By Larry Hartstein

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

We expected nothing less.

Anyone who watched Maya Moore lead Collins Hill High to three state championships -- the Eagles went 125-3 in her tenure -- won't be surprised to see she's having similar success at the University of Connecticut.

The 2007 Collins Hill grad "is not just the best player in the country at one position -- she's probably the best player at four positions," Villanova coach Harry Perretta said of the 6-foot junior, noting UConn also has the best center in senior Tina Charles.

Moore’s Huskies are coming off a 39-0 national championship season, and Perretta believes they can break the UCLA men’s NCAA record of 88 straight wins, which has stood for 35 years. It wouldn’t happen until Moore's senior season.

Moore averaged 19.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.9 steals in winning the John Wooden Award last season.

In a preseason interview, Moore spoke with the AJC about lofty expectations, coach Geno Auriemma’s never-ending critiques, and performing the national anthem in a duet at a UConn game (available on YouTube).

Q. Do you see a parallel between your high school and college careers? Each time you came close to the title as a freshman, then won it all. (Collins Hill lost to Stephenson in the 2004 state championship game, then won the state title the next three years; UConn fell to Stanford in the 2008 Final Four, then won the 2009 national championship.)

A. I do see some similarities, as far as coming in and having to experience certain things. Losing my freshman year, it’s something I can’t take back and I don’t know if I’d go back and change it because it led to the season we had last year.

Q. Similar expectations, too?

A. Both are nice and high, like I like it. It’s definitely a lot harder to live up to on the college level. I’m having to grow as a leader a lot more now than I did as a junior in high school. On the college level, it requires everybody coming together and mentally being a step ahead of your competition. In high school, sometimes you could get away with your talent and athleticism.

I wouldn’t have wanted to play anywhere else because I have the same expectation of getting better and everybody saying, ‘How can you top last year?’ There are always ways to improve, and each year has its own challenges. We’re not as deep this year. A lot of our roles are changing. We have to prove this group right here can do it.

Q. Can UConn break UCLA’s record?

A. Stuff like that, I consider icing on the cake. It’s not something you focus on while you’re beating your eggs. You’re not thinking about the icing.

Q. Tell me about your decision to skip Team USA’s pre-Olympic tournament in Russia in October.

A. As tough a decision as it was, I thought it would be more realistic with my school schedule to have the benefit of being here with my teammates, and not having to play catch-up with my classes right when our season starts. Tina [Charles] only had to miss one test, so she went. I’m in a couple tough classes that it’s really hard to catch up on. [Moore is majoring in Sport, Media and Promotion.] I’m sure it did surprise some people, but the people around me supported it.

Q. Did it pay off?

A. Got 3 A's and a B.

Q. Has Geno let up on you at all?

A. He’s still critical, which is a good thing. I’m not struggling with the same things I did as a freshman and sophomore. He’s still very critical, more so on the leadership side now, making sure I’m aware of what’s going on and mentally being in tune with what our team needs.

Q. How did you and Kaili McLaren end up singing the national anthem before a game?

A. It started out as a joke at dinner. Coach was saying, "You guys should sing on Senior Night. Who on this team can sing?" Stacy Hansmeyer did it on her Senior Night [in 2000]. So we practiced and tried to keep it a secret [from the seniors]. Nobody was expecting it.

Q. And the reviews?

A. Everybody loved it. We’re not gonna embarrass our team out there. We’re not Whitney Houston or world-class singers, but it was nice. Kaili kept the melody the whole time, and I had harmony for a few parts.

Q. Was that more nerve-racking than playing in the Final Four?

A. Definitely. It helped that we went to the arena [Hartford Civic Center] the night before and practiced on the mikes. It was the first time I sang in public, but we wanted to do it for them.