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Post by Bornthrilla on Nov 16, 2009 18:50:24 GMT -5
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Post by Bornthrilla on Nov 16, 2009 18:53:15 GMT -5
www.thepilot.com/stories/20091115/sports/sports/20091115Mosley. Mosley Signs With A&T
BY F.W. MANNING II: SPECIAL TO THE PILOTWhen Union Pines' Alishia Mosley steps onto the court Monday at Bob Ward Gymnasium for the Lady Vikings' basketball season opener, she'll do so as a NCAA Division I signee. In front of a small gathering of teammates, teachers, family and friends Friday, the senior captain signed a national letter-of-intent that will make her a full scholarship member of North Carolina A&T's women's basketball team next fall. "I am feeling really great, to know that after all these years of hard work, I am going somewhere now," said Mosley. "Now I can play stress-free my senior year, because I still have goals at this level that I want to achieve. Then after the season is finished, I will switch my focus to worrying about being an Aggie." Mosley, who has led the Vikings in scoring her past two seasons, was an all-state selection last season. In her junior campaign, she led Union Pines in scoring, rebounding and 3-point shooting, finishing with averages of 18.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.7 steals per game while making 2.7 3-pointers per contest.For the past three years, Viking head girls basketball coach John Lewkowicz has watch Mosley's metamorphosis from a talented but meek freshman full of potential into a floor general with an impressive all-around game. "Alishia lives in the gym," he said. "Basketball is a huge part of her life, and she works at it. Each year, every phase of her game has gotten better and more consistent. She practices as hard as she plays and does not accept failure. It has been an honor for me to have a player like Alishia, because although she is exceptionally talented, she is also extremely coachable. So she is going to be a perfect fit for the Aggies." Anyone familiar with Mosley would tell you she is head over heels in love with the game. She is seldom seen without a ball in hand when she is on campus, watching volleyball matches or at track meets. The style with which she plays, with an air of confidence and an easy yet sturdy stride, makes the many spectacular moves and amazing shots all the more breathtaking. "For me, hoops is really just a passion," said Mosley. "This is no longer a hobby for me; it is something I truly love to do. Ever since I was little I always had a basketball in my hands, thanks to my father, and I figured if I worked hard every day, I would make it somewhere in life and achieve my goals." Alishia's father, Alphonso, can still remember the instant he realized that his daughter may be falling for the sport. "When she first started playing, she did not think she was any good," he said, "until she made her first basket. "When she sank that shot I saw the glow in her eyes, and it steadily has set in since then. She began playing competitively with parks and recreation at the age of 5 and moved on up till she was 12. Then she was given the opportunity to play AAU basketball with the Sandhills Cyclones and she began to grow and grow and grow. "Alishia's work ethic is the thing that has always stood out for me and is something I always brag to other people about. If she ever got beat down on the court out in the backyard, playing with older boys, she would come right back out, ready to go again." Recently Alishia played with the Pride of Carolina, which allowed her to be seen from Pennsylvania to Atlanta. "I think that played a large role in her actually being able to sign today," Alphonso said. Mosley does have some basketball history in her gene pool. Mario Chalmers, who played for the University of Kansas as part of its 2007-08 national championship team and is currently a starter for the NBA's Miami Heat, is her first cousin. Her mother, Margaret, believes Alishia's relationship with her cousin is one reason why she is a clutch shooter. "They have always played together since Alishia was young and are very close," Margaret said. "One thing it seems they have in common from watching both of them in big games is that they always seem to come through on the court at the perfect time." Last season, with her team in a tight race for first place in the conference, Mosley had a five-game stretch where she averaged better than 21 points, shot 69.2 percent from the field and knocked down 15-of-22 attempts from 3-point range for a 68.2 percent success rate from behind the arc. On the year she sank three game-winning 3-pointers and twice forced overtimes by burying long treys."Mario and I have been tight ever since I was little," said Alishia. "It has always been more than just being cousins for us. I played hard with him and his friends. So when we played they pushed me around hard and forced me to work, which made me feel like I was just like them. Also, playing with my dad made me tough too, because he never gave me any slack nor do any of the current members of our boys team." Mrs. Mosley agrees that her daughter has always loved basketball. "I am so very proud of Alishia," she said. "This has always been her dream. She is the most dedicated child to the sport that I have ever seen. That is the reason today is so rewarding, because I know now that she is truly happy having now realized her goal." Union Pines begins its season Monday, as Mosley and the Lady Vikes play host to the Jordan-Matthews Jets at 6 p.m. Both the Viking boys and girls are in action Wednesday in a cross-county twin bill against the North Moore Mustangs at Union Pines.
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Post by Aggie One on Nov 16, 2009 19:11:08 GMT -5
Two more all-staters for coach Bibbs? Never rebuilding just keeps on reloading.
She never stops ...... ever.
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Post by Bornthrilla on Nov 16, 2009 19:53:21 GMT -5
For those scoring at home, our 2010 recruiting class now includes:
Tiffanie Adair, Byrnes (SC) , 5-11, F
Alishia Mosley, Union Pines (NC)
DeAndra Davis, Spoto (Fl), 5-11, G/F
LaCherish Reed, Hickory Grove (NC), 5-9, G
Alex Mitchell, Oregon State transfer, 6-3, C
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Post by Bornthrilla on Nov 16, 2009 20:01:43 GMT -5
I didn't think it was possible to recruit a better athlete than DeAndra Davis, but Tiffanie Adair might have her beat.
It's going to be fun to see which one of them is the first to throw down a dunk in a real game.
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Post by Bornthrilla on Nov 16, 2009 20:04:54 GMT -5
Byrnes' Adair jumps into track and field
By KEVIN MELTON
For the Herald-Journa
Published: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at 3:15 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at 12:34 p.m.
It’s almost like a storyline for a movie. A most unlikely person becomes a star in the making and ends up the hero.
That’s exactly what Byrnes’ Tiffanie Adair has developed into.
Adair, a starter on the basketball team, has quickly emerged as a force on the track squad.
But, it took a bit of arm twisting from Byrnes coach Ryan Oshnock to convince the sophomore to even give it a try.
“It’s kind of funny. She hadn’t run track before, and I had never coached it before, so I was just looking for athletes,” Oshnock said. “I pulled her out of class one day to try to get her to come out for track. I asked her if she was interested, and she said she didn’t like to run.”
“I had no interest in track. Coach Osh asked if I was interested, and I said yes, but it was a lie,” Adair said. “Finally, I went out and started high jumping, and I liked it.”
What happened next could not have made Oshnock any happier.
“She was working out with one of our boys high jumping, and I looked over and saw the bar going up and up and up,” he said. “When I saw it was Tiffanie, I realized she was beating our boys. She was running as hard as she could and just soaring.”
“They thought I was a boy,” Adair said. “Coach said ‘How high is it?’ and went on and on and on. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal.”
“I was so surprised when I saw it was her. I told her that she was going to be good at this,” Oshnock added. “Even right now, she doesn’t understand how good she is.”
Adair has since won each of her high jump events while breaking the school record with a leap of 5 feet, 8 inches.
She is hoping to continue the impressive streak in today’s county track meet at Broome.
“I just love to compete,” Adair said. “I look forward to getting out there and going up against the other schools and hopefully doing well.”
Adair also competes in the triple jump, long jump, and 4x100 meter relay events.
Oshnock says she is just as impressive on the ground as in the air and can hopefully help the Rebels produce a strong showing today.
“She was just lights out during her first time out,” he said. “She’s like that once in a lifetime type of athlete. Obviously, we would like to see her win the high jump and triple jump. We’re expecting to finish in the top three or four in the county.”
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Post by Bornthrilla on Nov 16, 2009 21:36:08 GMT -5
Adair adds to legacy with stellar junior season
By Joel FitzPatrick
Greer Citizen Sports Editor
Byrnes High girls basketball coach Layne Fowler calls Tiffanie Adair the best player he has ever coached.
This season, the junior proved why Fowler, named the area’s top player during his Byrnes career in the early 90’s, thinks so highly of his pupil.
In leading the Lady Rebels to a second place finish in Region 2-AAAA and the second round of the state playoffs, Adair led all area girls with 18.3 points per game. She scored 20 points or more nine times, and tallied a season-high 28 points in a win over Hillcrest.
Because of her stellar season, Adair has been named The Greer Citizen-First National Bank Female Basketball Player of the Year.
“Overall, I think the season went pretty well,” Adair said. “I think we could have made it further in the playoffs, though. We played well for two quarters against (eventual state champion) Spring Valley, but we kind of gave up after that.”
A major reason for Byrnes’ success was the continued improvement of Adair. She was a solid player as a freshman and continued to develop as a sophomore, but this season was by far her best.
“I think I matured a lot,” Adair said. “You just get better day by day, and I want to be even better next season.”
Adair’s maturity can be seen by the way she analyzes her game.
“There is a lot I need to improve on,” Adair said. “I need to improve on my ball handling, and I need to be a better leader. I am a quiet, shy person, but I think I can bring this team together. I just have to learn to be more vocal.”
Highlights for Adair this year included a win over Spartanburg and surpassing the 1,000 point mark for her career, along with teammate Erin Frost.
With Frost and several other players being lost to graduation, Adair knows that she will have added pressure next season.
“I know that I will be asked to do a lot of the scoring, but I am looking for some of the other girls to step up and help out,” Adair said. “People won’t expect us to be strong next season because of all the players we are losing, but I think we can be even better than we were this year. We just have to set our goals high and work hard.”
One of Adair’s goals will be to earn a college scholarship. She is also one of the school’s top track athletes, but knows what sport she wants to play after high school, and where she wants to play that sport.
“I want to go to the University of Tennessee,” Adair said. “I love that team. And I don’t have any thought of running track in college. I just want to play basketball.”
If she continues to progress the way she has throughout her career, Fowler believes Adair can fulfill her dream of playing in college.
“She has been the cornerstone for us as we have tried to rebuild this program, and she has the chance to be the first three-time All-State player in school history,” Fowler said. “She is comfortable in the paint, so now I would like to see her work on improving her perimeter game.
“She is the best I have ever coached, but now it is time to elevate her game and her team’s play. That is what great players do.”
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Post by Bornthrilla on Nov 16, 2009 21:43:03 GMT -5
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Post by Bornthrilla on Nov 16, 2009 21:47:47 GMT -5
We are gonna be LOADED next year.
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Post by captaggie on Nov 16, 2009 21:54:10 GMT -5
Didn't some family members forecast we would have recruiting problems?
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Post by Bornthrilla on Nov 16, 2009 21:56:18 GMT -5
I think every mid-major school in the country would love to have these kind of "problems". LOL
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Post by AggieGroove on Nov 16, 2009 22:01:26 GMT -5
For those scoring at home, our 2010 recruiting class now includes: Tiffanie Adair, Byrnes (SC) , 5-11, F Alishia Mosley, Union Pines (NC) DeAndra Davis, Spoto (Fl), 5-11, G/F LaCherish Reed, Hickory Grove (NC), 5-9, G And BTW, please add the transfer center from OSU.....she is now considered a part of this recruiting class ;D ;D ;D ;D |
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Post by Bornthrilla on Nov 16, 2009 22:06:23 GMT -5
Alishia Mosley seems to have ice water flowing through her veins:
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Post by Bornthrilla on Nov 16, 2009 22:30:25 GMT -5
Here ya go, Groove:
Tiffanie Adair, Byrnes (SC) , 5-11, F
Alishia Mosley, Union Pines (NC)
DeAndra Davis, Spoto (Fl), 5-11, G/F
LaCherish Reed, Hickory Grove (NC), 5-9, G
Alex Mitchell, Oregon State transfer, 6-3, C
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Post by aahhbigboy on Nov 16, 2009 22:34:50 GMT -5
I can't wait to see these ladies play. I've heard a lot about a couple of them.
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