Beverly's Moreland taking her basketball talents to Brown University
Oct. 14—Alyssa Moreland is highly motivated to become the best she can not only athletically, but academically. Brown University offered the perfect challenge that the Beverly resident was looking for both on the basketball court and in classroom.
The 6-foot Moreland, who can play shooting guard as well as either forward position, didn't hesitate to commit when she was offered by the Bears. The former Salem News Player of the Year as a freshman at Beverly High — who is now a senior at Tilton (N.H.) School, said the Ivy League institution checked off every box on her list.
"I know somebody who is a senior at Brown and she was honest telling me all about the school," said Moreland. "She really loves it. I also know someone on the men's team. The coach (Monique LeBlanc) is a lot like my Tilton coach, and the assistant coaches in the program all want to win the Ivy League title. I like how committed they are about doing the best possible."
Moreland said she had an offer from UMass Lowell and talked to both Dartmouth and American University in Washington D.C. before making her choice. "One thing I really liked about Brown was how very close the team is and how close the community is there," she said.
Moreland has always been a high scorer and rebounder, averaging double digits in both right from her freshman year. She loves to block shots or steal the ball, putting her main emphasis on defense.
"I take more pride in rebounding than scoring because that can change the whole flow of the game," she said. "If you don't rebound well, the other team gets easy baskets that could end up being the difference between a win or a loss. I'm more focused on blocks, steals, deflections, and rebounds."
Moreland is also a MacMorran Scholar (named after Tilton's Head of School from 1971-82) who took three AP classes last year and is in three more now. While Tilton does not record grade point average (Moreland's was 3.8 at Beverly High), she is a straight-A student who hopes to major in psychology.
"I'm looking forward to pushing myself both in the classroom and in basketball at Brown," she said.
Tilton is a member of the New England Prep School Athletic Conference (NEPSAC) and won the Class A championship in 2020, when Moreland was named Class A Player of the Year and her coach, Tara Brisson, captured Coach of the Year honors. It is considered one of the best girls basketball leagues in New England, if not the best. The school is also a member of the Lakes Region League.
"When I left Beverly High and was looking for the best fit in a prep school, I took my time looking into them," said Moreland, who played her final season with the MCW Starz Elite AAU squad this past summer. "The same is true for college because I'll be spending the next four years there."
Moreland missed the Rams' abbreviated 12-game 2020-21 season after having surgery to clean up some scar tissue and taking out some screws after an ACL operation she three years ago, but said she's feeling great and ready to go. She and some of her teammates have been meeting each day at 5:30 a.m. at the Tilton gym to work on their ballhandling, taking shots, and playing pickup games.
"Some of the pressure is off now that I've committed to college, but I still have the same goals for myself; being committed or not doesn't make any difference," she said. "I want to compete and get better as a basketball player. I also welcome the challenge I'll have in the classroom, and want to push myself there as well," said Moreland.
Contact Jean DePlacido @JeanDePlacidoSN
Contact Jean DePlacido @JeanDePlacidoSN
