Macy Ricker '20 Recruiting Profile

    I am a passionate and dedicated player of the sport of basketball. My goal, as a player on the court, is to get better every game and every practice. I live in a small town in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia and go to a small private school, with a GPA of 3.7. I was pulled up to play varsity basketball on the high school girls’ team in the 8^th grade. One of my best games as an 8^th grader on the varsity basketball team was against a team called Hancock. Our top player on the team fouled out with minutes to go. With 15 seconds left on the clock, I dribbled the ball up the court and shot the ball from the top of the key making a 3-pointer to tie the game. The other team turned the ball over with 5 seconds left. We inbounded the ball, and I made a shot with no time left to win the game. My second buzzer beater was in our first home game of my freshman year. We were down by 3 to Broadfording, and with seconds on the clock I was passed the ball and made a 3 to tie the game, sending the game into overtime. I am hoping with 2 game tying shots and 1 game winner at such an early stage that this will help me with clutch situations throughout my basketball career.

     I am constantly working on my dribbling skills and fast releases on my shot. Going outside or in a gym to play the game of basketball is a refreshing feeling to me. It all started when I was four and wanted to do everything my older sister did. She joined a YMCA basketball team, so did I. Ever since then it’s been MY sport. The love of the game just kept growing inside me. I come from a very competitive family. Everything we do turns into a game of competition. I’ve always wanted to be able to beat my 19 year old sister, and now I can. I have learned ways to get around a competitive forward like her, which has helped my basketball game a lot.

    I’ve been told, in all the sports that play, that I bring energy and intensity to the court or field. I get along with almost anyone because of my extroverted personality, which helps me make friends easily. Playing on and off the court I have good sportsmanship, but I can still play with the competitiveness necessary to win games.

    Through my basketball career as a varsity basketball player on a high school team, I have a total of 1036 points as well of 437 rebounds. My goal for the rest of high school is to get more than 1956 points to beat the schools record, while still playing as an unselfish player. And I still have 2 more years of playing high school to achieve this goal.  This leads into my college goals. As a student athlete, I’d like to play my favorite sport as well as get a good education. At whichever college I choose, I’d like that college to help me get better every time I touch a basketball.

    As I was growing up, I lived with my mom, sister, half-sister, and dad. By the time I was 3, my parents divorced. My mom ended up moving to Louisiana with my half-sister, leaving my dad, sister, and myself in West Virginia. Later, my mom got remarried to a great family, and my dad did as well. I struggled with this. With the support from my family and friends, I overcame it and realized it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. My life wouldn’t be the same as it is today. In one aspect, my best friend/step-cousin has been playing basketball with me ever since. She has pushed me to become fiercer, more competitive and an overall better person. Then there’s my step-uncle and step-grandfather. These men make it to almost everyone of my games to watch me play. After my games, I’d always go up to them to thank them for coming, and they would always tell me something I did well and something I could work on. This made me push myself to please them and to become the best I could be.