Stand Kate Moore and Erin Power next to each other and they could pass for sisters.
In addition to their physical resemblance, they share an uncanny athletic ability on the basketball court.
Moore, who leads the Fenwick High School girls basketball team in scoring, is a 5-foot-10 junior guard. With her long arms, lanky frame and languid movements, she reminds basketball insiders of Power, who is the assistant coach under her legendary father, Dave.
Erin Power was nicknamed “Inspector Gadget” in high school for her long arms and ability to deflect nearly any pass she wanted to. She was the defensive stalwart on Fenwick’s 2007 state championship team and went on to star at Penn.
Power has found a willing disciple in Moore, who was mainly a shoot-first offensive threat until Power joined the coaching staff last year.
“I’ve kind of always been more of an offensive player but I feel like, especially this year with Coach Erin Power joining us for the whole season, my defense has gotten a lot better as well as my basketball IQ,” Moore said. “She always says be hustling and smart on defense. I feel like me and the whole team have gotten so much better defensively.”
Moore, a three-year starter, averaged 12.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.6 blocks as a sophomore. She has always been known for her shooting.
“She’s an unbelievable shooter,” Fenwick junior forward McKenzie Blaze said. “Her shot has always been phenomenal, but now it’s ridiculous.”
But shooting isn’t Moore’s only skill.
“Her passes are great,” Blaze said. “She’s a great ball distributor, so I think that really helps the team.”
Indeed, Moore’s evolution into a multi-dimensional player is borne out by the statistics and has benefitted the Friars. She has increased her production in nearly every category and currently is averaging 12.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and both 1.1 assists and steals per game. She’s also shooting 38 percent on 3-pointers and 77 percent from the free throw line.
“Kate has added components to her game that a year ago I don’t think she really had,” Dave Power said. “She’s really developing into a complete player.
“I do credit Erin with a lot of that because she’s worked very hard on her physical and mental game.”
Moore has relished working with Erin Power and hopes to emulate her.
“For sure, I definitely look up to her a lot,” Moore said. “Just before the Trinity game we watched a really cool highlight video of (the 2007) team winning state, which was cool.
“I think we all look up to her as a role model. She was telling us about her days when she won state and I definitely take her advice and try to be like her.”
Moore showed off her improved game during a 63-46 victory Jan. 16 over Plainfield North at the Subway Classic. She had 14 points, including two 3-pointers, to go with a game-high 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Most impressively, seven of her boards came on the offensive end, keeping plays alive for the Friars.
“Kate really hit the glass for us, giving us second and third opportunities, which is what Plainfield was living off of in the first half,” Dave Power said. “I was so impressed with the things she was doing above and beyond scoring.
“I always tell kids there is a difference between hitting a three in the game and hitting a timely three, and she had some 3s that just gave us a little padding we needed in case they made a little run, and they did make a couple runs.”
The Friars were famous for making runs during Erin Power’s career. They would often get steals off her deflections and beat opponents down the floor.
But Erin Power wasn’t known for her shooting like Moore is.
“In practice I don’t think I’ve seen her miss a shot in two weeks,” Erin Power said after the Plainfield game. “She lights it up.
“Defensively we’re starting to turn the corner so she can be more like me. With her length, she can get her hands on some shots.”
That will only enhance Fenwick’s rise. After enduring the worst two-year stretch in program history, the Friars (18-9) are poised to make a run in the Class 3A playoffs and perhaps return the area’s elite next winter.
“I think Kate’s going to start getting a stat that you don’t see a lot, which is deflections,” Dave Power said. “Erin was probably the greatest player I ever saw with that.
“When Kate starts getting those, that will add some quick baskets for us.”
Dave Power is pleased to see that Moore is willing to do what it takes to add to her repertoire.
“You watch kids when they’re younger and you say, ‘OK, this kid does this or that,'” he said. “Sometimes that’s all that they do throughout their career. They rely on that one or two things that they’re really good at.
“I think Kate realizes that ‘if I’m going to exert a lot more energy, it might take a little bit of the edge off my shot, but my overall game now helps the team win on many levels.'”
Winning is definitely foremost on Moore’s mind, though she feels she shares the leadership role with Blaze and some other upperclassmen.
“We’re definitely going uphill,” Moore said. “Everyone is a good leader.
“Now that we’re upperclassmen we just have a bigger role to be leaders, not just on the court but off the court. We have young talent on our team, so helping them out is something I have to do.”
