Clinton-Massie graduate Mary Moyer wasn’t really considering Wilmington College after her days on Lebanon Road.
And had she not left Talladega College (Ala.) in the middle of the season back in 2013, Moyer’s days as a member of the WC women’s basketball team may not have happened.
Fast forward four seasons, and Moyer and the Fightin’ Quakers are battling for an Ohio Athletic Conference championship and potential berth in the NCAA Div. III national tournament.
Wilmington (17-9) is scheduled to face Baldwin-Wallace 6 p.m. Thursday in an OAC tournament semifinal game. The winner advances to the championship game which is set for Saturday afternoon.
The 17 wins are the most for the Fightin’ Quakers women team since the 2008-09 team had 19 wins.
As she was deciding her future after high school, Moyer was considering St. Francis (Pa.), Appalachian State, St. Bonaventure and Talladega College.
“We definitely recruited her and wanted her,” WC coach Jerry Scheve said.
Moyer, though, was looking for something more than what non-scholarship Wilmington could offer.
“I wanted a full ride,” Moyer said. “Talladega was offering a full ride and everyone else was offering three-quarters (scholarships) or partials.”
Moyer started her career at the Alabama-based NAIA school by shooting 40 percent from three-point range and averaged six points a game while playing primarily off the bench.
But her dorm room at Talladega was broken into over the Christmas break and security became an issue. While Moyer admitted she would likely have looked into transferring from Talladega at the end of the school year, she decided to make a move mid-season.
Wilmington came back into the picture because Moyer could play right away at WC rather than sitting out a semester. And that was important to her.
“I knew the coaches (at WC),” Moyer said. “I knew what I was getting in to. There wasn’t any time to consider any other place without having to sit out a semester. And I didn’t want to sit out.”
During the break, Scheve said Moyer walked into the Hermann Court facility and said she wanted to transfer to Wilmington.
“I was happy to hear that,” Scheve said. “She cares about the game. She cares about the team. She cares about winning. She’s had a great work ethic ever since she’s been here.”
Moyer will finish her WC career with more than 600 points and 600 rebounds.
“She knows how to fit into what we do,” said Scheve. “She’s the best rebounder in the league and plays great defense for us.”
Moyer is majoring in Sport Management with a focus on Wellness, and has a minor in coaching at WC. She’s torn on which way to go — sports law or collegiate basketball coaching.
She missed her entire junior year of soccer at Massie because of a concussion. “As I started reading into it, I became more into that stuff. In high school, I had three concussions,” she said.
Moyer said she would like, one day, to defend the National Football League as an attorney in its concussion battle with the players.
“You know at any time you could get hurt,” she said. “You take risks. You have to accept those risks to play.”
