAC First Team.
Moore Allen set a new program single-season scoring record with 694 points and finished her career second all-time with 1,857. Her remarkable career stands among the greatest in UCCS women’s basketball history, but how did she get here?
Growing up in Colorado Springs, Moore Allen spent the first five months of her collegiate career at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, TX. During that time, she received news that she was pregnant with her daughter Lei. Rather than turning away from her dreams, Moore Allen chose to return home and continue her basketball career at UCCS.
“I knew I had some challenges ahead of me, but ultimately I wanted to finish what I started,” Moore Allen said.
Moore Allen struggled to find her footing as a freshman, taking half of a semester off after her first four months at UCCS. When she returned to the team in the winter of 2022, new head coach Misty Wilson made all the difference for Moore Allen.
“When I first met Misty, she was more than willing to help with Lei. That first year she didn’t have daycare, so there would be days where Misty would watch her. On top of that, she’s given me so much confidence through the discipline and resilience that she coaches with. She honestly made me feel like I could do anything because she helped me see how strong I am,” Moore Allen said.
The support she got from teammates, coaches and family during that time fused Moore Allen’s life as a mother and as an athlete.
“They were my backbone honestly,” Moore Allen said. “My teammates would help out by watching her while I was in class, she would come to practice with me, there would even be times that she would come on the road with us. She has experienced so much, and it’s all due to the support that I’ve gotten from the people in my life.”
With Moore Allen having played her last game in the black and gold, moving on meant much more than saying goodbye to teammates.
“Honestly, I’ve been very emotional because it’s like a family that we’ve built over the past three years so it’s hard to let that go. It’s made deeper because my daughter was involved. Most of my teammates have known her since she was five months old so it’s like she had a bunch of big sisters growing up. Stuff like that is hard to leave behind.”
Fans will look at all the accolades and records that Moore Allen has racked up through her career, but the stellar guard wants to be known for the work she put in off the court.
“Balancing motherhood and athletics were extremely difficult because there’s no days off; you need to show up for both roles every day. There were nights when I would come home exhausted, overwhelmed and even doubting myself. But I kept showing up, and that’s what I want my daughter to remember,” Moore Allen said.
Fans will be pleased to hear that Moore Allen plans to continue her playing career overseas as she works toward signing a professional contract. Her time at UCCS was marked by both challenges and triumphs, but her resilience, fortitude, and work ethic serve as an inspiration to young mothers across the country.
“I’ve had setbacks but I’m still here pushing forward. I want to represent women who are doing it all even when it’s hard, especially single mothers regardless of what they’re doing. I’m real, and I want people to see who I am, what I do and how I hold myself.” Moore Allen said.
Amyah Moore Allen pushes down the court. Photo via the Scribe archive.