INDIANAPOLIS (9/21/2020) -- University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball standout Maxine Moore is doing her best to make a difference and today, she joined a number of players at Division I in being named to the Student-Athlete Engagement Group. 

NCAA Division I women's basketball announced the formation of an NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Student-Athlete Engagement Group that will serve as an amplifying voice for women's basketball on key initiatives, legislation and various issues.

The group, which was formed in collaboration with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), is the first of its kind at the NCAA and will have a direct connection to the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and will also serve as a conduit of information from and to the WBCA.

A native of Southfield, Michigan, Moore is in her second year with the Titans after transferring from Western Michigan. 

"It is a blessing to be recommended, let alone chosen for this opportunity," said Moore. "It is a blessing to represent Detroit Mercy and also the Horizon League. I am really excited about it and looking forward to putting in my all to this group. It is a great group and it is going to help the student-athletes feel safe and give a chance for our voices on being heard. I am looking to do as much as possible while serving on this group."

The group consists of current NCAA Division I women's basketball student-athletes from all 32 conferences who were nominated through the WBCA NCAA Division I Conference Captains program that includes a head coach or "captain" in each conference with whom the WBCA communicates regularly on important issues. Each captain submitted the name of a player from their team or conference who they believed would be a good representative for all women's basketball players in their conference. The term of service for each student-athlete will coincide with athletics eligibility for competition. In addition, the two women's basketball student-athlete representatives who serve on the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Oversight Committee, Zipporah (Zippy) Broughton of Rutgers and Liz Wood of Chattanooga, will also serve as ex officio members. The group will meet monthly via teleconference/videoconference.

"Coach Gilbert told me that the Horizon League was looking for a representative. I am also a part of the Horizon League Captain's Council and I feel very honored and thankful that coach Gilbert thinks enough of me to recommend me for this position and so thankful that I was chosen," added Moore. 

"This is such an important time for us to provide a forum for women's basketball student-athletes across the country to talk to one another and for us to listen," said Lynn Holzman, vice president of women's basketball at the NCAA. "In support of women's basketball strategic plan, we will listen to what is important and happening with our student-athletes, and we will listen to their advice about the ongoing growth and development of our sport."

"We see the engagement group as beneficial to student-athletes, coaches and the decision-makers who govern the sport," said Danielle Donehew, executive director of the WBCA. "The student-athletes who play our game will now have the opportunity to share their perspectives on the many issues that affect them and the sport, particularly in these trying times. The coaches, the Women's Basketball Oversight Committee, the national Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the Division I Council, meanwhile, will have the benefit of hearing those perspectives from women's basketball players across all of Division I. This new line of communication can only make our game stronger. We have a wonderfully diverse group of 32 young women who will represent their peers well."

Assisting with the group are NCAA staff liaisons Kelsey Gurganus (research), Sherika Montgomery (enforcement), Ta'Shia Phillips (academic and membership affairs) and Alyssa Rice (women's basketball). All the liaisons are former Division I women's basketball student-athletes.

"It is extremely important that the student-athlete voice is heard and taken into consideration during the decision-making process," said Rice, who played at Kentucky. "These young women are living out their student-athlete experience under unique and challenging circumstances. It is imperative that they are given the opportunity to express their thoughts and concerns in effort of providing them with the best experience possible."

"As liaisons, our top priority is to listen. We want to hear from our student-athletes directly," said Montgomery, who played at Gardner-Webb and spent time in athletics administration at Winthrop, the Big South Conference and the Summit League before joining the NCAA. "While there are myriad topics currently impacting both intercollegiate athletics and specifically women's basketball, it's imperative for our women's basketball student-athletes to have this opportunity. Who better to engage and advise on the student-athlete experience than student-athletes themselves? With student-athlete activism being at an all-time high, the timing is impeccable for an amplifying voice for the women's basketball community."