Gwinnett Daily Post

The Associated Press . East's Crystal Langhorne, left, is blocked by West's Maya Moore, a Collins Hill grad, during the second half of the WNBA All-Star game Saturday in San Antonio.

Maya Moore entered the WNBA with great expectations and so far she's lived up to them.

A national panel of 40 sports writers and broadcasters agreed, choosing the Minnesota Lynx forward as the league's rookie of the year on Friday morning. She is the fourth straight No. 1 overall pick to win the league's rookie honor. She received 38 of the 40 votes, with the only other two going to Danielle Adams of the San Antonio Silver Stars.

The Collins Hill grad led all rookies in scoring (13.2), minutes (28.0) and steals (1.4) this season and ranked second in rebounding (4.6) and third in assists (2.7). She scored in double figures 24 times, helping the Lynx to a league-best 27-7 finish and home-court advantage for the duration of the playoffs.

Moore, a Western Conference starter in this year's All-Star Game, improved throughout the season and has had her best month in September. She's averaging 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists this month.

The four-time Connecticut All-American will receive $5,000 for winning the award, as well as a specially designed trophy by Tiffany & Co.