Gold and Black is a multi-platform media company that covers Purdue athletics like no one else.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/200613
Finding Balance Courtney Moses insists she was not a natural-born shooter. Yet, by the time she plays her final game for Purdue, she'll probably rank No. 2 all-time in three-pointers made. Moses has built quite the lore in West Lafayette, as teammates and coaches regale with stories of bringing a sleeping bag to stay over in the gym, of early-morning conditioning sessions, of private hour-long film studies. "I feel like she's the backbone because of how much work she puts in on her own," teammate Torrie Thornton said. "Yes, we're all here and working hard in practice, but how many of us are really here at 11 o'clock at night doing extra shooting drills or early in the morning getting extra stuff in? Seeing that helps us to continue to do the same. If it weren't for her, I don't know if some of us would be doing the extra work we're doing." It may not be Moses' perimeter shot, though, that will be key to Purdue's success in 2013-14. With the Boilermakers switching offenses after losing their primary post options to graduation and transfer, Moses certainly will be counted on to sink some threes. And she did put more work in on her shot in the offseason — not the ridiculous number reported of 40,000 like last offseason — but working on being more efficient, tracking makes instead of volume. But Moses is one to attack her weaknesses, too, and that meant working extensively on her ballhandling and creating off-the-dribble. "Honestly, every team knows exactly what she's going to do (shoot), so I think that's another thing that just shows how she is mentally. She's already thinking ahead of the game," Thornton said. "She'll take that outside shot, but if it's not there, off the dribble, she's so quick that it's just nasty. I can't express it any other way. Her handles are ridiculous." — Stacy Clardie 74 IllustrateD volume 24, issue 2 her faith. Serving others, loving others. She just doesn't put the focus on herself. She's always seeking ways to be a better teammate, a better roommate, a better person. She puts time in that, too. She journals a lot and she sets really high goals for herself, and her goals are for other people. "I always want to serve others and make people happy because that's what she does, and she's such a good example of how to be a good Christian and just a good perTom Campbell son in general." With the possibility Now, they're roommates, with a of a lack of a consisgaggle of other athletes. tent post presence this season, Courtney Now, they call each other "rock" Moses' perimeter and "light." game and ability to get Now, they can't imagine what to the rim will be even it'll be like when they aren't more important for Purdue. around each other daily. After this year, Rains will head back home to California and Moses' unknown future could take her anywhere in the world, playing basketball or in ministry. "It'd be a whole different college experience if I didn't meet Courtney and we didn't become such good friends. She's a really big part of my whole college experience, my faith and just everything," said Rains, tears starting to form in her eyes. "She's an amazing person." The Orphans Courtney Moses had been reading about athletes' experiences on mission trips for years, and by the time she was a seventh-grader, her resolve was set: She would go. She wouldn't just be a believer — she would be an experiencer. So when Moses started to take college visits, she'd always ask to meet the school's athletic chaplain. During her Purdue visit, she met Dittmar, and he told Moses how he took groups of athletes to Haiti every year. On the way home from the visit, Moses told her parents, "If I go to school there, I'm going on that trip my freshman year." Going met her top priorities — she has an actual list f

